This is a lovely 2.5 mile walk from Troutbeck, in the South Lakes up to Wansfell Pike (a Wainwright fell), above Ambleside and with wide ranging views across Helvellyn, Coniston Old Man, Red Screes, Garburn Pass, Windermere, Rydal, Grasmere and Morecambe Bay. It can easily be extended to include Baystones (another Wainwright) which adds another 1 – 1.5 miles onto the walk.

We’ve done Wansfell Pike before, starting in Ambleside. The walk from Ambleside is a short, sharp and rocky incline. The walk from Troutbeck is much more relaxed, slightly longer and covering wider more sweeping paths.

There is a limited amount of roadside parking in Troutbeck village, grid reference 409032. There is also parking at Town End house for National Trust members, grid reference 406021.

The walk starts by walking northwards along the road through Troutbeck village, with the footpath turning off to the left at grid reference 409033. The first quarter and last quarter of the way up are the steepest, and it becomes easier in the middle.

This is a very simple route… Follow the path upwards, along “Nanny Lane”, until you reach a fork in the path. Take the left path which leads straight to the summit at Wansfell Pike. If you take the right fork, this will lead up to Baystones peak, and then you can walk south westwards along the top to Wansfell Pike.

Route map:

There are absolutely stunning views in all directions on a fine day, and we stopped on the southern side of the summit to eat our lunch and spot landmarks. We returned down the way we came, but again you could go across to Baystones if you wished, as it’s an easy way to “bag” another Wainwright.

The Mortal Man pub in Troutbeck village is a fantastic place to get food, although we didn’t pop in today (Covid-19).

Other walks near here include Stockghyll Falls, Wray Castle, Brockhole, Red Screes, Penny Rock Beach, Loughrigg Fell, Loughrigg Tarn, Rydal caves and many more on our website.

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