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781 m · Wainwright — Far Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Kidsty Pike - broad grassy fells with steep crag-rimmed coves across a deep green valley, under clear blue sky
Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Kidsty Pike

Kidsty Pike at 780m (2,559ft) is the sharply pointed summit above Haweswater, its rocky east face dropping steeply to the reservoir below in a dramatic sweep of scree and crag.

781 m
Height
~5–6 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Kidsty Pike

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

781 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 781 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 36 mph, 9.2 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 12°
💨 36 mph
🌧 9.2 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 26 mph
🌧 2.7 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 1°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 2°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
15° / 3°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 5°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (24%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 781 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Kidsty Pike

Kidsty Pike - broad grassy fells with steep crag-rimmed coves across a deep green valley, under clear blue sky
© Lee McCoy

Kidsty Pike at 780m (2,559ft) is the sharply pointed summit above Haweswater, its rocky east face dropping steeply to the reservoir below in a dramatic sweep of scree and crag. Wainwright described it as giving one of the finest views of Haweswater — the long reservoir seen from above with the High Street ridge beyond. The ascent from Mardale Head via Riggindale is superb, with the possibility of seeing the last golden eagle eyrie in England in Riggindale below. A mandatory detour from the High Street plateau for the view back to Haweswater alone.

🗒️ My notes
Kidsty Pike is another summit with interesting geology with the rocks thrown up like a vomit and a cairn that isn't the most impressive I've seen. But the view south - wow. I recall us sitting there, drinking some iced Lucazade Sport and taking in the sights down into Riggindale and over to Rough Crag. In great weather the wether is well worth the effort.

Routes up Kidsty Pike

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

Mardale Horseshoe
15.3 km · ~4.6 hr
Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike
13.7 km · ~4.2 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
781 m
Height
2,562 ft
In feet
NY 4473 1258
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Mardale Head, Haweswater (free), about 2.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Kidsty 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.

1.5 km NELow Raise754 m · Far Eastern
1.5 km SSERough Crag (Riggindale)628 m · Far Eastern
2.2 km ECastle Crag (Mardale)395 m · Far Eastern
2.6 km NRed Crag711 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Kidsty Pike

Mardale HorseshoeRevised
15.33 km · ~900 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h
Summits: Kidsty PikeRampsgill HeadThe Knott (High Street)High StreetMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter Fell

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty PikeRevised
13.7 km · ~862 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h
Summits: Mardale Ill BellHigh StreetThe Knott (High Street)Rampsgill HeadHigh Raise (High Street)Kidsty Pike

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Kidsty 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.

drag to pan · arrow keys
Computed 360-degree skyline from Kidsty Pike36 labelled tops shown (8 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 24 kmHelvellyn · 11 kmPillar · 28 kmHigh Crag · 10 kmBlencathra · 20 kmCrinkle Crags · 21 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 23 kmSwirl How · 21 kmHarter Fell · 4 kmMardale Ill Bell · 2 kmIll Bell · 5 kmBowscale Fell · 21 kmCarrock Fell · 24 kmHarter Fell · 26 kmCross Fell · 32 km · clear daysHigh Raise · 1 kmRampsgill Head · 0 kmLow Raise · 2 kmBranstree · 4 kmLittle Harter Fell · 4 kmBranstree NE Top · 5 kmTarn Crag · 6 kmSelside Pike · 5 kmRough Crag · 2 kmWard's Stone · 56 km · clear daysWild Boar Fell · 34 km · clear daysBrown Howe · 4 kmLittle Mell Fell · 12 kmHare Shaw · 5 kmGreat Meldrum · 10 kmNaddle High Forest · 5 kmGreat Whernside · 68 km · clear daysHarper Hills · 6 kmRogan's Seat · 48 km · clear daysCold Fell · 46 km · clear daysDufton Pike · 29 kmBowfell · 21 kmNethermost Pike · 10 kmCatstye Cam · 10 kmFairfield · 9 kmDollywaggon Pike · 10 kmHart Crag · 8 kmKnowe Crags · 20 kmLittle Stand · 22 kmKnott · 25 kmYoke · 6 kmHigh Pike · 26 kmIngleborough · 48 km · clear daysGreat Saddle Crag · 9 kmGreat Mell Fell · 14 kmSeat Robert · 8 kmPowleys Hill · 6 kmPen-y-ghent · 55 km · clear daysGreat Shunner Fell · 43 km · clear daysGreat Ladstones · 8 kmWallow Crag · 5 kmKnipescar Common · 10 kmMickle Fell · 38 km · clear daysBirks Fell · 60 km · clear daysScout Scar · 21 kmBroad Law · 115 km · a rare clear dayThe Cheviot · 117 km · a rare clear dayTinto · 131 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 114 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 168 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 91 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 120 km · a handful of days a yearBillinge Hill · 111 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Kidsty Pike, by direction
  • South: Harter Fell (4 km)
  • South-west: Red Screes (6 km), Great Carrs (21 km), Swirl How (21 km), Great How (22 km), Grey Friar (22 km), Brim Fell (23 km), The Old Man of Coniston (23 km)
  • West: Dove Crag (8 km), St Sunday Crag (8 km), Hart Crag (8 km), Fairfield (9 km), Dollywaggon Pike (10 km), Catstye Cam (10 km), Nethermost Pike (10 km), High Crag (10 km), Helvellyn (11 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (11 km), Shelter Crags (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Bowfell (21 km), Crinkle Crags (21 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (21 km), Esk Pike (22 km), Great End (22 km), Ill Crag (23 km), Broad Crag (23 km), Scafell Pike (24 km), Scafell (25 km), Pillar (28 km), Pillar Rock (28 km), Black Crag (28 km), Scoat Fell (29 km), Steeple (29 km)
  • North-west: Blencathra (20 km), Gategill Fell Top (20 km), Knowe Crags (20 km), Atkinson Pike (20 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Broad Law (115 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (117 km, England), Tinto (131 km, Scotland), Green Lowther (114 km, Scotland), Moel y Gamelin (168 km, Wales), White Coomb (106 km, Scotland), Queensberry (98 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (98 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 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Kidsty Pike

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
48Wainwrights in view+17 marginal
49 kmFurthest sightlineIngleborough
1Sea in viewIrish Sea
Far horizons
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 71 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 49 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 42 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesNE · 33 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 32 km clear
All 48 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Rampsgill Head, High Raise (High Street), High Street, Gray Crag, Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell (Mardale), Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Branstree, Selside Pike, Ill Bell, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Red Screes, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Dove Crag, Hart Crag, High Pike (Scandale), Fairfield, Great Rigg, Dollywaggon Pike, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Little Mell Fell, Great Mell Fell, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Souther Fell, Pike of Blisco, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Wetherlam, Cold Pike, Great Carrs, Bowfell, Swirl How, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Bowscale Fell, Esk Pike, Great End, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Brandreth, Carrock Fell, Scafell Pike, Scafell, Knott, High Pike (Caldbeck), Harter Fell (Eskdale), Pillar, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Steeple

How Kidsty 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.

The path beneath your boots

In 2025 Fix the Fells rebuilt the path at Kidsty Howes below the summit — 248 ranger-days and about £59,600 — with stone pitching, new drains and subsoil inversion driven through bedrock.

Fix the Fells built and maintains this path. How a fell path is made → · Give back

Path-repair data © Fix the Fells (National Trust / Lake District National Park). Source.

Best parking to hike Kidsty Pike

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree.
Directions
Hartsop village (free, donation) — 3.8 km from summit (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
Directions

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 Mardale Ill Bell, High Street, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Kidsty Pike route:

🛖 map (6 m)🛖 map (6 m)🛖 map (6 m)

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

Buses to Kidsty Pike from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Kidsty Pike (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Hazard & Incident Information for Kidsty Pike

Hazard: Moderate

A peaked, craggier-than-its-neighbours summit above Riggindale and Haweswater — the high point of the Coast to Coast walk, so it sees plenty of laden, sometimes inexperienced, through-walkers. The crest steepens and twists through a rocky turret near the top, the southern side drops in crag and scree some 1,500 ft to Riggindale, and the descent over Kidsty Howes to the lake is steep and rocky. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • The southern crags above Riggindale: The southern edge falls over crag and scree about 1,500 ft into Riggindale, and the summit crest steepens through a turret of rock and broken ground. Keep back from the southern edge, take the rocky steps carefully, and don't drift toward the drop in cloud or wind.
  • Kidsty Howes (steep rocky descent to Haweswater): The eastern descent to the lake goes over the rocky outcrop of Kidsty Howes — steep and awkward, hard on tired legs at the end of a long day. Take care with footing, especially when wet.
  • Exposed crossing for Coast to Coast walkers: As the highest point of the Coast to Coast, it is crossed by long-distance walkers who may be tired, heavily laden or unused to high fells, in all weathers. Navigate carefully toward Mardale/Patterdale in cloud, and don't underestimate the exposure up here.
Who should attempt this fell: Kidsty Pike is a fine peak but craggier than the surrounding grassy tops — keep back from the southern edge above Riggindale, take the rocky summit steps and the steep Kidsty Howes descent carefully, and allow plenty of time and daylight if you're crossing it on the Coast to Coast. Navigate by compass in cloud, and treat it as full winter ground when there is snow or ice.

Most common causes: Walkers straying onto the southern crags/scree above Riggindale · Slips on the steep rocky Kidsty Howes descent · Tired or inexperienced Coast to Coast walkers caught out by the terrain or weather · Navigation errors on the high ground in cloud

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team · 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.

Report incorrect information

Navigating Kidsty Pike in cloud

Straightforward

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Kidsty Pike compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Kidsty Pike

Maps & guidebooks for Kidsty Pike

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