Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Atkinson Pike at 845m (2,773ft) 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.
Summit conditions on Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 51 mph, 17.9 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Routes up Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Choose the way up before the car park: these two routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.
| Compared | Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the back | Blencathra by Sharp Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | Mungrisdale village hall (paid) | Scales |
| Distance and climb | 17.59 km, 1,011 m of climb | 7 km, 669 m of climb |
| Time, fast to steady | ~5–7 h | ~2½–3½ h |
| Scrambling | Not mentioned in the route’s notes | Graded scramble: Sharp Edge (km 2.7–3.1). Sharp Edge is a Grade 1 scramble, not a walk, and people have died on it. |
| Exposure | Moderate | Severe |
| Navigation | Moderate | Moderate |
| Steepest stretch | Descent of about 30% at 16.9 km (Hard) | Climb of about 38% at 2.9 km (Severe) |
| After the summit | Over Mungrisdale Common, Bannerdale Crags, Bowscale Fell and Tarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top) | Over Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Doddick Fell and Scales Fell |
| Walked or planned | Walked by Lee, May 2026 | Planned: drawn, not yet walked |
| Car park at the start | Mungrisdale village hall (paid) | The White Horse (free) |
| Bus to the start | 509, 3.2 km walk from Mungrisdale, adjacent to Road End | X5, 2.6 km walk from Threlkeld, opposite Blencathra Centre turn |
Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.
Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →
How hard is Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)?
The shortest way up we hold is Blencathra by Sharp Edge — 7 km, 669 m of ascent, ~2½–3½ h. On our scale its hardest axes are steepness, terrain and exposure — Severe. Our Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the back reaches it with exposure Moderate; its hardest axes are distance and steepness — Hard.
All axes: steepness: Severe · terrain: Severe · exposure: Severe · navigation: Moderate · length: Easy.
These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →
Conditions and 7-day summit forecast
Modelled for the 845 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
3 more places to park near Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Positions are approximate.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
Buses
The 509, X4 and X5 stop at Threlkeld, opposite Blencathra Centre turn. From there it is 2.6 km and 175 m of ascent to the start of Blencathra by Sharp Edge — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness, terrain and exposure) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 12.2 km in all, with the walk. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (X5): Tuesday to Saturday 22:01; Sunday 19:53. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Hazards on Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Hazard & Incident Information for Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Checked by Lee McCoy, . Draws on published material from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.
The top where Sharp Edge ends. Sharp Edge is one of the most serious scrambles in the Lake District: a narrow arête of rock polished by generations of boots, with unprotected drops on both sides, where a fall can be fatal. It is lethally slippery when wet or icy.
- Sharp Edge: A serious, exposed grade 1 scramble on rock polished smooth by decades of use — lethally slippery when wet or icy, with unprotected drops on both sides where a fall can be fatal. The awkward slab section at the far end is the usual crux, and there is no easy retreat once you are committed mid-edge. If conditions are poor or you are not a confident scrambler, do not attempt it — use Scales Fell instead.
- Foule Crag: the step at the end of the edge, and the rim: Where Sharp 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. Above it the plateau edge runs above Tarn Crags; keep back from it, especially in cloud.
What to watch for: Slips and falls on Sharp Edge, especially when wet or icy · Scramblers caught out by deteriorating weather
Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)
Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.
If you need Mountain Rescue
Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.
Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.
Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.
If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.
From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).
Map, GPX and nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Birketts within 3 km of Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.
Routes over Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Download GPX Walked by Lee, May 2026
Route guide: Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the back →
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 Planned route · not yet walked
Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.
On the hill: terrain and water on Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Blencathra by Sharp Edge route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
About Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
Field 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.— Lee McCoy, who walked it on our Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the back route in May 2026
My Strava hikes over Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- On the 7th Day God Created Blencathra (opens in new tab) — 17.6 km · 960 m ascent · 4h 23m moving · 25 May 2026
Data from Strava.
Classifications & hill data
Is Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) a Wainwright?
Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Nuttall list.
Selected lists
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →
Places to stay near this fell
- Mosedale End Farm B&B (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 2.3 km
- Scales Farm Country Guest House (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 3.9 km
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).