Red Pike from Ennerdale Water

Walking to Red Pike from Ennerdale Water is a challenging activity due to the steep sections of trail that ascend and descend the rugged ridgeline. In order to secure the best footing on the trail, make sure to wear proper walking boots for this adventure.

The plus side of having to climb sharply uphill to the top of the ridge is that the views from the summit viewpoints are spectacular. As you traverse the ridgeline and visit Great Borne, Starling Dodd, Little Dodd, and Red Pike, you will have a great sightline across the surrounding mountains and hills of the Lake District, in addition to the scenic views overlooking Ennerdale Water below. If you are up for a bit of a strenuous uphill climb with awesome views, then this might just be the trail for you.

Setting out from the car park, head west to cross over the road and make your way to Bowness Point for some beautiful views of the lake. From here, head back to the road and turn left, following it north for 0.4mi to find a trail on the right. Follow this for a short distance and head left at the fork, continuing straight for the next 0.2mi.

Take the path on the right and follow it for 0.9mi to begin the steep climb uphill, keeping right to eventually reach a junction atop the ridge. Turn right here and keep straight to make your way up to the summit of Great Borne. From this elevated position, you will have some amazing views overlooking Ennerdale Water and the surrounding Lake District landscape.

After taking in the views, continue east along the rugged terrain of the undulating ridgeline, traversing the summits of Starling Dodd and Little Dodd, before climbing further uphill to reach the viewpoint atop Red Pike. Here, you will have an even better sightline over the same scenery that you viewed along the ridge, with the addition of Buttermere off to the east.

From the summit, take the trail southwest to descend the hillside for 0.8mi and cross over Gillflinter Beck. From here, continue downhill for 0.6mi and pass through any junctions to arrive at a series of stiles along the edge of the road. Cross over each of these stiles and turn right, following the road west for 1.2mi until it meets up with the shores of Ennerdale Water.

Keep left for the next 1.0mi to stay close to the water’s edge and enjoy some final views across its blue expanse on the final leg of the journey. Here, you will need to keep right for the next 0.3mi to arrive back at the car park having completed the walk to Red Pike from Ennerdale Water.