Red Pike (Buttermere)
755m (2478ft)
The Western Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
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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.
See Red Pike (Buttermere) and the surrounding tops on our free-to-access 'Google Style' Peak Bagging Maps:
The Western Fells of The Lake District National Park
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See Red Pike (Buttermere) and the surrounding tops on our downloadable Peak Bagging Maps in PDF format:
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*This version is marked with the walk routes you need to follow to Walk all 214 Wainwrights in just 59 walks.
You can find Red Pike (Buttermere) & all the walks that climb it on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
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Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, summited & bagged Red Pike (Buttermere)
Christine Shepherd walked up 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.Walked the High Stile Ridge again on 13.8.25. As I reached the summit of Red Pike for the seventh, I thought about the amount of erosion that had taken place on this path since I first climbed the fell 20 years previously.
Paul Roddam climbed Red Pike (Buttermere) on July 19th, 2025 [with] Barb, Bri [weather] Muggy
Richard Fulcher bagged 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 hiked 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 summited 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 conquered Red Pike (Buttermere) on September 24th, 2022 [with] chelle
Richard Marchant scaled 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 walked up Red Pike (Buttermere) on June 7th, 2022 [from/via/route] C207 [with] Luke [weather] Sunny Intervals
Jeremy Torrance climbed Red Pike (Buttermere) on June 30th, 2021 [from/via/route] Buttermere [with] Jon Stu [weather] Good autumn
Richard Beardsley bagged 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!
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More Photographs & Pictures of views from, on or of Red Pike (Buttermere)
Robinson (left), Buttermere and Red Pike (Buttermere) from Hen Comb summit cairn
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
Whiteside (left), High Stile and Red Pike (Buttermere) (right) across the Vale of Lorton
Ennerdale Bridge, Bowness Knott, Great Bourne, Starling Dodd, Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile and Pillar sourrounding Ennerdale Water from the summit of Crag Fell
The shoulder of Grasmoor (left), Robinson, Rannerdale Knotts (centre) and the High Stile Ridge (High Crag, High Stile and Red Pike (Buttermere) reflected beautifully in a very still Crummock Water taken from the north west shore below Mellbreak
Mellbreak, Crummock Water and Grasmoor from the summit of Red Pike (Buttermere)
Iron Crag, Whoap, Crag Fell and Grike tower over Ennerdale Water from the summit of Red Pike (Buttermere)
Red Pike (Buttermere) (left) and Dodd (Buttermere) right from Old Burtness below Bleaberry Tarn
Fantastic panorama (not quite 360) from the summit of Red Pike (Buttermere)
Starling Dodd (left), Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile and Pillar (right) and Ennerdale Water from the summit of Crag Fell
The view north from Looking Stead (Pillar) featuring Ennerdale with Red Pike (Buttermere), High Stile, High Crag, Seat, Scarth Gap, Hay Stacks (Haystacks) and Brandreth (far right)
High Snockrigg, Robinson, Hindscarth and Dale Head (Newlands) above Dodd (Buttermere) and Buttermere Lake from Red Pike (Buttermere)
*Ennerdale Water (left), Starling Dodd and Great Borne, Loweswater (right of centre), Mellbreak and Crummock Water (right) from Red Pike (Buttermere)
Buttermere village from Red Pike (Buttermere) with the Grasmoor massif looming large in the background
Great End, Scafell Pike and Sca Fell from near the summit of Red Pike (Buttermere)
. . . see all 39 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on or of Red Pike (Buttermere)
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