Low Pike

About Low Pike

Standing as the first significant top on the legendary Fairfield Horseshoe, this modest Wainwright offers a rugged introduction to the Eastern Fells. Rising directly north of Ambleside, its rocky summit is guarded by a series of drystone walls and short, hands-on scrambles that make it feel higher than its 508 metres.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Old Norse 'pík', meaning a pointed hill or peak. It is designated as 'Low' to distinguish it from High Pike, its 656-metre neighbour situated just over a kilometre further north along the same ridge.
• •Alfred Wainwright described this fell as the first objective for walkers tackling the Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside. He praised the summit for being a "neat rocky platform," though he noted the actual highest point is often a matter of debate between several nearby crags.
• •A prominent drystone wall runs directly over the summit. While it serves as an infallible navigational aid in mist, it also forces walkers to negotiate several awkward stiles and narrow gaps during the ascent from Sweden Bridge.
• •From the summit, there is a clear, linear view south down the length of Windermere, framed by the slopes of Wansfell and Loughrigg Fell. To the east, the steep, scree-covered flanks of Red Screes dominate the skyline across the deep trench of the Scandale valley.
• •For many walkers, the most technical challenge of the ascent isn't the steep ground, but rather trying to maintain a shred of dignity while squeezed between the ubiquitous wire fences and the unforgiving stones of the ridge wall.