Wansfell Pike and Baystones
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Key facts
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 1 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.
Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →
Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
1 Wansfell Pike2 Baystones (Wansfell)
Easy 78%Moderate 9%Hard 13%Severe
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 11.92 km with around 534 m of ascent, taking in 2 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
- Dog: 2 ladder/squeeze stile(s) a dog can’t get through.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.
On the line: 29 gates · 3 kissing gates · 2 ladder stiles · 4 step-over stiles
These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-20. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wansfell Pike | 3.5 km | 435 m | 1:25–1:54 |
| 2Baystones (Wansfell) | 5.0 km | 457 m | 1:46–2:21 |
| Finish | 11.9 km | 534 m | 3:16–4:21 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Start → Wansfell Pike (3.5 km, 435 m)
From the center of Ambleside, head up Stockghyll Lane, passing the entrance to the waterfalls. Shortly after the road ends, join the fell path and tackle the heavily engineered, stone-pitched steps that climb straight up the steep western flank to the rocky summit of Wansfell Pike
WaypointsAmbleside, Stockghyll Lane, Wansfell Pike summit
Decision pointThe path is heavily trafficked, and the stone steps are completely unmistakable all the way to the top
Easy to get wrongThe 12% average gradient is largely concentrated on the stone-pitched staircase. While it is a continuous, heart-pumping climb, the highly secure footing makes it an excellent, manageable route for families and newer hikers
If you need to get offTurn around and descend the stone steps directly back into the shelter of Ambleside
- 2
Wansfell Pike → Baystones (Wansfell) (1.5 km, 23 m)
Leave the busy Pike behind and head north-east along the broad, undulating grassy ridge. The path crosses through a dry stone wall before reaching the slightly higher, much quieter true Wainwright summit at Baystones
WaypointsWansfell Pike, ridge wall crossing, Baystones (Wansfell) summit
Decision pointFollow the main trod running roughly parallel to the dry stone wall along the ridge crest. Baystones is marked by a modest rocky outcrop and a small cairn
Easy to get wrongA very easy, undulating stroll. The only minor challenge is the boggy ground that collects in the shallow depressions along the ridge, requiring a bit of weaving to keep boots dry
If you need to get offRetrace your steps back to Wansfell Pike to use the main stone-pitched descent
© Lee McCoy Baystones (Wansfell) → Finish (6.9 km, 77 m)
Descend south from Baystones toward the broad, walled track of Nanny Lane, which leads you steadily down into the village of Troutbeck. From Troutbeck, pick up the undulating tracks of Robin Lane, winding your way back through the woodland to finish in Ambleside
WaypointsNanny Lane descent, Troutbeck village, Robin Lane, Ambleside finish
Decision pointNanny Lane is a massive, walled farm track that is impossible to lose. Once in Troutbeck, the wooden signposts for Ambleside via Robin Lane are clearly marked
Easy to get wrongA long 6.9 km return, but it is almost entirely on well-made farm tracks and country lanes. The descent down Nanny Lane is gentle on the knees, making it a perfect, slow-paced walk-out. The minor 77 m of ascent is barely noticeable, rolling gently across the lower woodland paths
If you need to get offOnce you reach Troutbeck, you are entirely off the fell and on the safe, primary valley road network
Summits bagged (2)
- 1Wansfell Pike484 m
- 2Baystones (Wansfell)487 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
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.
Every option near this start, on the parking map →
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Buses
The 505 stops at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, 250 m from this start. Last bus: Monday to Friday 22:43 towards Grasmere (555) and 20:29 towards Keswick (555) and 09:47 towards Coniston (505) and 09:21 towards Dungeon Ghyll (516); Saturday 22:43 towards Grasmere (555) and 20:29 towards Keswick (555) and 09:47 towards Coniston (505) and 09:21 towards Dungeon Ghyll (516); Sunday 19:09 towards Grasmere (555) and 18:15 towards Keswick (555) and 09:47 towards Coniston (505) and 09:21 towards Dungeon Ghyll (516). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 505 passes this route at 0.5 km (Ambleside Loughrigg Avenue (near), 0 m off the line). Other services cross it too — 599 at 11.3 km, 517 at 11.9 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
If the parking is full
There is no real plan B here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so if one is full the others usually are too. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off.
- Ambleside, King Street (paid)
- Ambleside, Low Fold (paid)
- Ambleside, Lake Road (paid)
Worked out from the parking we hold within walking reach of this route and the other walks each place serves — two places that serve the same walks fill for the same reasons. We are not saying whether anywhere has spaces today, and we never will: this is what exists, not what is free.
When the sun reaches the tops
Not sunrise — the moment the sun clears the skyline from that summit, which on a fell with high ground to its east can be a good deal later. The two equinoxes are shown because they fall in the walking season, and late December too wherever a top keeps you waiting then; the clock gap between the equinoxes is British Summer Time, not the hill. Rounded to the nearest quarter hour and meant as a general idea, not a schedule.
- Baystones (Wansfell) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about half an hour after sunrise.
Modelled from a 30 m elevation model against each summit’s own skyline — the same figures the fell pages carry, never observed. Cloud is not in it.
Safety & conditions
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Short version: turn back at about 3.9 km — roughly half the distance.
Places to stay near this start
From Ambleside or Grasmere: 11 places