Red Pike (Buttermere)
755m (2478ft)
The Western Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
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*Walk & bag all 33 Wainwrights in The Western Fells area of The Lake District in just 10 easy-to-follow circular walks.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 7.5ml (12km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,338ft (1,017m) |
| Time: | 6.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Sourmilk Gill - Bleaberry Tarn - Dodd (Buttermere) - The Saddle - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Gamlin End - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Peggy's Bridge - Burtness Wood - Buttermere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 8.75ml (14km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,390ft (1,033m) |
| Time: | 6.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Scale Force - Scale Beck - Blea Crag - Lingcomb Edge - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Gamlin End - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Burtness Wood - Sourmilk Gill - Buttermere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 9.75ml (15.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,157ft (962m) |
| Time: | 6½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Sourmilk Gill - Bleaberry Tarn - Dodd (Buttermere) - The Saddle - Red Pike (Buttermere) - Ling Comb - Little Dodd (Ennerdale) - Starling Dodd - Great Borne - Floutern Tarn - Black Beck (Mosedale) - Blea Crag - Scale Force - Scale Beck (Crummock Water) - Crummock Water - Buttermere Dubs - Buttermere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11.25ml (18km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,132ft (1,259m) |
| Time: | 8.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Scale Force - Scale Beck - Blea Crag - Lingcomb Edge - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Gamlin End - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Warnscale Beck - Warnscale Bottom - Gatesgarth - Buttermere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 16ml (25.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 6,285ft (1,915m) |
| Time: | 12.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Buttermere - Scale Force - Scale Beck - Blea Crag - Great Borne - Starling Dodd - Little Dodd (Ennerdale) - Ling Comb - Lingcomb Edge - Red Pike (Buttermere) - Dodd (Buttermere) - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Gamlin End - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Warnscale Beck - Dubs Hut - Dubs Quarry - Fleetwith Pike - Honister Crag (Black Star) - Fleetwith Pike - Fleetwith Edge - Gatesgarth - Buttermere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 18.75ml (30km) |
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| Ascent: | 7,309ft (2,408m) |
| Time: | 14.75hrs |
| Grade: | (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Bowness Knott Car Park Ennerdale - Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre - High Gillerthwaite Yourth Hostel - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Great Round How - Brandreth - Gillercomb Head - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Kirk Fell - Black Sail Pass - Looking Stead (Pillar) - High Level Route - Robinson's Cairn - Pillar - Wind Gap - Black Crag (Pillar) - High Beck - Low Beck - Ennerdale.
Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, summited & bagged Red Pike (Buttermere)
Richard Fulcher walked up Red Pike (Buttermere) on March 25th, 2025 [from/via/route] Buttermere [with] Jen [weather] Started off with cloud over the tops but cleared around lunchtime. Not much wind but cold gusts every now & then .. generally cold with sunshine. - Originally logged as 14 September 2008: set off with Jen but she had to go back with Chip who wasn't coping well. Nearly came a cropper when I lost my way! Need to redo this peak as part of a ridge walk.
James Hughes climbed Red Pike (Buttermere) on June 3rd, 2024 [from/via/route] c207 The High Stile from Buttermere [with] Sara [weather] Misty & wet at times. Poor visibility on tops. - Amazing walk - met three men on Red Pike struggling to navigate. Bounded across tops & added Haystacks at end. Slip on way down from Haystacks. Pint at Bridge Hotel.
Sarah Moore bagged Red Pike (Buttermere) on April 9th, 2023 [from/via/route] My own invention! Wanting not to drive from YHA Ennerdale & to make the most of the High Stile ridge [with] On my own [weather] Not so sunny - good... very windy at times - tough (lots of people coming off the tops / turning back, but glad I didn't) - Loved this - an 8 hour walk really started to test me lengthwise & absolutely adored the lack of people on what I thought would be a crazy busy Easter Sunday. One to remember...
Ian Ashton hiked Red Pike (Buttermere) on September 24th, 2022 [with] chelle
Christine Shepherd summited Red Pike (Buttermere) during May, 2004 [from/via/route] Walked from Buttermere [with] On my own [weather] Hot & sunny - I remember being covered by little black flies as I climbed to the summit. These had gone thank goodness when I led a group up here two months later. Visited the summit again on 14.8.10 on my way to Starling Dodd. Climbed the Buttermere fells again on 29.8.2017. Climbed Red Pike again in mist on 25.09.2021 This hadn't been the plan but I headed here from the path up Scale Force because I knew the way down even in the mist. Made my sixth ascent of Red Pike on 28.08.2022 with a group from Mountain Madness following route c324.
Richard Marchant conquered Red Pike (Buttermere) on July 18th, 2022 [from/via/route] Started out from the village of Buttermere making my way along a footpath to the Western end of Buttermere & up the Old Burtness to Bleaberry Tarn from here it was up to the Saddle & on to Red Pike. Then Ridge walked along to High Stile & High Crag down over Seat to Scarth Gap Pass & down the footpath to the South Shores of Buttermere & back to the car. [with] On my Own [weather] Clear hot sunny day with little or no breeze.
Paul Macey scaled Red Pike (Buttermere) on June 7th, 2022 [from/via/route] C207 [with] Luke [weather] Sunny Intervals
Jeremy Torrance walked up Red Pike (Buttermere) on June 30th, 2021 [from/via/route] Buttermere [with] Jon Stu [weather] Good autumn
Richard Beardsley climbed Red Pike (Buttermere) on August 25th, 2021 [from/via/route] Started from Buttermere. [with] Myself and Paula. [weather] Beautiful sunny day, cooler on the summits. - As the family enjoyed the walk around Buttermere Lake myself & Paula decided to do an impromptu hike to the summit of Red Pike. We started at 1200hrs via the steps through Burtness Wood & along the rocky path/steps to Bleaberry Tarn. After a short break it was up along the track first to Dodd, (great views of Buttermere & area), then on to Red Pike. (caution with the Red scree). It was then the reverse route back to join the family at Buttermere, getting there at 1530hrs. All in all a great hike but difficult because of the time of day. Should have tackled it far earlier in the day!
Wayne Baxter bagged Red Pike (Buttermere) on August 19th, 2021 [from/via/route] From Buttermere car park walk along Buttermere lake & up Scarth Gap Pass. Turn right up to Seat & onto Gamlin End onto High Crag. Followed the path to High Stile & Red Pike. Down the Saddle to Bleaberry Tarn, continue on the path back to Buttermere. [with] Sue [weather] very low cloudy to start once on top cloudy level was good - I wished I have done this walk the other way round, coming down Red Pike not easy.
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More Photographs & Pictures of views from, on or of Red Pike (Buttermere)
High Snockrigg summit with Red Pike (Buttermere) (left), Mellbreak (back centre) and Rannerdale Knotts ((right) surrounding Crummock Water in the background
Buttermere village from Red Pike (Buttermere) with the Grasmoor massif looming large in the background
Kirk Fell (foreground), Pillar, Ennerdale, Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile, High Crag and Crummock Water (far right) from Westmorland Cairn, Great Gable
Crummock Water with Rannerdale Knotts (centre left), The High Stile Ridge (High Crag, High Stile and Red Pike (Buttermere) and the lower slopes of Mellbreak (far right) from Lanthwaite Wood
High Stile, Red Pike (Buttermere) and Dodd (Buttermere) from across Buttermere
Mosedale with Red Pike (Buttermere) (centre left) and Starling Dodd (centre right) beyond from the lower slopes of Hen Comb
Fleetwith Pike (foreground left) with High Crag, High Stile and Red Pike (Buttermere) beyond towering over Buttermere from Honister Crag (Black Star)
*Grasmoor (left of centre) and Red Pike (Buttermere) (right of centre) from Great Borne
Westmorland Cairn, Great Gable panorama featuring Kirk Fell (foreground centre), Wast Water, Wasdale and Yewbarrow with Middle Fell and Seatallan beyond (left), Red Pike (Wasdale), Little Scoat Fell and Pillar behind Kirk Fell (centre) and Ennerdale with Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile, High Crag and Crummock Water (right)
Whiteside (left), High Stile and Red Pike (Buttermere) (right) across the Vale of Lorton
Mellbreak, Crummock Water and Grasmoor with Dodd (Buttermere) and Bleaberry Tarn in the foreground from Red Pike (Buttermere)
Knott Rigg (foreground left), Buttermere (just poking out) with Red Pike (Buttermere) beyond and Whitelees Pike & Wandope (centre right) from Ard Crags
Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks at the end of Buttermere, with the Buttermere Fells - High Crag, High Stile and Red Pike (Buttermere) - from Rannerdale Knotts
Crag Fell summit cairn with Great Borne (left), Starling Dodd (centre), Red Pike (Buttermere) and High Stile in the distance
. . . see all 39 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on or of Red Pike (Buttermere)
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