High Crag and Nethermost Pike

Nethermost Pike

Height891m (2,923ft)

Prominence29m (95ft)

RegionEastern Fells

Climbed2 Times

"Helvellyn is the great mountain that draws the crowds to Nethermost Pike: the latter is climbed incidentally, almost unknowingly. The fell is made of sterner stuff. From the east Nethermost Pike is magnificent, hardly less so than Helvellyn and seemingly more so because of its impressive surroundings". — A. Wainwright

Like most fells in the Helvellyn range, Nethermost Pike features gentle, grassy western slopes contrasted sharply by dramatic rocky outcrops on its eastern flank. The area is steeped in industrial history; lead was once actively mined along these eastern slopes, leaving behind a legacy of visible open workings and underground mine shafts.

Today, these rugged eastern slopes are protected as a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The area is highly prized for its unique geological features and exceptional biological diversity, notably harboring some of England's finest examples of arctic-alpine and tall-herb vegetation.

A cairn marks the summit

Between Ruthwaite and Nethermost Coves, the fell extends a fine, rocky ridge. Though this arête is slightly less imposing than its famous neighbor, Striding Edge, across Nethermost Cove, it ascends via a striking series of rocky steps for three-quarters of a mile, making a direct line for the top. It is from this spectacular eastern angle, rather than the unassuming west, that the fell truly earns its sobriquet of "Pike"—meaning a peaked mountain.

From the high ground, the drop-down views into Grisedale are immensely impressive, as is the perspective looking across to the seemingly vertical, knife-edge profile of Striding Edge.

Trip Reports

Helvellyn via Striding Edge, Nethermost Pike & Dollywaggon Pike11/06/2016

Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike & Dollywaggon Pike21/02/2015

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