Low Pike
Low Pike at 508m (1,667ft) is a Wainwright summit in the Eastern Fells, the first top on the Scandale ridge rising above Ambleside towards High Pike and Dove Crag.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 508 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 12° to 8°C, gusts to 25 mph, 1.1 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 508 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
Low Pike at a glance
Low Pike
Routes up Low Pike
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Classifications & hill data
The short answers
Is Low Pike a Wainwright?
Low Pike is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.
My hikes over Low Pike (Strava)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- 4 Wainwrights, 3 Kids and a while load of "how far is the car?" (opens in new tab) — 16.0 km · 873 m ascent · 4h 41m moving · 25 Jun 2023
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Parking & buses for Low Pike
Best parking to hike Low 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.
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 Low Pike by bus
The 555 stops at Rydal, at White Moss Common. From there it is 2.3 km and 121 m of ascent to the start of Fairfield Horseshoe — a route we rate Moderate — a walk in before the walk. Last bus: Monday to Friday 23:06 towards Kendal (555) and 21:58 towards Ambleside (555) and 20:58 towards Windermere (555) and 19:20 towards Bowness on Windermere (599); Saturday 23:06 towards Kendal (555) and 21:58 towards Ambleside (555) and 20:58 towards Windermere (555) and 19:20 towards Bowness on Windermere (599); Sunday 20:05 towards Windermere (555) and 19:35 towards Kendal (555) and 19:20 towards Bowness on Windermere (599). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 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.
Hazards on Low Pike
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.
Navigating Low Pike in cloud
StraightforwardWalkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. 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 Low Pike compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Map & nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.
Nearest parking: Pelter Bridge, Rydal (paid), about 2.1 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Low 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 Low Pike
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 Low Pike
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Fairfield Horseshoe route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
The view from Low Pike
The 360° skyline from Low 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 Low Pike, by direction
- North: High Pike (1 km)
- North-east: Little Hart Crag (3 km), Hartsop Dodd (6 km), Loadpot Hill (13 km)
- South-east: Wansfell Pike (4 km), Ingleborough (50 km)
- South-west: Wetherlam (11 km), High Wythow (12 km), Long Crag (12 km), Kitty Crag (12 km), Little Carrs (12 km), Swirl How (12 km), Great Carrs (12 km), Brim Fell (14 km), The Old Man of Coniston (14 km), Harter Fell (18 km)
- West: Pavey Ark (9 km), Harrison Stickle (9 km), Thunacar Knott (9 km), Thorn Crag (9 km), Loft Crag (10 km), Pike of Blisco (11 km), Cold Pike (12 km), Great Knott (12 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Shelter Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags (13 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (13 km), Bowfell (13 km), Little Stand (13 km), Esk Pike (14 km), Great End (15 km), Ill Crag (15 km), Broad Crag (16 km), Scafell Pike (16 km), Scafell (17 km)
- North-west: Heron Pike North Top (2 km), Great Rigg (3 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (171 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (159 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (179 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (179 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (79 km, England), Moel y Gamelin (162 km, Wales), Cadair Berwyn (178 km, Wales), Carnedd y Filiast (171 km, Wales).
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.
Sunrise and sunset on Low Pike
Low Pike waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 May, when the sun is up for 56 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 06:30 against an almanac sunrise of 05:34. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east-north-east from here (73.4°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 7.04°.
| First light | Almanac sunrise | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 04:57 BST ±5.0 min | 04:37 | +20 min |
| Equinox | 06:50 GMT ±5.0 min | 06:15 | +35 min |
| Midwinter | 08:32 GMT ±5.0 min | 08:32 | — |
The northern horizon stands at about 4.15° from here.
Last light — when the sun leaves Low Pike
Low Pike loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 August, when last light is 29 minutes before almanac sunset — 20:44 against 21:13. The sun goes down to the west-north-west from here (297.5°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.22°.
| Last light | Almanac sunset | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 21:26 BST ±5.0 min | 21:52 | -26 min |
| Equinox | 18:14 GMT ±5.0 min | 18:26 | -12 min |
| Midwinter | 15:38 GMT ±5.0 min | 15:49 | -11 min |
Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Low Pike. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes. These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.
What you can see from Low Pike
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.
- Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Wales
- Carnedd Llewelyn Wales
- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Whernside Yorkshire Dales
- Morecambe Bay bay/estuary
All 32 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
High Pike (Scandale), Heron Pike (Rydal), Nab Scar, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Great Rigg, Loughrigg Fell, Baystones (Wansfell), Silver How, Hartsop Dodd, Sour Howes, Black Fell, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Holme Fell, Thunacar Knott, Loft Crag, Wetherlam, Pike of Blisco, Cold Pike, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Bowfell, Loadpot Hill, Esk Pike, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Great End, Scafell Pike, Scafell, Harter Fell (Eskdale)
How Low 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.
Places to stay near this fell
From Rydal: 8 places in Ambleside
Frequently asked questions about Low Pike
How hard is Low Pike?
Easy in itself — the question is usually what comes after it. At 508 m Low Pike is the first top on the Fairfield Horseshoe out of Ambleside, and taken alone it is a straightforward climb on clear paths with one mild complication: the route follows a drystone wall much of the way up, and near the top there is a short rocky step beside it that people remember. No scrambling of consequence, no exposure.
Is Low Pike a good walk on its own, or should I do the whole horseshoe?
Both work, and the honest answer is that most people meet Low Pike as part of the horseshoe rather than as a destination. As a short outing from Ambleside it is a fine half-day with a disproportionate view down over Windermere. As the opening move of the full round it is the gentlest introduction the Fairfield skyline offers. Our walked Fairfield Horseshoe is 16.9 km with 925 m of ascent — just under 5 hours at a steady pace — so it is a considerably bigger commitment than Low Pike alone.
Where do you park for Low Pike?
Most people start from Ambleside itself and walk out through Rydal Road. Pelter Bridge at Rydal (paid) is the nearest listed car park at about 2 km, with White Moss a little further. All of them are busy on fine weekends. Full details are in the parking panel on this page.
What is the view from Low Pike?
Better than 508 m suggests, because it stands at the end of the ridge with nothing in the way: Windermere stretches away south, Ambleside sits directly below, and the Fairfield skyline curves round ahead of you — which is precisely why it makes such a good opening to the horseshoe. Look back rather than up on the way to the top.
Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-08 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)
Other fells near Low Pike
- Arnison Crag
- Birkhouse Moor
- Birks
- Catstye Cam
- Clough Head
- Dollywaggon Pike
- Dove Crag
- Fairfield
- Glenridding Dodd
- Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit)
- Great Dodd
- Great Mell Fell
- Great Rigg
- Hart Crag
- Hart Side
- Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)
- Helvellyn
- Heron Pike (Rydal)
- High Hartsop Dodd
- High Pike (Scandale)
- Little Hart Crag (West Top)
- Little Mell Fell
- Middle Dodd
- Nab Scar
- Nethermost Pike
- Raise
- Red Screes
- Seat Sandal
- Sheffield Pike
- St Sunday Crag
- Stone Arthur
- Stybarrow Dodd
- Watson's Dodd
- White Side