Whiteless Pike: Height, Walks and Buttermere Views

Whiteless Pike gives Buttermere one of its most recognisable fell profiles: a pointed summit backed by the higher ground of Wandope and Grasmoor. At 660m, it is far from the highest of the North Western Fells, but its steep slopes and open outlook give it real presence. Walkers value it both as a summit in its own right and as part of longer days along the surrounding ridges.

A pointed fell above Buttermere

Seen from the Buttermere valley, Whiteless Pike has a distinctly pyramidal shape. Its steep flanks rise towards a compact summit, with the ridge of Whiteless Edge continuing towards Wandope. That connection is central to its character: this is not an isolated peak, but a pronounced shoulder of the higher North Western Fells that looks particularly independent from below.

The summit stands at 660m, or 2,165ft, at grid reference NY180189. A cairn marks the top, where the view opens beyond the immediate slopes. The contrast between its sharp outline and the broader upper ground around Grasmoor helps make Whiteless Pike easy to recognise from the western valleys. Grass and exposed rock give the fell a spare appearance, with little to distract from the shape of the ridge.

Views across the western Lakes

Whiteless Pike is especially rewarding for its outlook over Buttermere and Crummock Water. Across the valley, the High Stile ridge forms a substantial skyline, with Red Pike and High Crag part of the same long wall of high ground. The lakes, valley floor and surrounding crags give the view a strong sense of depth rather than simply a distant panorama.

Closer at hand, Grasmoor and Wandope reveal how firmly the summit belongs to a larger fell group. Lower Rannerdale Knotts provides a useful contrast beside Crummock Water. Whiteless Pike’s appeal lies in these relationships: water below, steep ridges opposite and higher summits behind. Clear weather brings out the wider setting, but changing cloud can make the nearby slopes and valley shapes just as absorbing.

Walks and its Wainwright setting

Whiteless Pike appears in The North Western Fells, Book Six of Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume guide to the Lakeland fells. It ranks 106th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. Its neighbouring Wainwrights include Wandope, Grasmoor, Rannerdale Knotts and Crag Hill, placing it within a closely connected area of summits above Buttermere and Crummock Water.

Buttermere is a common starting point for walks to Whiteless Pike. The fell can be the main objective of a day out or part of a longer ridge walk involving higher neighbours. Although its height is modest beside Grasmoor, the ascent from the valley is steep and the upper ridge is exposed to the weather. Dedicated walking guides and a current map are the right sources for choosing a route suited to the conditions.

Where Whiteless Pike stands

Summit at grid reference NY180189 · open full map

The real Whiteless Pike

Walking Whiteless Pike

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Knott Rigg, Ard Crags, Sail, Crag Hill, Wandope, Whiteless ... (walkingenglishman.com)
• Whiteless Pike and Grasmoor (wainwrightwalking.co.uk)
• Grasmoor and Whiteless Pike - Walk (visorando.com)

Weather on Whiteless Pike

Conditions estimated at summit height (660 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Whiteless Pike on your wall

Whiteless Pike’s pointed outline and its setting above Buttermere give a painting a clear sense of place. A print or canvas of the fell can bring that familiar shape indoors: a reminder of the climb, the ridge ahead and the water far below.

Own “Whiteless Pike Sunlit Steep Ridge” — our painting of Whiteless Pike → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The North Western Fells

• Wandope 774 m
• Grasmoor 852 m
• Rannerdale Knotts 355 m
• Crag Hill 839 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.