Difficulty: Moderate
Wainwright Guide: Book Seven – The Western Fells
Overlooking Buttermere, the jagged edge of Fleetwith Pike appears fairly daunting! It is iconic to many walkers for a variety of reasons. Those only passing by towards Honister Slate Mine will no doubt have noticed the White Cross and wondered what it represents. Others who have traversed this prominent ridge will know the mountain for the incredible view from the summit. On a clear day it’s possible to see Buttermere, Crummock Water and Loweswater all at once!
According to the great Alfred Wainwright the best route to the top is straight up the nose. Although fairly steep at points, especially towards the top this path is incredibly rewarding. This guide will take you through everything you need to know about this climb.
Where to Start?
As always, me and mum were staying at the Fish in Buttermere. We got up bright and early ready to tackle the day. Packed for all weather conditions we headed through the village towards the main road and turned right. We then followed a footpath through Sykes Farm, which FYI makes amazing ice cream, all the way to the lake shore.
Then all you need to do is follow the path along the lakeside all the way till you meet the road. The road will take you all the way to the base of Fleetwith. Look out along the way for the elusive red squirrel! It’s inspiring to think of the comeback the species is making in this part of England.
For those of you driving to your starting point, Gatesgarth Farm is the place to park. Parking is £4 for the day and it is quite literally at the bottom of the mountain. The path is pretty self explanatory to be honest. Just head up the nose!
The Ascent
The first part of the climb is a fairly steep zigzag but the path is well marked. A small diversion will take you right up to the previously mentioned white cross which marks the spot where Fanny Mercer was accidentally killed in 1887. A reminder to always be careful when visibility is poor. As much as this route is a great ascent, I wouldn’t recommend coming back down this way.
Carrying on up the zig zag will eventually bring you to the top of low raven crag. From here you can take a short break, sit on the grass and look out across the Buttermere Valley. On a warm day it’s not a bad spot for lunch or to kick back and read. Words genuinely do fail me when I get to look out on views like these. A good taste of the fantastic scenes you’ll get when reaching the summit!
The next part of the climb starts to get a bit more scrambly. As the grass disappears heather comes in its place. Fleetwith edge may look intimidating but just take your time. Be careful in wet conditions as it can get quite slippery. None of the scrambles are too strenous though!
Make sure to look back at the view as you climb. It will motivate you to keep going!
Our walk was made far more interesting by the ever changing Lakeland weather. If you want to experience every season in a single day then the Lake District is the place to go. Hail set in as we started our final scramble, but as luck would have it, by the time we reached the summit cairn the mist had lifted and it gave us a pretty magical view out over the valley.
The Summit
As quickly as the view had appeared it suddenly vanished into the clouds and sleet fell from the sky. Not wanting to stand around for too long in the wet weather we began our descent. As always we went back on a different path to the one we came up on.
The Descent
Head towards a path that goes away from Fleetwith edge. It will bring you past some beautiful tarns. If the weather were better they would have been the perfect place to eat lunch. The top of the mountain is a great place to explore. There is so much hidden beauty up here.
Keep following the path round and it will eventually bring you out into a quarry. Turn right and follow the man made road all the way down into Dubs Quarry where you can also find a lovely little bothie to take shelter in.
Detours
From here you can either head on towards Haystacks, down towards the Honister Slate mine, along to Grey Knotts, Brandreth and the Gables, or back towards Gatesgarth via Warnscale bottom.
After a short detour over to Grey Knotts and Brandreth which you can read about in a further post we headed back down via Warnscale bottom to get warm again! The path is very easy to follow but steeper than it first appears. It takes you down into the great natural bowl that exists between Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike. Looking around allows you to really appreciate the scale of the mountains around you.
If you started your walk from Gatesgarth the path will take you straight back to the car park. If you started from the Fish then you can head back to Buttermere via the path on either side of the lake. It’s such a satisfying feeling to look back on where you’ve been and what you’ve achieved.
I must admit that Fleetwith Pike is one of my favourite fells in the Lake District. I would strongly encourage you to go up via that intimidating ridge. Appearances can be deceptive. It’s well worth it!
All that’s left to do is leave you with a quote from the man himself.
A. Wainwright
“A supremely beautiful view, a soaring ridge and a wild hollow rimmed by crags. These are the things that identify Fleetwith in the mind of the fell walker”
Have you attempted this fell yet? I’d love to hear about it! Comment below and let me know what you thought!
