High Pike

Last updated
High Pike
High Pike from Bowscale Fell.jpg
High Pike seen across the Caldew valley from Bowscale Fell, 5 km to the SE.
Highest point
Elevation 658 m (2,159 ft)
Prominence 69 m (226 ft)
Parent peak Knott
Listing Hewitt, Nuttall, Wainwright
Coordinates 54°42′18″N3°03′36″W / 54.705°N 3.06°W / 54.705; -3.06
Geography
Lake District National Park UK relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
High Pike
Location in Lake District, UK
Location Cumbria, England
Parent range Lake District, Northern Fells
OS grid NY318350
Topo map OS Landranger 90 OS Explorer 5
Listed summits of High Pike
NameGrid refHeightStatus
Great Lingy Hill NY309339 616 m (2,021 ft)Nuttall
Hare Stones NY315344 627 m (2,057 ft)Nuttall
High Pike summit with Carrock Fell in the background. High Pike (Caldbeck) Summit.jpg
High Pike summit with Carrock Fell in the background.

High Pike is a fell in the northern part of the English Lake District, it is located 4.5 kilometres (2+34 miles) south of Caldbeck. It has a height of 658 metres (2,159 ft) and is the most northerly of the Lakeland fells over 2,000 feet (609.6 metres), a widely used criterion for determining which summits are classified as mountains. It is a large fell with its northern slopes falling away towards the lower ground between Caldbeck and Carlisle. Like the neighbouring Carrock Fell it has been extensively mined and the wealth created by the abundant variety of minerals on High Pike led to the saying "Caldbeck fells are worth all England else". This fell should not be confused with another Lake District High Pike situated in Scandale near Ambleside.

Contents

Summit

High Pike’s summit is of some interest, it is used as a beacon by the population of Caldbeck and a fire is lit to celebrate important events such as the Millennium and coronations. The summit also has a massive cairn which was originally a shepherds cottage and has become a ruin. There is a trig point which has been mounted with a plaque which says “To Celebrate Caldbeck Parish’s Millennium Celebrations”, there is also a substantial wind shelter nearby which has also been built from the stones from the ruined cottage. However, the most unusual of High Pike’s summit fixtures is a slate bench which bears the inscription “In memory of Mick Lewis who loved all these fells”, he died in 1944 aged 16 and a small add-on is in memory of his mother who died in 1970. Famous mountaineer Chris Bonington lives in nearby Caldbeck and is he is often to be seen walking his dog on High Pike, he told a local newspaper in May 2005

"This (High Pike) is a hill I feel truly at home on, It has always been one I can return to after climbing some serious peak in the Himalaya or Alps and return to earth. It has the most wonderful changing moods. The light is ever-shifting across the fell making a kaleidoscope of colours, and its wildlife is fascinating."

Mining

The mines of High Pike, which all lie on its northern slopes, have yielded numerous minerals since the 16th century. In fact, the most famous, Roughtongill is reputed to have yielded twenty three different ores. Copper was extracted at the Sandbeds mine, while lead and copper was mined at Driggeth mine. Later, some of the mines were reopened during the Second World War for the extraction of barytes, which was needed for the production of munitions. The last mine closed in 1966.

Ascents

A direct ascent of High Pike is usually done from the north, starting around the Caldbeck area, however the fell is often climbed in conjunction with the nearby fells of Carrock Fell, Knott and Great Calva making a circular walk that starts and finishes near Mosedale to the south of Carrock Fell.

Summit

High Pike’s position on the northern perimeter of the Lake District gives a fine view of the Solway Firth and the Scottish Border hills to the north. However the view south is severely curtailed by the bulks of Skiddaw and Blencathra and the main body of Lakeland is not seen well. High Pike has two subsidiary tops which are also classed as Nuttall fells, Hare Stones627 metres (2,057 ft) and Great Lingy Hill616 metres (2,021 ft) lie to the south west of the main summit at a distance of 600 metres and one kilometre respectively.

Geodesy

High Pike was the origin (meridian) of the 6 inch and 1:2500 Ordnance Survey maps for Cumberland. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skiddaw</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. Its 931-metre (3,054 ft) summit is the sixth-highest in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes. It is the simplest of the Lake District mountains of this height to ascend and, as such, many walking guides recommend it to the occasional walker wishing to climb a mountain. This is the first summit of the fell running challenge known as the Bob Graham Round when undertaken in a clockwise direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Man of Coniston</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

The Old Man of Coniston is a fell in the Furness Fells of the Lake District in Cumbria, England, and is the highest point of the historic county of Lancashire. It is at least 2,632.62 feet (802.42 m) high, and lies to the west of the village of Coniston and the lake, Coniston Water. The fell is sometimes known by the alternative name of Coniston Old Man, or simply The Old Man. The mountain is popular with tourists and fell-walkers with a number of well-marked paths to the summit. The mountain has also seen extensive copper and slate mining activity for eight hundred years, and the remains of abandoned mines and spoil tips are a significant feature of the north-east slopes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pillar (Lake District)</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Pillar is a mountain in the western part of the English Lake District. Situated between the valleys of Ennerdale to the north and Wasdale to the south, it is the highest point of the Pillar group. At 892 metres (2,927 ft) it is the eighth-highest mountain in the Lake District. The fell takes its name from Pillar Rock, a prominent feature on the Ennerdale side, regarded as the birthplace of rock climbing in the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Dodd</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Great Dodd is a mountain or fell in the English Lake District. It stands on the main ridge of the Helvellyn range, a line of mountains which runs in a north–south direction between the lakes of Thirlmere and Ullswater in the east of the Lake District. Great Dodd, with a height of 857 metres (2,812 ft) is the highest of the fells in this range to the north of Sticks Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nethermost Pike</span> Fell in Cumbria, England

Nethermost Pike is a fell in Cumbria, England, and a part of the Lake District. At 891 metres (2,923 ft) it is the second highest Wainwright in the Helvellyn range, the highest of which is Helvellyn itself. It is located close to the southern end of the ridge, with Helvellyn to the north, and High Crag and Dollywaggon Pike to the south. Nethermost Pike, along with many of the Eastern Fells, lies between Thirlmere in the west and the Ullswater catchment in the east. The closest villages are Glenridding and Patterdale on the shores of Ullswater, over 8 kilometres (5 mi) away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Stile</span> Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

High Stile is a mountain in the western part of the Lake District in North West England. It is the eleventh-highest English Marilyn, standing 807 metres (2,648 ft) high, and has a relative height of 362 metres (1,188 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Screes</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Red Screes is a fell in the English Lake District, situated between the villages of Patterdale and Ambleside. It may be considered an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells, but is separated from its neighbours by low cols. This gives Red Screes an independence which is reflected in its prominence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Causey Pike</span> Mountain in Cumbria, England

Causey Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is situated in the Newlands Valley, 5 kilometres south-west of the town of Keswick. Even though it has a modest height of 637 metres (2,090 ft) it is one of the most distinctive fells when viewed from the Derwent Water and Keswick area due to its distinguishing summit "knobble" which catches the eye. The fell is one of 214 fells described by Alfred Wainwright in his series of Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells: Causey Pike features in Book Six, The North Western Fells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knott, Caldbeck</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Knott is a mountain in the northern part of the English Lake District. It is the highest point of the Back o'Skiddaw region, an area of wild and unfrequented moorland to the north of Skiddaw and Blencathra. Other tops in this region include High Pike, Carrock Fell and Great Calva. The fell's slopes are mostly smooth, gentle, and covered in grass, with a few deep ravines. It stands a long way from a road and requires a long walk across the moor top get to it; this, as well as the fact that it is hidden from the rest of the Lake District by the two aforementioned giants, make it one of the most unfrequented tops in the Lakes. When it is climbed it is most often from Mungrisdale or from the north via Great Sca Fell. The word Knott is of Cumbric origin, and means simply "hill".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grisedale Pike</span> Mountain in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Grisedale Pike is a fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England, situated 4+12 miles west of the town of Keswick in the north-western sector of the national park. At a height of 791 metres it is the 40th-highest Wainwright in the Lake District; it also qualifies as a Hewitt, Marilyn and Nuttall. Grisedale Pike presents a striking appearance when viewed from the east, particularly from the vicinity of Keswick. It possesses two subsidiary summits: one unnamed ; the other Hobcarton End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scar Crags</span>

Scar Crags is a fell in the north western part of the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It is one of the Coledale group of fells situated seven kilometres south west of Keswick and reaches a height of 672 metres (2,205 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopegill Head</span>

Hopegill Head is a fell in the English Lake District in Cumbria. It is located nine kilometres west of the town of Keswick and is well seen from the B5292 road which crosses the Whinlatter Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiteside (Lake District)</span>

Whiteside is a fell in the north-western area of the English Lake District. It stands at the western end of the Grisedale Pike- Hopegill Head ridge overlooking Crummock Water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heron Pike</span>

Heron Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, two kilometres east of Grasmere. It is part of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It should not be confused with the Heron Pike that forms part of Sheffield Pike, although it appears that, by coincidence, both Heron Pikes are exactly the same height.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrock Fell</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Carrock Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated in the northern region of the national park, 8 miles north-east of Keswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longlands Fell</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Longlands Fell is a small fell in the northern part of the English Lake District. It is situated in the high ground known as the Uldale Fells, 5.5 kilometres south west of the village of Caldbeck. It reaches a height of 483 m (1,585 ft) and it is the most northerly fell in the Lake District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Sca Fell</span> Fell in the Lake District, England, UK

Great Sca Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, seven kilometres southwest of the village of Caldbeck. It is the highest of the four Uldale Fells, the other three being Longlands Fell, Meal Fell and Great Cockup. It is a Wainwright, and the lowest of the lakeland ‘Sca fells’, the other two being Scafell and Scafell Pike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brae Fell</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Brae Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated 12 kilometres north of Keswick it reaches a height of 586 m (1,923 ft) and is regarded as part of the Caldbeck Fells along with High Pike and Carrock Fell even though it has ridge links to the Uldale Fells. The fell's name has Scottish overtones and translates from the Scots language as a hillside or slope. Its northern flanks face the Scottish Borders country across the Eden Valley and Solway Firth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Side</span> Mountain in the Lake District, England

Long Side is a fell in the English Lake District, it is situated six kilometres north west of Keswick in the northern sector of the national park and is part of the Skiddaw group of fells. Long Side which reaches a height of 734 metres (2,408 ft) is located on Skiddaw’s north western ridge, the middle section of which is known as Longside Edge. Strictly speaking the actual summit of the fell is nameless with the name Long Side applying to the south western slope below the summit and is so marked on maps. The fell is often climbed by walkers on their way to the summit of Skiddaw, the route up the north west ridge which passes over Long Side is regarded as being the finest and quietest ascent of that 3,000-foot (910 m) mountain by guide book writers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Fells</span>

The Northern Fells are a part of the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District of England. Including Skiddaw, they occupy a wide area to the north of Keswick. Smooth, sweeping slopes predominate, with a minimum of tarns or crags. Blencathra in the south-east of the group is the principal exception to this trend.

References

  1. "198 years and 153 meridians, 152 defunct" (PDF). Charlesclosesociety.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2021.

Other sources