Each year, around a quarter of a million people make the ambitious journey up to the summit of England’s third highest peak.
Most hikers know what they’re getting themselves into with Helvellyn.
As the highest point of the Helvellyn range – which is a north–south line of mountains to the north of Ambleside in the heart of the Lake District national park – Helvellyn is the third tallest mountain in England, just behind Scafell Pike and Scafell, and as you can imagine, given that it tends to be one of the peaks on the list for walkers to tackle before they get to the country’s tallest, it’s a pretty popular.
With several different routes able to be trekked, it’s believed that around 250,000 people make it to the top of Helvellyn every year.
While reaching the summit is what matters most, the journey to the top can be just as important – but it seems some aren’t as keen on that journey as others, and two viral TripAdvisor reviews that’ve been left recently couldn’t prove that more.
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One reviewer literally claimed it was the “worst experience of my life”.
Tourist moans one of Lake District’s tallest mountains is ‘too hilly’ in ridiculous review / Credit: Flickr
Taking to TripAdvisor in February, one review, quite literally, said Helvellyn was “far too hilly” and claimed that “spoiled a nice walk”, before adding that “there were also no facilities at the summit, not even a coffee shop.”
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Expanding on the sentiments of that review further, the other review blasts the mountain even more, taking aim at the lack of facilites, again, and then even pointing out how “smug” the other walkers up there were.
The review reads: “I had to go to the bathroom halfway through the hike and there were no facilities. I ended up having to go behind a rock and it was extremely inconvenient. I mean, how could they not have a single toilet on this entire hike? Do they expect people to just hold it in or something? Ridiculous.
“Secondly, all the other hikers on the trail seemed to be annoyingly competent and made the hike look way too easy, bunch of smug gits.”
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Another reviewer said climbing Helvellyn was “the worst experience of my life” / Credit: Flickr
To top it all off, they then claimed the view from the top was “mediocre”.
“The views from the top were not even that impressive. I mean, seriously? That’s all we get after all this hard work? A mediocre view of some hills and a lake? I’ve seen better views from my backyard. I would not recommend this hike to anyone.
“Save yourself the hassle and just stay at home. Trust me, you won’t be missing out on anything.”
Well, you can’t please everyone, can you?
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 as part of new festive food range
Danny Jones
We can’t believe it’s rolled around again already, but with the festive period well underway and the big day just a few weeks away, Stockport County have brought back their viral ‘Xmas dinner in a cup’for 2025.
Better still, the County Courtyard has seen some new Christmas specials added to its food menu, too.
The local football club are absolutely flying in League One at the moment, having spent plenty of time at the top of the table already and still well and truly contesting those promotion/play-off spots.
If you’re a Stopfordian, that’s plenty of cause for celebration right there, but with the Christmas dinner in a cup also up for grabs once more, the holiday season literally couldn’t taste any better right now.
For those who’ve never seen it before, it’s exactly what it says on the tin – well, cup: a little Sunday dinner in a County-branded takeaway coffee cup, complete with a healthy pour of gravy and pretty much all the trimmings you could hope for.
Yes, including sprouts, because all of you who still don’t touch them need to grow up already.
Currently priced at just £4.50, not only does it contain virtually all the major food groups (barring the customary matchday pints, of course), it might just be one of the healthiest and best value-for-money bits of footy scran around – certainly in Greater Manchester, anyway.
But, as mentioned, that’s not all this year; Stockport are also serving up the new festive hot dog and even a ‘leftover Christmas curry’ in a bowl, which might even be more warming on a cold night at Edgeley Park than the Xmas dinner in a cup or clinging onto a flask of Bovril.
Anyone else craving that curry with a cheeky bit of bubble and squeak now?
It’s also worth noting that you’ll only be able to get one of those on Boxing Day, by the way, when the Hatters host Lincoln City in the league.
As for the rest of it, County fans can get their hands on this seasonal scran for the first time this year at the weekend when Dave Challinor’s side take on Barnsley at 12:30pm, and two of the three specials will then be served at home every game over the holiday period.
Speaking of random Christmas food creations, there’s another limited-time-only and potentially divisive example that we’ll also be sampling this December…
Aldi has launched the world’s first lickable pigs in blankets wrapping paper… for some reason
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has launched its latest Christmas creation, and this one’s arguably wackier than anything else it’s brought out before.
There’s absolutely no denying that pigs in blankets are a staple of festive feasting, with millions of the little delicacies consumed throughout the UK each Christmas, but have you ever wished you could turn the taste of those pigs in blankets into a lickable wrapping paper to wrap all this year’s gifts in? Yeah probably not… Aldi‘s made it though.
It’s anticipated that more than 561 million pigs in blankets are going to be eaten over the festive period, new research has found, which is an average of 10 per person.
But if you just can’t bare to leave the taste of pigs in blankets behind, Aldi’s new wrapping paper is set to give shoppers a fun and tasty twist when it comes to gift-giving.
The limited-edition wrapping paper is inspired by Aldi’s very-own range of pigs in blankets, and is described as capturing the smoky, savoury flavour and smell of the festive treat, with stickers that peel back to reveal a truly unique ‘lickable’ experience.
Aldi has launched the world’s first lickable pigs in blankets wrapping paper / Credit: Simon Jacobs/PA Wire (via Aldi UK)
Not only does the novelty wrapping paper taste and smells like pigs in blankets, it also looks the part on presents too with its pastel pink design, festive holly, and snowflake patterns.
“Pigs in Blankets are a highlight of the festive season… so we wanted to create something special to celebrate the Christmas classic,” commented Julie Ashfield, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, as the new creation launches.
“This unique, lickable wrapping paper is the perfect way to spread extra joy on Christmas Day.”
Want to get your hands on it then? Unfortunately, it won’t be as simple as popping to your nearest Aldi store and picking up a roll, as with a creation as unique as this, there’s only going to be limited stock and a special shopper competition to win it.
To be in with a chance of winning, you simply need to email [email protected] with your full name before the deadline at 11:59pm on 1 December.
Emily Sergeant -
17th February 2023 
