Cofa Pike
Cofa Pike at 823m (2,700ft) is a Birkett top forming the dramatic rocky summit on the ridge between Deepdale Hause and Fairfield in the Eastern Fells. The narrow, rocky crest gives the approach to Fairfield from St Sunday Crag its most exciting section.
Summit conditions on Cofa Pike
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 57 mph, 15.5 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 Cofa Pike
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 | Cofa Pike Via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon | Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag from Patterdale |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | Dunmail Raise | Patterdale |
| Distance and climb | 9.3 km, 1,195 m of climb | 15.92 km, 983 m of climb |
| Time, fast to steady | ~3¾–5¼ h | ~4¾–6½ h |
| Scrambling | Hands for a few steps: the approach to Cofa Pike, and rock steps beside the Raise Beck falls (km 2.0–3.9 and km 6.3–9.3). | Hands for a few steps: Cofa Pike (km 8.8–9.3). |
| Exposure | Not assessed | Not assessed |
| Navigation | Moderate | Moderate |
| Steepest stretch | Climb of about 46% at 0.6 km (Severe) | Climb of about 41% at 8.1 km (Severe) |
| After the summit | Over Dollywaggon Pike | Over St Sunday Crag and Birks |
| Walked or planned | Planned: drawn, not yet walked | Planned: drawn, not yet walked |
| Car park at the start | Roadside parking for Steel Fell (free) | Patterdale Hotel Car Park (Patterdale Hotel, paid) |
| Bus to the start | 555, 1.7 km walk from Thirlmere, at Armboth turn | 508 at the start |
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 Cofa Pike?
The shortest way up we hold is Cofa Pike Via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon — 9.3 km, 1195 m of ascent, ~3¾–5¼ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.
All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Moderate · navigation: Moderate · terrain: Not assessed · exposure: Not assessed.
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 823 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for Cofa Pike
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
3 more places to park near Cofa Pike
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 508 and 509 stop at Patterdale Hotel (opposite), a 20 m walk from the start of Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag from Patterdale — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). The last bus is 19:46 towards Windermere (508) and 15:09 towards Hartsop (509), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 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 Cofa Pike
Hazard & Incident Information for Cofa Pike
Checked by Lee McCoy, . Draws on published material from hikes.guide route notes: Cofa Pike via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.
A rocky knoll on the ridge between Fairfield and Deepdale Hause. Approaching it requires a minor, bouldery scramble, manageable in dry conditions but slick and intimidating in rain, and dangerous under ice. The climb to it from Grisedale Tarn is steep all the way, and Fairfield's broad summit plateau to the south is confusing in mist.
- The bouldery scramble onto the pike: Approaching Cofa Pike requires a minor, bouldery scramble. It is manageable in dry conditions but can be slick and intimidating in rain, and dangerous under ice.
- The steep path from Grisedale Tarn: About 270 m of ascent in 700 m, steep all the way, and on our route you come back down the same path: the steepest ground of the walk, around 50% in places. Take it slowly, especially in the wet.
- Fairfield's plateau in cloud: Fairfield's broad summit plateau, to the south of Cofa Pike, is confusing in mist. From Grisedale Tarn's outflow the climb heads east to the ridge; know which way you are going before you leave the pike.
What to watch for: Slips on the bouldery scramble, especially in rain or ice · Slips on the steep path to and from Grisedale Tarn · Navigation errors on Fairfield's plateau in cloud
Local Mountain Rescue: hikes.guide route notes: Cofa Pike via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon (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 Cofa Pike
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.
Routes over Cofa Pike
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
Route guide: Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag from Patterdale →
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 Cofa Pike
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Cofa Pike Via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
About Cofa Pike
My Strava hikes over Cofa Pike
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Bit of a hike in the Lake District (opens in new tab) — 23.0 km · 1488 m ascent · 6h 13m moving · 3 April 2023
Data from Strava.
Classifications & hill data
Is Cofa Pike a Wainwright?
Cofa Pike is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list and the Synge 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
We have not verified an independent place near this fell — these are the chains and charities that serve it.
- YHA Grasmere Butharlyp Howe (opens in new tab) hostelabout 4.0 km
- The Swan (opens in new tab) hotelabout 3.7 km
- Rothay Garden (opens in new tab) hotelabout 3.9 km
Worth knowing before you book
These places state on their own site that they do not take children.
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).