Heron Pike

Heron Pike stands in the Lake District, two kilometres east of Grasmere. It is a grassy rise on the southern ridge of Fairfield, just cresting the 2,000-foot mark at 612 metres. The fell lies between Nab Scar and Great Rigg, with Erne Crag and Blind Cove on its eastern side. A steep drop towards Rydal Beck reveals an old quarry and a cavern mouth at the base of Erne Crag. On the western flank, Alcock Tarn sits at 360 metres, enlarged in the 19th century to a depth of about two metres. The fell’s subsidiary top, Heron Pike North Top or Rydal Fell, stands 400 metres north of the main summit at 621 metres. Alfred Wainwright chose the lower top as the summit in his Pictorial Guide, differing from Nuttall lists. The ridgeline exposes dacitic welded lapilli tuff from the Lincomb Tarns Formation. Walkers often visit Heron Pike on the way to or from Fairfield, with routes starting from Rydal or Grasmere. The south summit shows flashes of quartz in the rock, offering fine views of Windermere, the Coniston and Central Fells. The higher northern top bears the remains of a cross wall, partly fashioned into a small cairn. Alcock Tarn, originally Butter Crags Tarn, was stocked with brown trout by its owner, Mr Alcock of Grasmere. The fell provides a quiet contrast to the busier paths of Fairfield, with its steep crags and sheltered tarn.