Grisedale Pike
Grisedale Pike at 791m (2,595ft) is the most conspicuous of the North Western Fells, a fine, sharp pyramid above Braithwaite that Wainwright described as the dominant feature of the Coledale skyline.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 790 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 12°C, gusts to 38 mph, 4.8 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 790 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
About the walk
Grisedale Pike
Routes up Grisedale Pike
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid), about 1.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Grisedale Pike (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.
Routes over Grisedale Pike
✎️ 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.
✎️ The Whinlatter Pass road car park is small and tucked behind the trees — and the bus to Braithwaite makes this an easy car-free round, adding only a couple of hundred metres of road to reach the start.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.
The View from Grisedale Pike
A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.
What you can see from Grisedale Pike, by direction
- North-east: Skiddaw Little Man (9 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (9 km), Skiddaw South Top (9 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (9 km), Skiddaw (9 km), Skiddaw North Top (9 km), Broad End (10 km), Atkinson Pike (14 km)
- East: Knowe Crags (12 km), Gategill Fell Top (13 km), Blencathra (14 km), Watson's Dodd (14 km), Great Dodd (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (15 km), Raise (15 km)
- South-east: White Side (15 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (16 km), Helvellyn (16 km), Catstye Cam (16 km), Nethermost Pike (17 km), High Crag (17 km), Dollywaggon Pike (18 km), Fairfield (19 km)
- South: Crag Hill (2 km), Kirk Fell East Top (12 km), Kirk Fell (12 km), Great Gable (12 km), Great End (14 km), Allen Crags (14 km), Broad Crag (15 km), Scafell Pike (15 km), Ill Crag (15 km), Esk Pike (16 km), Scafell (16 km), Pike de Bield (16 km), Bowfell (17 km), Great Carrs (23 km), Swirl How (23 km)
- South-west: Eel Crag (2 km), Grasmoor (3 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (180 km, Ireland), Merrick (100 km, Scotland), Broad Law (101 km, Scotland), Snaefell (87 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (97 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (121 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (83 km, Scotland), Corserine (95 km, Scotland).
Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.
Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.
What you can see from Grisedale Pike
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.
- Merrick Scotland
- Snaefell Isle of Man
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Great Dun Fell North Pennines
- Cross Fell North Pennines
- Criffel Scotland
- Solway Firth bay/estuary
- Irish Sea open water
All 90 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Hopegill Head, Outerside, Scar Crags, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Sail, Causey Pike, Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter), Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Barrow, Grasmoor, Lord's Seat, Broom Fell, Barf, Graystones (Graystones North Top), Cat Bells (Catbells), Robinson, Maiden Moor, Low Fell, Hindscarth, Ling Fell, Dodd (Skiddaw), Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Sale Fell, High Spy, Dale Head, Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side, Walla Crag, Red Pike (Buttermere), Latrigg, Skiddaw Little Man, Skiddaw, Gavel Fell, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Bleaberry Fell, Blake Fell, Lonscale Fell, High Seat, Grey Knotts, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Brandreth, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Base Brown, Green Gable, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Glaramara, Eagle Crag, Great Cockup, Caw Fell, Binsey, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Sergeant's Crag, Clough Head, Watson's Dodd, Great End, Lingmell, Great Dodd, Allen Crags, Stybarrow Dodd, Longlands Fell, White Side, Raise, Scafell Pike, High Raise (High White Stones), Esk Pike, Brae Fell, Bowscale Fell, Scafell, Helvellyn, Catstye Cam, Nethermost Pike, Bowfell, Pike of Stickle, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag, Dollywaggon Pike, Seat Sandal, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Great Mell Fell, Stone Arthur, Heron Pike (Rydal), Little Mell Fell, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Wetherlam
How Grisedale Pike’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.
Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.
Best parking to hike Grisedale Pike
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
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 Birketts around Grisedale Pike route:
On the Coledale Round route:
💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
Buses to Grisedale Pike from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
My hikes over Grisedale Pike (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- My knees didn't like that (opens in new tab) — 19.0 km · 1421 m ascent · 5h 33m moving · 16 May 2026
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Hazard & Incident Information for Grisedale Pike
A shapely, popular peak at the eastern end of the Coledale round above Braithwaite, with a steep, conical summit and abrupt drops on its northern side. The walking is straightforward in good conditions, but the ridges are steep and erode-polished, the north face falls away in crags toward Hobcarton, and the long, exposed crest is treacherous when wet, windy or iced. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground and is called to falls on the steep descents.
- Steep eroded ridge descent (Sleet How / direct lines): The descent toward Braithwaite is steep and badly eroded, with loose stones and polished rock that become slippery and dangerous for days after rain. Walkers have taken direct lines off the ridge and ended up cragfast or injured on steep, rocky ground (e.g. toward Force Crag). Keep to the path and don't shortcut the steep sections.
- Hobcarton Crag / north-east face: The northern side of the summit and the ridge toward Hopegill Head drops in steep crags above Hobcarton. In cloud or wind keep back from the edge — the ground that looks like the continuation of the ridge ends in cliffs.
- The exposed summit ridge in wind and winter: The narrow, conical summit and the long crest catch the full force of the wind, and ice forms readily in winter. A slip on the steep iced ground can run a long way. Full winter kit and competence needed when there is snow or ice.
Most common causes: Slips and falls on the steep, eroded, slippery ridge descents · Walkers becoming cragfast taking direct lines off the ridge · Falls over the steep northern crags near Hobcarton in poor visibility · Being blown off-balance or sliding on ice on the exposed summit ridge
Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026
Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. 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.
A note on Coledale Beck
Coledale Beck runs below the old Force Crag mine and carries mine-derived zinc — enough to matter for river life, though the lead and cadmium that would harm a person stay below the drinking limit here. Treat any hill water before drinking (a filter won’t remove dissolved metals); don’t single this beck out as a clean fill-up.
What’s actually in this beck — we mapped every mine-fed one →
Metal-mine water data © Environment Agency (Open Government Licence v3.0).
Navigating Grisedale Pike in cloud
Care neededA rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.
In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.
How Grisedale Pike compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Frequently asked questions about Grisedale Pike
Is Grisedale Pike hard to climb?
It's a moderate-to-hard fell — a sustained climb up a well-defined ridge, with a sting in the tail. Grisedale Pike (791 m / 2,593 ft) rises above Braithwaite in three distinct steps, and the final section narrows to a rough clamber over loose stones and rocky steps where you can feel exposed and buffeted by wind.
Most of the way is straightforward walking; it's that last steep, stony pull near the top that makes it feel like a proper mountain.
What is the best route up Grisedale Pike?
The classic ascent is the north-east ridge from Braithwaite, starting near the foot of Whinlatter Pass. It climbs over Kinn and along Sleet How — wide and grassy at first, then narrowing and steepening to the summit. It's the most direct and rewarding line.
Grisedale Pike is also the usual first summit on the big Coledale Round with Hopegill Head, Crag Hill and Causey Pike.
Sources: Walking Britain — Grisedale Pike & Crag Hill from Braithwaite (opens in new tab)
How long does it take to climb Grisedale Pike?
For Grisedale Pike out and back from Braithwaite allow around 4–5 hours. Linked with Hopegill Head it's roughly 13 km and a similar 4–5 hour day; as part of the full Coledale Round over eight tops it becomes a long 7-hour outing.
Why does Grisedale Pike look so pointed?
From Keswick and Braithwaite, Grisedale Pike has one of the most distinctive profiles in the northern Lakes — a sharp, conical peak with a steep north-east ridge climbing in three clear steps. That shapely outline is exactly why it's such a popular and recognisable hill.
The steepness that makes it look so striking is also what gives the final climb its rocky, narrowing character.
Sources: TheLakeDistrict.org — Grisedale Pike walking guide (opens in new tab)
Is Grisedale Pike suitable for beginners?
A fit beginner can manage it on a clear, calm day — the ridge path is mostly well defined — but the loose, rocky final section and the exposure to wind near the top mean it's best saved for good conditions. It's a step up from a gentle fell.
Wear boots with good grip, carry a map and compass, pick settled weather, and take care on the stony summit clamber, which is unpleasant when wet.
Where do you park for Grisedale Pike?
The usual start is the car park just off Whinlatter Pass, immediately west of Braithwaite village near Keswick, where the north-east ridge route begins. You can also start from Braithwaite itself.
It's a popular spot that fills on fine days, so arrive early.
Sources: GPS Routes — Grisedale Pike walking route (opens in new tab)
What should I wear and take up Grisedale Pike?
Wear proper walking boots with good grip for the loose stones and rocky steps near the top, and carry warm and waterproof layers — the summit catches the prevailing wind and is far colder than the valley. Take a map and compass, water, food and a charged phone, and check the mountain forecast.
Save the rocky final pull for a dry, settled day, and treat it as serious ground in strong wind or winter conditions.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-06-15 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near Grisedale Pike
- Ard Crags
- Barf
- Barrow
- Broom Fell
- Castle Crag
- Cat Bells (Catbells)
- Causey Pike
- Crag Hill (Eel Crag)
- Dale Head
- Grasmoor
- Graystones (Graystones North Top)
- High Spy
- Hindscarth
- Hopegill Head
- Knott Rigg
- Ling Fell
- Lord's Seat
- Maiden Moor
- Outerside
- Rannerdale Knotts
- Robinson
- Sail
- Sale Fell
- Scar Crags
- Wandope
- Whinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)
- Whiteless Pike
- Whiteside (Whiteside West Top)
Maps & guidebooks for Grisedale Pike
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Buy on Amazon (opens in new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →