Wansfell Pike
Wansfell Pike at 484m (1,589ft) is the south-western top of Wansfell, rising sharply above Ambleside and giving one of the best views of Windermere from any fell in the district; the Wainwright summit, Baystones (487m), is 1.3 km to the north-east.
Summit conditions on Wansfell Pike
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 59 mph, 6.2 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Routes up Wansfell Pike
Both start from Ambleside, Low Fold (paid); the last two rows give its parking and bus. Full maps further down.
| Compared | Ambleside to the Old Post Office Tea Room, Troutbeck (over Wansfell) | Wansfell Pike and Baystones |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | Ambleside | Ambleside |
| Distance and climb | 9.89 km, 547 m of climb | 11.92 km, 560 m of climb |
| Time, fast to steady | ~2¾–4 h | ~3¼–4½ h |
| Scrambling | Hands for a few steps: the last rocks to Wansfell Pike's top (about km 7.3). | Not mentioned in the route’s notes |
| Exposure | Easy | Easy |
| Navigation | Moderate | Easy |
| Steepest stretch | Descent of about 37% at 7.8 km (Severe) | Climb of about 31% at 2.8 km (Hard) |
| After the summit | No further tops | Over Baystones (Wansfell) |
| Walked or planned | Planned: drawn, not yet walked | Walked by Lee, June 2023 |
| Car park at the start | Ambleside, Low Fold (paid) | Ambleside, Low Fold (paid) |
| Bus to the start | 555 at the start | 555 at the start |
Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.
Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →
How hard is Wansfell Pike?
The shortest way up we hold is Ambleside to the Old Post Office Tea Room, Troutbeck (over Wansfell) — 9.89 km, 547 m of ascent, ~2¾–4 h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.
All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Moderate · terrain: Moderate · navigation: Moderate · exposure: Easy.
These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →
Conditions and 7-day summit forecast
Modelled for the 484 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for Wansfell Pike
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
2 more places to park near Wansfell Pike
Positions are approximate.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
Buses
The 505, 516 and 555 stop at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, a 180 m walk from the start of Ambleside to the Old Post Office Tea Room, Troutbeck (over Wansfell) — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). Last bus: Monday to Friday 22:43 towards Grasmere (555) and 20:29 towards Keswick (555); Saturday 22:43 towards Grasmere (555) and 20:29 towards Keswick (555); Sunday 19:09 towards Grasmere (555) and 18:15 towards Keswick (555). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 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.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Hazards on Wansfell Pike
Notes from the Wansfell Pike and Baystones route
If you need to get off (the leg from Ambleside): Turn around and descend the stone steps directly back into the shelter of Ambleside.
Quoted from the route page: the note for the leg that reaches Wansfell Pike.
We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.
If you need Mountain Rescue
Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.
Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.
Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.
If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.
From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).
Map, GPX and nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Birketts within 3 km of Wansfell Pike
No bonus Birketts within 3 km.
Routes over Wansfell Pike
A hill day rather than a stroll (547 m ascent) — it tops Wansfell Pike — with a tea-room before the climb; check the stiles if you bring a dog.
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
Route guide: Ambleside to the Old Post Office Tea Room, Troutbeck (over Wansfell) →
Download GPX Walked by Lee, June 2023
Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.
On the hill: terrain and water on Wansfell Pike
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Ambleside to the Old Post Office Tea Room, Troutbeck (over Wansfell) route:
On the Wansfell Pike and Baystones route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
About Wansfell Pike
My Strava hikes over Wansfell Pike
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Bagging a couple of Fells with Laura and the kids. (opens in new tab) — 11.1 km · 553 m ascent · 3h 12m moving · 1 June 2023
Data from Strava.
Classifications & hill data
Is Wansfell Pike a Wainwright?
Wansfell Pike is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list and the Synge list.
Selected lists
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →
Places to stay near this fell
From Ambleside or Grasmere: 10 places