Lake District
Red Pike (Wasdale)
826M
2710FT
About Red Pike (Wasdale)
Rising steeply above the Mosedale valley, this rugged Western Fell offers a wilder, quieter perspective on the Scafell range. Defined by its crumbling red syenite crags and proximity to Pillar, it is a high-altitude Wainwright best reached from Wasdale Head via the challenging Stirrup Crag on neighbouring Yewbarrow.
Key Statistics
Rank
46th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Western Fells
Prominence
?
64m
Nearest Town
Wasdale
Geology
You are treading on ancient volcanic lava flows known as the Birker Fell Andesite Formation, which forms the rugged, solid backbone of this fell.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY165106
Latitude
54.4839°N
Longitude
3.2899°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the reddish syenite rock found in the summit crags and the screes of the Mosedale face. 'Pike' comes from the Old Norse 'pík', commonly used in the Lake District to describe a pointed or prominent summit.
- •Alfred Wainwright rated the summit view as one of the finest in the district, specifically praising the 'unrivalled' prospect of the Scafell massif and the dramatic profile of the Napes on Great Gable.
- •The hill is a key component of the Mosedale Horseshoe, a celebrated high-level circuit that traverses Yewbarrow, Red Pike, Scoat Fell, and Pillar, encircling the glacial hanging valley of Mosedale.
- •Looking west-northwest from the summit, walkers are treated to a spectacular view of the knife-edge ridge of Steeple, which juts out from the main ridge like a ship's prow above the Ennerdale valley.
- •The fell is often confused with its namesake near Buttermere; if your summit view features Wastwater rather than Crummock Water, you have climbed the right mountain but may be in the wrong valley for your dinner reservation.