High Pike (Scandale)

High Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, located five kilometres north of Ambleside.

However, in reality it is just a slight rise on the long southern ridge of Dove Crag with only about five metres of prominence which prevents it even qualifying as a “Nuttall”; nevertheless both Alfred Wainwright and Bill Birkett mention the fell in their books on the Lakeland Fells.

The crest of the ridge consists of the volcaniclastic laminated claystone and siltstone of the Esk Pike Formation.

Beneath is the dacitic welded lapilli tuff of the Lincomb Tarns Formation.

The ascent from Ambleside leaves the centre of the town northerly and goes by Low Sweden Bridge to reach the open fell where a sizeable dry stone wall is followed firstly over Low Pike and then down to a depression at 480 m (1,570 ft) before climbing to the flat grassy summit of High Pike with its cairn standing on the edge of crags overlooking Scandale.

Looking over Low Pike to Ambleside and Windermere from High Pike summit.