Sunday, 2 July 2000

Kentmere Pike

Kentmere Pike as viewed from Yoke

Kentmere Pike as viewed from Yoke

Kentmere Pike

Height730m (2,395ft)
Prominence35m (114ft)
RegionFar Eastern Fells
Climbed2 Times

Kentmere Pike forms the core high point along the expansive ridge system running between Harter Fell and the Longsleddale valley. Positioned on the eastern flank of the valley, it serves as the counterpart to the Ill Bell range, framing the high-elevation loop of the Kentmere Horseshoe.

"A high ridge, a counterpart to the Ill Bell range across Kentmere, rises steeply to enclose the upper part of that valley to the east. This is the southern ridge of Harter Fell, which, soon after leaving the parent summit, swells into the bare, rounded top of Kentmere Pike." — A. Wainwright

The topography changes character sharply depending on your angle of approach. The Longsleddale flank boasts a dramatic rim of crags dropping steeply above the narrow upper waters of the River Sprint, highlighted by the rough faces of Goat Scar, Raven Crag, and Brown Crags. From the valley bridleway below, the side-spur of Steel Pike juts out into the skyline, appearing as a completely independent, rocky summit.

The cairn on the summit of Kentmere Pike

The cairn on the summit of Kentmere Pike

The true top of the fell presents a contrasting bare, grassy dome split by a continuous dry stone wall running directly along the ridge. An Ordnance Survey trig pillar stands on the eastern side of the boundary line, while a neat, hand-built stone cairn marks the equivalent height just to the west. Turning back toward the west reveals a spectacular panoramic perspective over the roller-coaster ridge of Yoke, Ill Bell, and Froswick scaling their way up toward High Street.

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