- Red Pike (Wasdale)
Infobox Mountain
Name = Red Pike (Wasdale)
Elevation = 826 m, (2,709 ft)
Location =Cumbria , ENG
Range =Lake District ,Western Fells
Topographic
OS "Landranger" 89, "Explorer" OL4, OL6
Prominence = "c." 62 m
Grid_ref_UK = NY165105
Listing = Wainwright, Nuttall, HewittRed Pike is a
fell in the EnglishLake District . It is 826 m or convert|2709|ft|m|abbr=on high and lies due north ofWast Water . It is often climbed as part of theMosedale Horseshoe , a walk which also includes Pillar.The fell can be confused with
Red Pike (Buttermere) , not least because its namesake is only three miles away, so according toAlfred Wainwright it is conventional to call it Wasdale Red Pike.Topography
The
Western Fells occupy a triangular sector of the Lake District, bordered by the River Cocker to the north east andWasdale to the south east. Westwards the hills diminish toward the coastal plain of Cumberland. At the central hub of the high country areGreat Gable and its satellites, while two principal ridges fan out on either flank ofEnnerdale , the western fells in effect being a great horseshoe around this long wild valley.Alfred Wainwright : "A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Volume 7 The Western Fells": Westmorland Gazette (1966): ISBN 0-7112-2460-9] Red Pike is an outlier of the southern arm.The main watershed runs broadly westwards from Great Gable, dividing the headwaters of
Ennerdale andWasdale . Travelling in this direction the principal hills areKirk Fell , Pillar,Scoat Fell , Haycock andCaw Fell . Scoat Fell throws out a long southern ridge terminating inYewbarrow and Red Pike stands part way along.The Red Pike ridge occupies a broad area of high country between Nether Beck in the west and Mosedale in the east. The Mosedale face is steeper with considerable areas of Crag, whilst the estern slopes descend slowly over a couple of miles. The ridge begins at an unnamed
col to the south east of Scoat Fell. This narrow depression is squeezed between Black Comb, the birthplace of Mosedale Beck, and Scoat Tarn, the primary feeder of Nether Beck. From the depression it is only a short climb to the summit of Red Pike, the majority of the ridge lying beyond on the long south easterly descent to Dore Head. At this col the watershed turns south west, rising to the twin summits of Yewbarrow. Dore Head is the source of Over Beck, the stream separating Yewbarrow from the long western flanks of Red Pike.Red Pike presents an almost continuous wall of crags above Mosedale, particularly above Black Comb. Bull and Black Crags meanwhile guard the southern section. To the west a long shoulder of land falls gradually between Nether Beck and Over Beck, narrowing as the converge toward the shore of
Wastwater . In the middle of the plateau is Low Tarn, a large shallow waterbody lying in a flat basin. It drains via Brimfull Beck into Over Beck. This whole area is unfrequented with few paths amongst the grassy hillocks and low crags. Scoat Tarn at the head of Nether Beck is by contrast a corrie tarn, held in place by grassymorraine s. Its depth is around convert|65|ft|m|abbr=on. Blair, Don: "Exploring Lakeland Tarns": Lakeland Manor Press (2003): ISBN 0-9543-9041-5 ]Red Pike has a subsidiary southern top with a height of convert|2627|ft|m|abbr=on.
Geology
The fell is mainly composed of the
plagioclase -phyricandesite lava s of the Birker Fell Formation. There are also sills oflapilli -tuff and intrusions ofrhyolite .British Geological Survey : 1:50,000 series maps, "England & Wales Sheets 29 and 38": BGS (1999) and (1998)]ummit and View
The main summit bears a
cairn perched on the brink of the Mosedale Crags. To the west is a gentle slope, carpeted with short turf. The southern top also bears a large cairn and, a hundred yards beyond, is The Chair. This is an armchair shaped windshelter built onto a rock outcrop, a few yards off the path. It provides a fine vantage point for views southward, and is so prominent on the climb from Dore Head that it once gave its name to the fell. Scoat Fell and Pillar obstruct the view northward. TheScafells are well seen, as are the Wasdale Screes.Ascents
From Overbeck Bridge on the Wastwater road a way can be found up to Low Tarn, gaining the summit via the long western slopes. Alternatively Over Beck can be followed to its source at Dore Head, before making up the south ridge. Dore Head can also be reached from Mosedale if starting from Wasdale Head, although a long climb up scree is involved. It is possible instead to ascend Black Comb on easier slopes and then return to the summit. Red Pike is often the start of the Mosedale Horseshoe, a ridgewalk also visiting
Scoat Fell and Pillar. Depending upon the strength of the walkerYewbarrow andKirk Fell may also be added. Bill Birkett:"Complete Lakeland Fells": Collins Willow (1994): ISBN 0-00-713629-3]References
External links
* [http://www.stridingedge.net/Walks/2006/05.%20May/04.05.06.htm Striding Edge]
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