hikes.guideLake District

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 → Parking & buses →
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 (Sat 12 Sep): 12° to 6°C, gusts to 40 mph, 19.8 mm of rain forecast.

Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
12° / 6°
💨 40 mph
🌧 19.8 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
12° / 6°
💨 14 mph
🌧 0.1 mm (10%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌦️
14° / 9°
💨 34 mph
🌧 2.1 mm (94%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
13° / 7°
💨 34 mph
🌧 8.8 mm (94%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
10° / 6°
💨 27 mph
🌧 3.1 mm (39%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
8° / 6°
💨 35 mph
🌧 14.1 mm (84%)
Fri 18 Sep
🌦️
10° / 6°
💨 36 mph
🌧 8.6 mm (75%)

Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 15:36 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.

Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) at a glance

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.

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.

Routes up Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

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

Classifications & hill data

Birkett
Synge
Nuttall
845 m
Height
2,772 ft
In feet
NY 3243 2830
Grid ref

The short answers

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.

Where do you park for Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)?

The nearest car park we hold is Scales, A66 (layby), about 2.2 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Scales Fell, south-east (layby), 2.2 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

How hard is Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)?

The shortest way up we hold is Blencathra by Sharp Edge — 7 km, 644 m of ascent, about 2.5 hours. On our scale its hardest axis is exposure — Severe.

All axes: exposure: Severe · steepness: Severe · terrain: Severe · navigation: Moderate · length: Easy.

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.

Parking & buses for Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

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) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)
Laybys near the White Horse Inn — Blencathra via Scales Fell or Sharp Edge.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
🚺 Threlkeld Village Hall (opens in new tab) (~2208 m straight line) — Free · Accessible
Scales Fell, south-east (layby) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Doddick Fell and Scales Fell — the 'Blencathra by Sharp Edge' route starts 482 m away. Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
The White Horse (free) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Doddick Fell and Scales Fell — the 'Blencathra by Sharp Edge' route starts 33 m away. Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Scales Fell (layby) — 2.7 km from summit (straight line)
1.8 km from Scales Fell. Approx 8 spaces. 1.9 km from Scales Fell. Added from the 5 Aug 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Threlkeld Car Park — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Knowe Crags (Blease Fell), Gategill Fell Top, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top and Doddick Fell — the 'Blencathra via Blease Fell' route starts 249 m away. Fees: £2 for 2 hours (aggregator-listed).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

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.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) by bus

The 509 stops 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 — a walk in before the walk. Last bus: Monday to Friday 22:01 towards Keswick (X5); Saturday 22:01 towards Keswick (X5); Sunday 19:53 towards Keswick (X5). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 509
Penrith ↔ Keswick around Ullswater — calls at Pooley Bridge, Watermillock, Glenridding, Patterdale, Hartsop, Dockray, Matterdale, Mungrisdale and Threlkeld
Catch it from: Penrith · Keswick
The Ullswater side of the Penrith–Keswick corridor, and a second option where we previously showed only the 508. Reaches Helvellyn and Catstye Cam from Glenridding, Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes from Patterdale, the Hartsop fells, and Gowbarrow from Dockray. Frequency and season are not listed here because we have not verified a timetable — check Stagecoach before you rely on it. Note the Troutbeck on this route is the one on the A66 near Penrith, not the Troutbeck near Windermere.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

No hazard card for this fell. The usual open-fell rules apply: check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Scales, A66 (layby), about 2.2 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)

17.59 km · ~961 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

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. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)

Water & shelter on the way up

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

Places to stay near this fell

Mosedale End Farm B&B (opens in new tab) guest house

about 2.3 km from the start, in a straight line

The nearest bed in the area we can actually evidence, at 2.31 km, and it answers more of our columns from its own pages than anything else here: an EV charge point, a room that sleeps two adults plus two children, a breakfast hamper delivered to the door, picnics, and its own private yard to park in. It also tells you the one thing most pages hide - that there is no bus - which matters on a Mungrisdale start where the alternative is a taxi.

Worth knowing: “Sorry we do not take DOGS or offer help the farmer or work experience days”

They run cameras on their own livestock and wildlife and lend guests a tablet to watch them from bed - a lambing camera in the lambing shed, a badger-sett camera and nest-box cameras.

  • Family rooms “THE GRAINERY SUITE A spacious en-suite bedroom with a king-size bed. Small kitchen area for basic food prep, with kettle, toaster, microwave, fridge, sink, and cupboard storage. Private balcony with outdoor seating.”
  • Packed lunch “Leave the car and walk all day for free. Picnics available.”
  • Parking “Mosedale End Farm is a traditional Lake District white farm house and is set back off the road, behind its own private yard where you may park your car.”

Scales Farm Country Guest House (opens in new tab) guest house

about 3.9 km from the start, in a straight line

It answers more of a wet walker's questions than anything else in this area, and answers them on its own pages: a boiler-room drying room, a private car park for eight, a ground-floor room for mobility-impaired guests, dog-friendly ground-floor rooms with their own exercise field opening straight onto Scales Fell, lockable storage for up to twelve bikes, free loan of poles, compasses and maps, and a bus stop directly opposite. It ranks second rather than first only because it is 1.57 km further out than Mosedale End and is silent on children in everything we hold.

The house is a 1650s farmhouse and barn, converted to a guest house in the early 1980s, and the owners were qualified hill-walking leaders for fifteen years before they bought it.

  • Drying room “We have a boiler room to provide heat and hot water which runs all year. This room is like a mini-sauna and is ideal for drying wet clothes and boots.”
  • Dogs “All three ground floor rooms are dog friendly with direct access to the garden and our own field.”
  • Parking “We have a large off road private car park that can easily accommodate 8 vehicles.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

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