Walk : Cold Pike (2,259 ft) from the Wrynose
Pass (3 Shire Stone)
Date : 21st September 2021
Weather : Stiff breeze slightly over cast @ 18° C
Distance : 2 mile round trip
Difficulty : 1 – easy walking on a good path
(1=easy 5=hard)
Which
area of Lakeland is this walk situated?
Terrain
Overview
Walk
Overview
The
route depicted by AW in Book 4 (Southern Fells) describes the ascent of Cold
Pike from the Wrynose Pass
starting
at the Three Shire Stone. This is obviously the easiest route to the top as a
lot of the altitude is gained by
travelling
up the Pass to the start point. From there a well-defined path can be picked up
with little deviation
to
the summit
From
the Wrynose Pass look out for a wooden sign post that
indicates the start of the path
There
are a number of small road side parking areas around this starting point
Pick
up the path near the road side that heads out west
The
path crosses a ford over a small stream which at this time of the year was easy
to cross
Over
the stream and the path is stepped to assist with the boggy ground
The
gradient of the path eases off after a short while and threads its way through
a series of small moraines
The
first objective is to reach the col between Pike o’ Blisco
and Cold Pike near Red Tarn
Higher
up now and reaching the point where we turn left to climb up to the summit
ridge on Cold Pike. At this
point,
Crinkle Crags and Bowfell come in to view
Just
before you reach a neat little cairn by the side of the path, another very
subtle and minor path turns off
to
the left
Following
the grass path over boggy ground to get on to the summit ridge line
Crinkle
Crags and Bowfell from the path
Approaching
the summit ridge line
The
path though faint is still easy to follow and leads unerringly to the summit
Looking
across to Pike o’ Stickle from the summit approach
Looking
back to Pike o’ Blisco from the path
There’
s choice of the 3 summits on the top – we chose the obvious middle one with its
neat little cairn
The
cairn on the middle summit looking to the north summit
The
360 degree view from the summit
Had
we have stayed on the main path it would have lead
directly to the start of the first Crinkle as shown
Looking
over the South tower towards a hazy Windermere
A
close up of the Langdale Pikes and Pavey Arc
Cold
Pike lived up to its name as Sue can testify !!!
Looking
south towards Hard Knott
As
we descended the Air Ambulance helicopter flew over and made a dramatic bee
line towards the Langdale Pikes
The
weather seemed to clear more as we descended back to the Wrynose
and her we could see more clearly
Great
Carrs, Grey Friar and Coniston Old Man
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