Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Steel Fell at 553m (1,814ft) is the ridge south of Dunmail Raise above Thirlmere, its long summit crest giving outstanding views of Grasmere below and the full Southern Fells beyond.
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 553 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 15° to 7°C, gusts to 35 mph, 29.9 mm of rain forecast.
Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 15:36 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 553 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
Steel Fell (Dead Pike) at a glance
Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Routes up Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Classifications & hill data
The short answers
Is Steel Fell (Dead Pike) a Wainwright?
Steel Fell (Dead Pike) is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.
Where do you park for Steel Fell (Dead Pike)?
The nearest car park we hold is Roadside parking for Steel Fell (free), about 0.9 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Steel Fell (layby), 1.0 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.
How hard is Steel Fell (Dead Pike)?
The shortest way up we hold is Helm Crag & Far Easedale — 15.9 km, 850 m of ascent, about 4.6 hours. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Hard.
All axes: steepness: Hard · length: Hard · exposure: Moderate · navigation: Moderate · terrain: Moderate.
My hikes over Steel Fell (Dead Pike) (Strava)
2 logged hikes pass over this summit:
- Redoing Steel Fell, Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag. 38c cooler this time (opens in new tab) — 14.1 km · 699 m ascent · 4h 14m moving · 19 Jan 2025
- That was a bit warm. 29c at the summit of Steel Fell!! (opens in new tab) — 20.4 km · 1005 m ascent · 5h 39m moving · 26 Jun 2024
Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.
Parking & buses for Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Best parking to hike Steel Fell (Dead 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 Steel Fell (Dead Pike) by bus
The 555 stops at Grasmere, at School, 50 m from the start of Helm Crag & Far Easedale. Last bus: Monday to Friday 20:46 towards Keswick (555); Saturday 20:46 towards Keswick (555); Sunday 18:36 towards Keswick (555). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 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 Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Hazard & Incident Information for Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
A grassy fell (its top also called Dead Pike) rising steeply above Dunmail Raise at the head of Grasmere. The ascent from Dunmail is unremittingly steep, the ridge on toward Calf Crag crosses notoriously boggy ground, and the descents (Cotra Breast and the Bracken Hause zig-zags) are steep. With a featureless boggy ridge, navigation is the main hazard. Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.
- Steep ascents & descents: The climb from the top of Dunmail Raise is relentlessly steep, and the descents (Cotra Breast and the steep zig-zags from Bracken Hause to Greenburn) are steep too. Pace the climb and take the descents carefully, especially when wet.
- Boggy ridge & navigation toward Calf Crag: The high traverse toward Calf Crag is very boggy with an unclear path; in cloud it's easy to wander on featureless, knolly ground. Take a compass bearing and pick careful lines through the peat.
- Exposure on the open top: Open and shelterless, the ridge can be windy and the bog freezes in winter. Dress for changeable conditions and treat it as a navigation fell in snow.
Most common causes: Slips on the steep ascent and descents, especially in the wet · Navigation errors on the boggy, featureless ridge toward Calf Crag in cloud · Floundering in deep peat bog · Exposure on the open top in poor weather
Local Mountain Rescue: Langdale Ambleside 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.
Navigating Steel Fell (Dead Pike) in cloud
Serious in cloudWalkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.
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 Steel Fell (Dead 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: Roadside parking for Steel Fell (free), about 0.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Steel Fell (Dead 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 Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.
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 Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Helm Crag & Far Easedale route:
On the Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Steel Fell and Tarn Crag route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
The view from Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
The 360° skyline from Steel Fell (Dead 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 Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), by direction
- North: Helvellyn Lower Man (5 km), Clough Head (12 km), Knowe Crags (16 km), Gategill Fell Top (16 km), Blencathra (17 km), Doddick Fell (17 km), Jenkin Hill (17 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (17 km), Skiddaw Little Man (18 km), Carl Side (18 km), Skiddaw South Top (18 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (19 km), Long Side (19 km), Skiddaw (19 km), Skiddaw North Top (19 km)
- North-east: High Crag (4 km), Helvellyn (5 km), St Sunday Crag (6 km)
- East: Great Rigg (4 km), Fairfield (4 km)
- South: Wetherlam (10 km), Black Sails (11 km), Brim Fell (14 km), The Old Man of Coniston (14 km)
- South-west: Codale Head (4 km), Harrison Stickle (5 km), Crinkle Crags (9 km), Crinkle Crags (9 km), Crinkle Crags (9 km), Crinkle Crags (10 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (10 km), Little Stand (10 km), Great Carrs (11 km), Swirl How (12 km), Grey Friar (12 km)
- West: Low White Stones (4 km), Combe Head (7 km), Glaramara (7 km), Looking Steads (7 km), Great Gable (11 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Moel y Gamelin (165 km, Wales), Cadair Berwyn (180 km, Wales), Moel Famau (149 km, Wales), Wauk Hill (93 km, Scotland), Winter Hill (102 km, England), Cyrn-y-Brain (163 km, Wales), Cairnkinna Hill (105 km, Scotland), Penycloddiau (145 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 Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Steel Fell (Dead Pike) waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when the sun is up for 49 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 05:26 against an almanac sunrise of 04:37. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the north-east from here (55.1°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 5.05°.
| First light | Almanac sunrise | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 05:26 BST ±5.0 min | 04:37 | +49 min |
| Equinox | 06:38 GMT ±5.0 min | 06:15 | +23 min |
| Midwinter | 08:32 GMT ±5.0 min | 08:33 | -1 min |
The northern horizon stands at about 1.92° from here.
Last light — when the sun leaves Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
Steel Fell (Dead Pike) loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 May, when last light is 26 minutes before almanac sunset — 20:20 against 20:46. The sun goes down to the west-north-west from here (293.1°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.12°.
| Last light | Almanac sunset | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsummer | 21:40 BST ±5.0 min | 21:52 | -12 min |
| Equinox | 18:16 GMT ±5.0 min | 18:26 | -10 min |
| Midwinter | 15:31 GMT ±5.0 min | 15:49 | -18 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 Steel Fell (Dead 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 Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.- Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
- Morecambe Bay bay/estuary
All 49 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)
Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Helm Crag, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Seat Sandal, Ullscarf, Dollywaggon Pike, Stone Arthur, Great Rigg, Blea Rigg, Fairfield, Silver How, Helvellyn, Heron Pike (Rydal), Pavey Ark, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Harrison Stickle, Nab Scar, St Sunday Crag, High Tove, Loughrigg Fell, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Glaramara, High Seat, Raven Crag, Pike of Blisco, Bleaberry Fell, Cold Pike, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Black Fell, Wetherlam, Great Gable, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Great Carrs, Clough Head, Swirl How, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Lonscale Fell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Long Side, Skiddaw, Ullock Pike, Bowscale Fell, Great Calva, Knott
How Steel Fell (Dead 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 Grasmere: 10 places
Other fells near Steel Fell (Dead Pike)
- Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top)
- Blea Rigg
- Bleaberry Fell
- Calf Crag
- Eagle Crag
- Gibson Knott
- Grange Fell (Brund Fell)
- Great Crag (Stonethwaite)
- Harrison Stickle
- Helm Crag
- High Raise (High White Stones)
- High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
- High Seat
- High Tove
- Loft Crag
- Loughrigg Fell
- Pavey Ark
- Pike of Stickle
- Raven Crag
- Sergeant Man
- Sergeant's Crag
- Silver How
- Tarn Crag (Easedale)
- Thunacar Knott
- Ullscarf
- Walla Crag