High Pike (Caldbeck)

Snow covered High Pike

Height: 658m (2,159ft)

Prominence: 69m (2,992ft)

Region: Northern Fells

Classifications: Nuttall, Hewitt, Wainwright, Birkett

Summit feature: Cairn, trig pillar, toposcope & slate bench

Times climbed: 1

Related trip report:
Carrock Fell, High Pike & Knott - 13/02/2016

A group enjoy High Pike's summit bench

What Wainwright said:

"High Pike is massvive, occuypying the north-east corner of the high country "back o'Skidda", where it overlooks the Border and the valley of the Eden. There is volacnic rock underlying the higher parts but this is not greatly in evidence, the slopes being smooth and grassy except where broken by the roded ravines that contain watercourses and are such a feature of the area".

High Pike is the most northerly of the Lakeland fells over 2,000 feet. It is a large fell with its northern slopes falling away towards the lower ground between Caldbeck and Carlisle.

High Pike’s summit is of some interest, it is used as a beacon by the population of Caldbeck and a fire is lit to celebrate important events such as the Millennium and coronations. The summit also has a massive cairn which was originally a shepherds cottage and has become a ruin. There is a trig point which has been mounted with a plaque which says “To Celebrate Caldbeck Parish’s Millennium Celebrations”, there is also a substantial wind shelter nearby which has also been built from the stones from the ruined cottage.

However, the most unusual of High Pike’s summit fixtures is a slate bench which bears the inscription “In memory of Mick Lewis who loved all these fells”, he died in 1944 aged 16 and a small add-on is in memory of his mother who died in 1970.

High Pike’s position on the northern perimeter of the Lake District gives a fine view of the Solway Firth and the Scottish Border hills to the north.

Return to Lake District – Northern Fells