Bonscale Pike

Straightforward as a climb, awkward as a summit. The pull up from Howtown is steep grass for around 400 m of ascent — hard work but never difficult, with no scrambling and no exposure on the walkers' line. The confusion comes at the top: the highest point is an unassuming rise, while the two stone pillars people photograph stand lower down the edge, out toward Ullswater. Plenty of walkers tick the pillars and miss the summit. Our walked Fusedale circuit takes it in as part of 14.7 km with 856 m of ascent.

No — it is a steep grass slog rather than a technical climb. There is nothing to scramble, nothing exposed, and the paths are reasonable. What makes it feel harder than its 524 m is that the climbing is front-loaded: you gain most of the height in the first stretch above Howtown, on ground that does not let up. Take it slowly and it is a comfortable half-day.

Yes — 524 m in Wainwright's Far Eastern Fells, on the quiet Ullswater flank above Howtown. It is really a shoulder of Loadpot Hill rather than a mountain in its own right, but its position over the lake earns it a chapter, and most people walk it with Arthur's Pike next door.

The reason to come: the full length of Ullswater, seen end-on from a high shoulder, with the Helvellyn range walling the far side and the lake steamers crossing far below. It is one of the best views of the lake from anywhere, and much of it is available from the stone pillars on the edge rather than the summit itself — unusually, the photograph and the top are in different places.

Howtown is the natural start — but parking there is very limited and informal, and the lane in from Pooley Bridge is narrow. The considerate alternative is genuinely lovely: take the Ullswater Steamer from Glenridding or Pooley Bridge to Howtown pier and walk up from the boat. Martindale's church parking is the other option for a longer approach.