Lake District
Wasdale Pike
565M
1854FT
About Wasdale Pike
Situated on the wind-scoured eastern fringes of the Lake District near Shap, this rounded summit offers a rugged, pathless feel despite its modest height. It forms a key part of the Wasdale Horseshoe, providing wide, bleakly beautiful views across the M6 corridor toward the Howgill Fells and the North Pennines.
Key Statistics
Rank
306th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Far Eastern Fells
Prominence
?
5m
Nearest Town
Shap Rural
Geology
Beneath your feet are ancient layers of hardened lava and compressed volcanic ash, remnants of the powerful eruptions that shaped this rugged landscape.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY536084
Latitude
54.4697°N
Longitude
2.7169°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old Norse 'vass-dalr', meaning 'water valley', referring to the nearby Wasdale Beck. It shares its etymology with the more famous Wasdale to the west, though the two are separated by the breadth of the Lake District.
- •Alfred Wainwright included the hill in his 'Outlying Fells of Lakeland', describing a circular walk starting from the highest point of the A6. He appreciated the area's solitude, noting that the terrain is often deserted by everyone except local farmers.
- •The summit offers a unique industrial perspective of the Lake District, overlooking the massive grey excavations of the Shap Granite Quarry to the north.
- •The hill is located within the Shap Fells Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), protected for its extensive blanket bog and the specific upland bird species that thrive in the surrounding heather moorland.
- •Despite the name, there is no view of Wast Water from here; arriving with a kayak and a map of the Western Fells is a navigational error usually only made once.