hikes.guideLake District

651 m · Wainwright — Southern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Southern FellsAlso a Birkett

Rossett Pike

The south top of Rossett Pike at 612m (2,008ft) is a rocky point on the ridge south of the main Rossett Pike summit, giving additional views down the Mickleden valley in Great Langdale.

651 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+13
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Rossett Pike

651 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+13 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 651 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 13°C, gusts to 39 mph, 11.9 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
14° / 13°
💨 39 mph
🌧 11.9 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 33 mph
🌧 11.9 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌧️
12° / 5°
💨 28 mph
🌧 1.4 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 2°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 4°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.6 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌫️
16° / 6°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 6°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 651 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

Rossett Pike

Rossett Pike, a Lake District fell
Photo: Shanesykes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The south top of Rossett Pike at 612m (2,008ft) is a rocky point on the ridge south of the main Rossett Pike summit, giving additional views down the Mickleden valley in Great Langdale. A Birkett top for those completing the full ridge above the head of Langdale. Part of the approach ridge to Esk Hause from the Langdale valley.

Routes up Rossett Pike

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

Langdale Horseshoe
20.2 km · ~6.5 hr · Severe
The full Langdale Horseshoe — fifteen tops, 1,500 m of ascent and one of the hardest days in the Lakes that involves no rope. The Langdale Pikes, Bowfell, the whole Crinkle Crags ridge and Pike of Blisco in a single round. It is long, rough, and the Crinkles will try to lead you down the wrong side. Do not start it late.
Rosett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more
17.7 km · ~5.5 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Southern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
651 m
Height
2,136 ft
In feet
NY 2491 0757
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid), about 4.0 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Rossett 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.

0.4 km ENEBuck Pike (Mickleden)606 m · Southern
0.8 km NEBlack Crags (Mickleden)588 m · Southern
1.5 km WSWPike de Bield810 m · Southern
1.9 km NNWHigh House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags)683 m · Southern
1.9 km SEWhite Stones - The Band568 m · Southern
2.2 km SShelter Crags815 m · Southern
2.2 km NNWRed Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)720 m · Southern
2.4 km SCrinkle Crags - Gunson Knott (Fifth Crinkle)822 m · Southern
2.5 km SCrinkle Crags - Fourth Crinkle832 m · Southern
2.6 km WIll Crag931 m · Southern
2.6 km SWHigh Gait Crags572 m · Southern
2.6 km NLooking Steads (Glaramara)774 m · Southern
2.9 km WSWPen762 m · Southern

Routes over Rossett Pike

Langdale HorseshoePlanned
20.2 km · ~1497 m ascent · loop · ~6.5–8.5 h · Severe
Summits: Pavey ArkHarrison StickleThorn CragLoft CragPike of StickleBlack Crags (Mickleden)Rossett PikeBowfellShelter CragsCrinkle Crags - Gunson Knott (Fifth Crinkle)Crinkle Crags - Fourth CrinkleCrinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)Crinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle)Cold PikePike of Blisco

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: The Bad Step (Crinkle Crags, Long Top). A short, awkward rock step that turns a walk into a scramble and regularly stops people dead. There is a bypass path to the left — use it if you are unsure.; Do not attempt Jack’s Rake on Pavey Ark unless you know what you are taking on. It is a graded scramble with real exposure, not a path. The walkers’ line goes round.; 20 km, 1,497 m and fifteen tops. This is a full, committing day. Start early, and decide your turn-back time before you leave the car.; The Crinkles are the classic place to descend the wrong side in cloud. Know which valley you want before you are in it.

Full route guide ↗

✎️ 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.

Rosett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and moreLive
17.74 km · ~1176 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h
Summits: Rossett PikeAllen CragsGreat EndEsk PikeBowfell

⬇️ 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 Rossett 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 Rossett Pike29 labelled tops shown (2 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 12 kmBowfell · 1 kmRaise · 14 kmBlencathra · 22 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 20 kmGreat Dodd · 16 kmGrasmoor · 15 kmCrag Hill · 14 kmHart Crag · 12 kmSwirl How · 7 kmBrim Fell · 9 kmGlaramara · 3 kmWetherlam · 8 kmHigh Raise · 4 kmHarrison Stickle · 3 kmClough Head · 17 kmThunacar Knott · 3 kmLonscale Fell · 20 kmGreat End · 2 kmEsk Pike · 1 kmAllen Crags · 2 kmRed Beck Top · 2 kmLoft Crag · 3 kmIngleborough · 59 km · clear daysWhernside · 56 km · clear daysThe Calf · 43 km · clear daysWhite Stones · 2 kmBlake Rigg · 5 kmGreat Knoutberry Hill · 58 km · clear daysHelvellyn Lower Man · 12 kmNethermost Pike · 12 kmStybarrow Dodd · 15 kmBlack Sails · 8 kmCodale Head · 4 kmHigh Pike · 28 kmSouther Fell · 24 kmCombe Head · 3 kmBuck Pike · 0 kmBleaberry Fell · 13 kmWrynose Fell · 5 kmBaugh Fell · 52 km · clear daysClaife Heights · 17 kmnameless · 21 kmSighty Crag · 81 km · a rare clear dayGreat Whernside · 82 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Rossett Pike, by direction
  • North: Looking Steads (3 km), Glaramara (3 km), Lonscale Fell (20 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (20 km), Lonscale Pike (20 km), Skiddaw Little Man (20 km), Knowe Crags (20 km), Gategill Fell Top (21 km), Blencathra (22 km), Doddick Fell (22 km), Scales Fell (22 km), Bannerdale Crags (23 km), Coomb Height (26 km), Hare Stones (28 km), High Pike (28 km)
  • North-east: High Raise (4 km), Low White Stones (4 km), Ullscarf (6 km), Nethermost Pike (12 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (12 km), Helvellyn (12 km), White Side (13 km), Raise (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (15 km), Little Dodd (16 km), Calfhow Pike (16 km), Great Dodd (16 km), Clough Head (17 km)
  • East: Thunacar Knott (3 km), Harrison Stickle (3 km), Codale Head (4 km), Hart Crag (12 km)
  • South-east: Wetherlam (8 km), Black Sails (8 km)
  • South: Bowfell (1 km), Great Carrs (7 km), Swirl How (7 km), Brim Fell (9 km)
  • North-west: Crag Hill (14 km), Grasmoor (15 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Sighty Crag (81 km, England), Great Whernside (82 km, England), Buckden Pike (77 km, England).

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 Rossett Pike

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
42Wainwrights in view+8 marginal
60 kmFurthest sightlineIngleborough
—Sea in viewnone from here
Far horizons
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 60 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 55 km clear
All 42 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Bowfell, Esk Pike, Allen Crags, Great End, Pike of Stickle, Glaramara, Loft Crag, Thunacar Knott, Harrison Stickle, High Raise (High White Stones), Sergeant Man, Pike of Blisco, Cold Pike, Sergeant's Crag, Eagle Crag, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Ullscarf, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Wetherlam, High Tove, Loughrigg Fell, Black Fell, High Seat, Helvellyn, Raven Crag, Bleaberry Fell, White Side, Raise, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Stybarrow Dodd, Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd, Clough Head, Sour Howes, Sallows, Lonscale Fell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Bannerdale Crags, Souther Fell, High Pike (Caldbeck)

How Rossett 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 Rossett Pike

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

Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid) — 4.0 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Great Langdale — Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco, the Langdale Pikes.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (510m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (649m) — Free🍺 Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel🍺 Sticklebarn
Stickle Ghyll / New Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid) — 4.4 km from summit (straight line)
Direct start up Stickle Ghyll for the Langdale Pikes.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (640m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (770m) — Free

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 Langdale Horseshoe route:

💧 possible water source (5 m)💧 possible water source (6 m)💧 possible water source (81 m)🚺 map (10 m)🚺 map (11 m)🚌 New Dungeon Ghyll (144 m)

On the Rosett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more route:

🚌 Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel (102 m)🚌 Great Langdale Campsite (228 m)⛺ Great Langdale Campsite (251 m)

💧 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 Rossett Pike from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 516 “Langdale Rambler”
Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Elterwater – New Dungeon Ghyll – Old Dungeon Ghyll
Catch it from: Ambleside · Windermere (change at Ambleside)
The Langdale bus — Pikes, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco all walkable from the Dungeon Ghyll stops. Seasonal frequency varies; check before relying on the last bus back.

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

Navigating Rossett Pike in cloud

Care needed

A 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 Rossett 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 Rossett Pike

Maps & guidebooks for Rossett Pike

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →