Heron Pike (Glenridding)

Sitting as the craggy eastern prow of the Sheffield Pike ridge, this summit looms directly over the village of Glenridding. It is a landscape of heather and broken rock, offering an immediate, dramatic perspective on Ullswater. While often linked with its higher neighbour, it possesses a distinct character and provides a sharp vantage point over the Patterdale valley.

• •The name likely derives from the Old Norse 'hegri', meaning heron, and the Middle English 'pyke', describing a pointed hill. While herons are rare at 600 metres, the name has persisted through centuries of local dialect.
• •Recognized as both a Birkett and a Synge, this summit is the final high point on the ridge before the land falls away steeply toward the shores of Ullswater.
• •The summit provides a spectacular vantage point over the Glenridding Screes; below these slopes lies the historic site of Greenside Mine, which was once among the most productive lead mines in Europe.
• •From the rocky cairn, walkers are rewarded with a perfectly framed view of the 'L-shaped' bend of Ullswater, looking directly across the water to the steep, dark crags of Place Fell.
• •It is frequently mistaken for the higher Sheffield Pike by walkers ascending from the village, providing a brief moment of false hope before the actual summit comes into view further west.