Grisedale Pike

Grisedale Pike is a fell in the Lake District in Cumbria, standing 7 kilometres west of Keswick. It reaches 791 metres and ranks as the 40th-highest Wainwright in the Lake District. The fell has two subsidiary summits: one above Hobcarton Crag and another called Hobcarton End. Three long ridges drop to valley floors while two shorter ones link to Hopegill Head and Coledale Hause. The southern side borders the 4-kilometre Coledale valley and the northern side meets Whinlatter Pass, where the Forestry Commission has planted Hospital Plantation. Grisedale Pike is worth the journey for its striking eastern profile and varied ascents. Walkers often start from Braithwaite up the eastern ridge, while others begin at Hospital Plantation car park on Whinlatter Pass. The Coledale Round, an 11-kilometre circular walk starting and finishing at Braithwaite, includes Grisedale Pike along with Hopegill Head, Eel Crag and other fells. The fell also qualifies as a Hewitt, Marilyn and Nuttall, adding to its appeal for hill walkers. Its summit offers a wide view that stretches from the Cumbrian coast to the Pennines. Visitors find a ruined dry stone wall on the north-eastern ridge and traces of past mining on the Coledale side. Force Crag mine, the last working lead mine in the Lake District, closed in 1990 after a major collapse. The summit provides views of distant hills such as Merrick and Criffel in Scotland, the Cheviot and Cross Fell in the Pennines, and the Helvellyn range to the east. To the south-west, Grasmoor and a small portion of Wales appear, while the Isle of Man and Slieve Donard can be seen to the west.