Pike O’Blisco and Cold Pike from Wrynose Pass

It’s my second day parked up in a nice little spot on the Wrynose Pass. Last night it got down to -1°c in the van and it’s freezing as I walk up the road to the three shire stone, grateful for the steepness to warm me up. Yesterday I turned left and headed to Great Carrs, today I turn right towards Pike O’Blisco and Cold Pike. It’s another crisp and clear day in Lakeland with not a cloud to be seen in the cornflower blue sky.

The path from the top of the pass to Red Tarn is partly stone laid and I make steady progress up the easy gradient. It’s not a complete walk in the park though as there are plenty of patches of verglas coating the stone slabs to be wary of. As I gain height I climb into the sunshine, which has risen behind me over yesterday’s hills of Great Carrs and Swirl How bringing them into fine relief.

Just beyond Red Tarn I arrive at a crossroads. Straight ahead goes down into Oxendale and Langdale and left leads to the big hills of Crinkle Crags and Bowfell. If there is any doubt as to how Red Tarn got its name the answer is obvious when looking at the rich red colour of the soil surrounding me. My path up Pike O’Blisco looks like a pink stone staircase.

This staircase immediately tilts skywards and my legs and lungs let me know that the easy walking is over. As I climb upwards Red Tarn shrinks below me and the views to Crinkle Crags and Bowfell become increasingly impressive.

Nearing the top I follow the line of a couple heading down only to find out they’re off the track. After a bit of wandering around I finally arrive at what is a fine rocky summit with magnificent views down to the Langdale valley, across to the Langdale Pikes and the pièce de résistance, a Royal Box view across Oxendale to Crinkle Crags and Bowfell.

There are a couple of guys already on top having come up from Langdale and another chap turns up who, having seen the excellent forecast had driven over from Newcastle that morning. I warm myself up with some hot chocolate whilst enjoying the crystal clear views around me.

Leaving the top I follow the correct way down and then retrace my steps back to the crossroads and onto the wide path leading across the head of Oxendale to Crinkle Crags.

The path to Cold Pike branches off the main path just before a large cairn but it’s indistinct and easily missed. At the cairn I can see the Newcastle chap looking around so guess, correctly as it turns out he’s looking for the path. I head up to him and sure enough he was also heading up Cold Pike but had walked straight past the turn off.

It’s a steepish climb up through tussocky, slightly boggy ground which turns rocky just before the top. Knobbly is perhaps a good word to describe the summit which consists of several rocky mounds with a tiny cairn perched on the highest boulder. Although modest in height, Cold Pike’s relative detachment from surrounding fells gives it an airy feel and the views of Crinkle Crags and Bowfell are possibly better than those on Pike O’Blisco.

The chap from Newcastle has been and gone so I have the top to myself. Knowing that the bulk of my days work is done I finish off my hot chocolate, have something to eat, slow myself down and spend some time enjoying the restorative solitude of silence that is found in the mountains.

Not all days in Lakeland are this good. The freezing temperature and low winter sun brings a clarity to the light and a purity to the air that can be seen with the eyes and felt with each breath in the lungs.

I count it a privilege to be able to stand on these mountain tops, especially on days like these and it’s not something I take for granted. As Guy Garvey says “one day like this a year would see me right” and I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed two on the bounce.

From Cold Pike it’s a an easy walk down grassy slopes, joining up again with the Red Tarn path just before it reaches the Wrynose pass.

NB: I seem to be having a lot of problems with WP and the reader at the moment so if you have commented and I’ve not replied, it’s not me it’s the faceless machine. Hopefully normal service will resume!

To download a GPX file of this route and see a route map with geolocated pictures click ‘Learn more’ below