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845 m · Birkett — Northern (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Atkinson Pike - a slate outcrop on the summit ridge, broad brown-and-green fells rolling to distant plains under clear blue sky
Birkett — Northern (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Atkinson Pike at 845m (2,772ft) is the northernmost and most dramatic summit of Blencathra, the rocky top above Sharp Edge that Wainwright described as the most exciting approach to any Lakeland summit.

845 m
Height
+5
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

845 mBirkett — Northern (not a Wainwright summit)+5 bonus Birketts within 3 km

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 845 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 13° to 12°C, gusts to 37 mph, 6.9 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
13° / 12°
💨 37 mph
🌧 6.9 mm (61%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 9°
💨 32 mph
🌧 11.0 mm (71%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌧️
12° / 4°
💨 31 mph
🌧 1.7 mm (76%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
13° / 0°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (76%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
13° / 2°
💨 15 mph
🌧 2.7 mm (55%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
14° / 1°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (28%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
14° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (22%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 845 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Atkinson Pike - a slate outcrop on the summit ridge, broad brown-and-green fells rolling to distant plains under clear blue sky
© Lee McCoy

Atkinson Pike at 845m (2,772ft) is the northernmost and most dramatic summit of Blencathra, the rocky top above Sharp Edge that Wainwright described as the most exciting approach to any Lakeland summit. The view from Atkinson Pike across Sharp Edge to the main Blencathra summit is unforgettable. The scramble along Sharp Edge from Scales Tarn is one of the great Lakeland experiences — more exposed than Striding Edge but shorter. A magnificent summit reached by an outstanding route.

🗒️ My notes
Atkinson Pike is probably a Birkett that many people inadvertently bag as they come up and over Sharp Edge on their way to Blencathra if they keep to the right and away from Tarn Crags. Others that are doing the parent summit may miss as they often take the more direct route over to the Wainwright "summit" of Mungrisdale Common. I purposefully took the route to it and was glad I did, as I was blessed with a very pleasant view over towards the Solway Firth, Dumfries, Carlise and beyond. When you're up there, you'll undoubtably come across the large white quartz cross. This was constructed, my research tells me, by Harold Robinson over a number of years after WW2. There's also another, much smaller one, and less well-maintained in honour of the man himself. Don't miss this Birkett, its well worth the small detour.

Routes up Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the back
17.6 km · ~5.1 hr
Blencathra by Sharp Edge
7 km · ~2.5 hr · Severe
The most exposed ridge in the Lake District that walkers routinely attempt — a narrow, airy arete of polished rock above Scales Tarn, followed by a steep pull onto Blencathra and a fine descent over Doddick and Scales Fell. It is a magnificent line. It is also the single most dangerous thing on this site, and we are not going to soften that.
Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
Nuttall
845 m
Height
2,772 ft
In feet
NY 3243 2830
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Scales, A66 (layby), about 2.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

0.7 km SSEDoddick Fell742 m · Northern
0.8 km ESEScales Fell682 m · Northern
1.1 km SSWGategill Fell Top852 m · Northern
1.8 km SWKnowe Crags (Blease Fell)804 m · Northern
3.0 km NEThe Tongue553 m · Northern

Routes over Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the backRevised
17.59 km · ~961 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h
Summits: Souther FellScales FellDoddick FellBlencathra - Hallsfell TopAtkinson Pike (Foule Crag)Mungrisdale CommonBannerdale CragsBowscale FellTarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Blencathra by Sharp EdgePlanned
7.0 km · ~644 m ascent · loop · ~2.5–3.5 h · Severe
Summits: Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)Blencathra - Hallsfell TopDoddick FellScales Fell

✎️ Blencathra deserves its reputation and Sharp Edge deserves its own. This route is here because people are going to walk it and they should walk it with clear information: it is a scramble with genuine consequences, its danger is governed almost entirely by whether the rock is dry, and there is an excellent, safe alternative up the same fell. Mountain rescue attend this ridge every year.

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Dry, still, clear conditions only. Not in the wet, not in wind, not in winter, not in cloud. If you arrive and it is greasy, walk up Scales Fell instead — the summit is the same and it will still be there next month.

⚠️ Warnings: Sharp Edge is a Grade 1 scramble, not a walk, and people have died on it. You will use your hands. There is serious exposure on both sides, and a slip in the wrong place is not survivable. If you are not certain you want to be there, you do not want to be there.; The rock is polished to a shine by a century of boots and is lethal when wet. Rain, dew, damp mist or a light greasiness are all enough. This is the single commonest factor in accidents here. If it is not dry, do not step on to it.; The crux is not the crest — it is the far end. Where the edge meets the mountain there is a short, steep, awkward slabby step onto Foule Crag. It catches people who have relaxed because the narrow bit is behind them.; Wind is disqualifying. A gust on an arete you are straddling is exactly the wrong problem to have.; There is no easy retreat from the middle of the edge. Committing is the decision you make at Scales Tarn, not halfway across.; If you have any doubt at all: Blease Fell gives you the same summit by a straightforward walk. Choosing it is good judgement, not cowardice.

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Best parking to hike Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Scales, A66 (layby) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
Laybys near the White Horse Inn — Blencathra via Scales Fell or Sharp Edge.
Directions
🚺 Threlkeld Village Hall (1856m) — Free · Accessible
Threlkeld village (free/donation) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Blencathra via Hall's Fell ridge; Clough Head across the valley.
Directions
🚺 Threlkeld Village Hall (57m) — Free · Accessible☕ Threlkeld Coffee Shop🍺 Horse & Farrier Inn🍺 Salutation Inn

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Blencathra by Sharp Edge route:

⛺ The Bunkhouse (26 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

Buses to Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach X4 / X5
Penrith – Rheged – Threlkeld – Keswick – Braithwaite – Cockermouth – Workington
Catch it from: Penrith
Year-round, frequent. From Penrith this is your way into Keswick and the Northern fells — Threlkeld/Scales stops serve Blencathra directly, Braithwaite serves the Coledale fells.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Other fells near Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Maps & guidebooks for Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

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