Esk Pike

About Esk Pike

Sitting at the heart of the Southern Fells, this rocky pyramid acts as a grand viewpoint for the head of Eskdale. Often bypassed on the popular traverse between Bowfell and Great End, its stony summit provides a quieter, rugged perspective of the Scafell massif and the craggy Langdale Pikes.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the River Esk which rises on its slopes; 'Esk' comes from the Brythonic word 'isca', meaning water, while 'Pike' is a common Lakeland term for a peaked summit.
• •Alfred Wainwright described Esk Pike as 'a hub of the fells,' highlighting its position as a central junction where the high ridges from Bowfell, Great End, and Langstrath meet.
• •The pass to the south, Ore Gap, is named for the deposits of haematite iron ore found there; the soil remains noticeably stained a deep reddish-purple to this day.
• •From the summit, walkers gain a spectacular, 'birds-eye' view directly down the length of Eskdale, a vista that Wainwright considered one of the most impressive in the Lake District.
• •The summit is composed of Scafell Dacite, part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, which creates the shattered, angular rock fields that make the final ascent feel significantly more alpine than the surrounding grassy fells.
• •It serves as a useful barometer for crowd levels; if the summit of Esk Pike is busy, you can safely assume the queue for the Scafell Pike cairn is currently visible from space.