Wansfell Pike from Ambleside

Wansfell Pike rises directly behind Ambleside, and the direct route up it is one of the steepest short climbs in the central Lakes: a flight of stone steps beside Stock Ghyll, laid in the late 1990s against erosion, that gains most of its height in well under a mile. The lower path leaves town through Stock Ghyll Park, which Westmorland and Furness Council looks after. Used as a there-and-back, it is over inside two to three hours. The fuller circuit described here continues from the summit down the far side to Troutbeck, then loops back through Skelghyll Wood, adding several more kilometres of easier walking to the one hard pull at the start.

The summit, at 482m, is a rock platform rather than a true fell top, and it earns its place in most guidebooks for the view rather than the climb: Windermere fills the foreground for almost its whole length, with the central fells, Wetherlam and the Coniston range beyond. Wainwright rated the panorama here above the one from Wansfell’s slightly higher neighbour, Baystones, a kilometre to the northwest, which is why walkers treat the lower top as the real summit.

On the descent to Troutbeck the path crosses working farmland, with sheep, stiles and a section of farm track that is easier underfoot than the ascent but needs a dog kept close and on a lead where livestock are grazing. The stone steps on the Stock Ghyll side are uneven and steep enough to rule this out for anyone unsteady on rough ground, even though the total distance is modest by Lakeland standards. It suits a walker who wants a summit and a Windermere view starting on foot from Ambleside, with no car needed at either end. Children who tire on stairs will hate it, and it rules itself out for anyone unsteady underfoot. Loughrigg Fell gives a broad, undulating summit and 210m of ascent rated easy for those who want the view without the steps.