Wansfell Pike and Baystones
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Ambleside
Getting here Parking: Ambleside, Low Fold (paid), 0.1 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 505, 516 and 555 stop at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, a 250 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 31% around the 2.8 km mark.
Before you choose
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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Wansfell Pike2 Baystones (Wansfell)
Easy 80%Moderate 7%Hard 13%Severe
Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Ambleside → Wansfell Pike (3.5 km, 446 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 clear all the way to the top.
Easy to get wrongThe 12% average gradient is largely concentrated on the stone-pitched staircase. It is a continuous, heart-pumping climb on a pitched path, which can be slippery when wet or icy.
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, 37 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 easy to follow. 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 gentler than the climb up. 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 primary valley road network.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, June 2023
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.
Conditions and timing
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.
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.
- 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.
How to read these times
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.
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.
Getting there and back
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
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.
If the parking is full
If the first one is full, these overlap least in our model. The 3 below sit in different places or are different kinds of parking, so a busy morning at one does not mean a busy morning at all of them.
- Ambleside, Rydal Road (paid) — joins the loop at about km 0.4 of 11.9: a 1.5 km walk to the line, climbing about 50 m, and you walk the round from there
- Wansfell Pike car park (free) — joins the loop at about km 10.9 of 11.9: a 310 m walk to the line, climbing about 60 m, and you walk the round from there
- Ambleside, Low Fold (paid) — at the start
- By bus: buses stop at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, a 250 m walk from the start. This walk starts and ends in Ambleside, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Ambleside on a weekday: 22:43 towards Grasmere (555), 20:29 towards Keswick (555). A bus is not affected by a full car park, but check the timetable before you rely on it.
We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.
No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.
Buses
The 505, 516 and 555 stop at Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre, a 250 m walk from this start. This walk starts and ends in Ambleside, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Ambleside: the 555 towards Grasmere at 22:43 Monday to Saturday, 19:09 on Sunday; the 555 towards Keswick at 20:29 Monday to Saturday, 18:15 on Sunday. From Ambleside, at Hayes Garden Centre; checked against the operator's timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. 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.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Low Fold car park, about 130 m from the start: pay and display, from £2.60 for an hour to £10.60 all day. 133 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Westmorland and Furness Council, Low Fold car park, checked 12 August 2026)
- Toilets Toilets are mapped about 155 m from the start. 153 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments The Sourdough Pizza Co is mapped about 130 m from the start, with more in the town centre. Opening hours are not recorded here. 131 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Two ladder stiles, at about 2.2 km and 5.9 km, where a dog may need lifting over. Not a pushchair route. (our Stile & Gate Census, from OpenStreetMap, checked 25 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Planning detail
How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.
Difficulty profile
Hard overall — hardest: Steepness
Five independent axes, not one score. Three of the five were set on the ground; the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.
How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wansfell Pike | 3.5 km | 446 m | 1:27–1:55 |
| 2Baystones (Wansfell) | 5.0 km | 483 m | 1:48–2:24 |
| Finish | 11.9 km | 560 m | 3:19–4:25 |
A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: No sustained steep descent in the track’s height model (steepest 250 m about 15%). Steps, wet rock and the surface underfoot are not assessed; your own knees still matter.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 31% around the 2.8 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: 2 ladder stiles at 2.2 and 5.9 km, mapped on OpenStreetMap, that a dog may not get through. Livestock, ground and water are not assessed. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 20 July 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: Ground underfoot: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Drops and exposed ground: Easy – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
- Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.
On the line: 21 gates · 3 kissing gates · 2 ladder stiles · 4 step-over stiles
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 20 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
From Ambleside or Grasmere: 11 places
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Ambleside — 0.6 km from this start
- Walks from Stock Ghyll Force — 0.9 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.