Heron Pike North Top [Rydal Fell]

Often overlooked in favour of its southern neighbour, this high point on the Fairfield Horseshoe offers a superior vantage point. Located above Grasmere, the terrain is typical of the Eastern Fells—broad, grassy, and windswept. It serves as a quieter breather before the final pull towards Great Rigg and the Fairfield summit.

• •The name Heron Pike likely derives from the Middle English 'heiron', referring to the bird, combined with the Old English 'pic', meaning a pointed hill. While many Lake District names have Old Norse roots, this one appears to describe the frequent sightings of grey herons in the valleys below.
• •Although Alfred Wainwright gave the primary chapter to the southern summit of Heron Pike, this North Top is the actual high point of the Rydal Fell ridge. It is specifically recognised as a summit in its own right by Bill Birkett and within the Nuttall and Synge classifications.
• •The summit sits on the classic Fairfield Horseshoe, a ten-mile ridge walk that begins and ends in Rydal or Ambleside. This specific top provides a momentary plateau on the steady 1,000-foot ascent from the village of Grasmere via Alcock Tarn.
• •From this vantage point, the view south is dominated by the long silver ribbon of Windermere stretching towards the coast, while looking west across the Rothay Valley reveals the distinctive profile of the Langdale Pikes and the distant, rugged silhouettes of the Scafell range.
• •In a quirk of hill-bagging logic, most walkers celebrate reaching the lower southern cairn of Heron Pike, then unknowingly trudge over this higher summit while staring fixedly at the much larger bulk of Fairfield looming ahead.