The two faces of Red Pike

Red Pike (Wasdale)

Height826m (2,710ft)

Prominence63m (203ft)

RegionWestern Fells

Climbed4 Times

"There are several Mosedales, and the best known of them is the one branching from Wasdale Head. A highlight on the expedition is the traversing of the crest of the mile-long escarpment of Red Pike, its top cairn dramatically poised on the brink of a wild cataract of crags forming the eastern face." — A. Wainwright

Red Pike is one of two Lakeland fells sharing the name, with this peak residing above Wasdale Head in the Western Fells. The mountain exhibits two distinctly contrasting sides: a dramatic, mile-long continuous wall of crags dropping steeply into Mosedale to the east, and a gradual, grassy slope falling away to the west.

The southern end of the eastern face is guarded by the dark precipices of Bull Crag and Black Crag. Westward, a long, broad ridge of land descends gently between the valleys of Nether Beck and Over Beck, tapering gradually as both streams converge near the shore of Wastwater.

The summit sits perched above the crags

The high point features a substantial summit cairn perched directly on the edge of the Mosedale Crags. Built into the surrounding stones is a distinctive, armchair-shaped stone windbreak known locally as 'The Chair', offering shelter directly above the precipice.

Trip Reports

Pillar Rock & the Mosedale Horseshoe19/04/2019

Red Pike, Scoat Fell, Steeple, Haycock & Caw Fell25/03/2017

The Mosedale Horseshoe24/05/2015

The Mosedale Horseshoe07/04/2012

Return to Western Fells