Whiteless Pike
Encyclopedia
Whiteless Pike is a fell
in the north-western English Lake District. It stands immediately east of Crummock Water
and forms a perfect pyramid
shape when viewed from Rannerdale. In his celebrated guide to the Lakeland
fells, Alfred Wainwright
called it "the Weisshorn
of Buttermere
". There are good views of Great Gable
and the Scafells
from the summit.
occupy the area between the rivers Derwent and Cocker, a broadly oval swathe of hilly country, elongated on a north-south axis. Two roads cross from east to west, dividing the fells into three convenient groups. The central sector, rising between Whinlatter Pass
and Newlands Pass
, includes Whiteless Pike.
The highest ground in the North Western Fells is an east-west ridge in this central sector, beginning with Grasmoor
above Crummock Water
and then gradually descending eastwards over Crag Hill
, Sail
, Scar Crags
and Causey Pike
. Grasmoor has the greatest elevation, but Crag Hill stands at the hub of the range. It sends out a subsidiary ridge to the south west, stepping down over Wandope
and Whiteless Pike toward Buttermere village.
From the broad plateau of Wandope, the fine and airy ridge of Whiteless Edge descends south west to the depression at Saddle Gate (2,065 ft). A short climb then leads to the summit of Whiteless Pike. The ridge now turns south and falls to the wide shoulder of Whiteless Breast (1,440 ft), from where the slope continues down to Buttermere village. This is not however the end of the ridge, which twists sharply north west to continue to Rannerdale Knotts
. Both sides of the ridge are steep throughout.
The eastern face of the fell drains via several feeders into Sail Beck, bound for Crummock Water via Buttermere Village. The north western flanks supply Rannerdale Beck, another feeder of Crummock Water which flows between Whiteless Pike and Grasmoor. The sharp elbow in the ridge, between Whiteless Pike and Rannerdale Knotts, forms the head of Squat Beck, a tributary of Rannerdale.
rocks of the Skiddaw
group. This is primarily laminated mudstone
and siltstone
. The Causey Pike Fault runs across to the south and Whiteless Breast and the lower slopes are examples of the Buttermere Formation, an olistostrome
of disrupted sheared and folded mudstone, siltstone and sandstone
. Within this are minor intrusions of basalt
... There is no history of mining on the fell.
. The steep slopes add foreground to the view, which includes a fine prospect of the Scafells
. The Helvellyn range
and Western Fells
are well seen, with the rather drab close-up of Grasmoor perhaps the only disappointment. Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater
complete the view.
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
in the north-western English Lake District. It stands immediately east of Crummock Water
Crummock Water
Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England situated between Buttermere to the south and Loweswater to the north. Crummock Water is two and a half miles long, three quarters of a mile wide and 140ft deep. The River Cocker is considered to start at the north of the...
and forms a perfect pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
shape when viewed from Rannerdale. In his celebrated guide to the Lakeland
Lakeland
Lakeland is primarily a toponym:*United States**Lakeland, Florida**Lakeland, Georgia**Lakeland, Louisiana**Lakeland, Michigan**Lakeland, Minnesota**Lakeland, New York**Lakeland, Tennessee**Lakeland Village, California*Canada...
fells, Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
called it "the Weisshorn
Weisshorn
The Weisshorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, in Switzerland. With its summit, it is one of the major peaks in the Alps and overtops the nearby Matterhorn by some 30 metres. It was first climbed in 1861 from Randa by John Tyndall, accompanied by the guides J.J...
of Buttermere
Buttermere
Buttermere is a lake in the English Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically within the former county of Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. It is owned by the National Trust, forming part of their...
". There are good views of Great Gable
Great Gable
Great Gable is a mountain lying at the very heart of the English Lake District, appearing as a pyramid from Wasdale , but as a dome from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are many different routes to the summit...
and the Scafells
Scafells
Image:Annotated Scafell range.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Scafell range as seen looking west from Crinkle Crags. rect 23 372 252 419 Slight Side rect 173 794 560 834 Scafell East Buttress...
from the summit.
Topography
The North Western FellsNorth Western Fells
The North Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including such favourites as Catbells and Grisedale Pike, they occupy an oval area beneath the Buttermere and Borrowdale valley systems...
occupy the area between the rivers Derwent and Cocker, a broadly oval swathe of hilly country, elongated on a north-south axis. Two roads cross from east to west, dividing the fells into three convenient groups. The central sector, rising between Whinlatter Pass
Whinlatter Pass
The Whinlatter Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District. It is located on the B5292 road linking Braithwaite, to the west of Keswick, with High Lorton to the south of Cockermouth....
and Newlands Pass
Newlands Pass
The Newlands Pass, also known as Newlands Hause, is a mountain pass in the English Lake District. It is located on an unclassified road linking the Newlands Valley, to the west of Keswick and Derwent Water, with the village of Buttermere...
, includes Whiteless Pike.
The highest ground in the North Western Fells is an east-west ridge in this central sector, beginning with Grasmoor
Grasmoor
Grasmoor is a mountain in the north-western part of the Lake District, northern England. It is the highest peak in a group of hills between the villages of Lorton, Braithwaite and Buttermere, and overlooks Crummock Water....
above Crummock Water
Crummock Water
Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England situated between Buttermere to the south and Loweswater to the north. Crummock Water is two and a half miles long, three quarters of a mile wide and 140ft deep. The River Cocker is considered to start at the north of the...
and then gradually descending eastwards over Crag Hill
Crag Hill
Crag Hill is a mountain in the North Western part of the English Lake District. It was formerly known as Eel Crag; however, the Ordnance Survey now marks Eel Crag as referring to the northern crags of the fell....
, Sail
Sail (Lake District)
Sail is a hill in the English Lake District, lying between Derwentwater and Crummock Water.-Topography:The North Western Fells occupy the area between the rivers Derwent and Cocker, a broadly oval swathe of hilly country, elongated on a north-south axis. Two roads cross from east to west, dividing...
, Scar Crags
Scar Crags
Scar Crags is a fell in the north western part of the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It is one of the Coledale group of fells situated seven kilometres south west of Keswick and reaches a height of 672 metres .-Topography:...
and Causey Pike
Causey Pike
Causey Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is situated in the Newlands Valley, 5 km south west of the town of Keswick. Even though it has a modest height of 637 metres it is one of the most distinctive fells when viewed from the Derwent Water and Keswick area due to its...
. Grasmoor has the greatest elevation, but Crag Hill stands at the hub of the range. It sends out a subsidiary ridge to the south west, stepping down over Wandope
Wandope
Wandope is a fell in the north-western area of the English Lake District. It lies to the east of Crummock Water and south of Crag Hill...
and Whiteless Pike toward Buttermere village.
From the broad plateau of Wandope, the fine and airy ridge of Whiteless Edge descends south west to the depression at Saddle Gate (2,065 ft). A short climb then leads to the summit of Whiteless Pike. The ridge now turns south and falls to the wide shoulder of Whiteless Breast (1,440 ft), from where the slope continues down to Buttermere village. This is not however the end of the ridge, which twists sharply north west to continue to Rannerdale Knotts
Rannerdale Knotts
Rannerdale Knotts is a fell in the Lake District of Cumbria, England. Rising from the Buttermere valley, it is one of the smaller Cumbrian hills and is overlooked by a number of surrounding fells, such as Grasmoor, Whiteless Pike and, across Crummock Water, Mellbreak and the High Stile ridge...
. Both sides of the ridge are steep throughout.
The eastern face of the fell drains via several feeders into Sail Beck, bound for Crummock Water via Buttermere Village. The north western flanks supply Rannerdale Beck, another feeder of Crummock Water which flows between Whiteless Pike and Grasmoor. The sharp elbow in the ridge, between Whiteless Pike and Rannerdale Knotts, forms the head of Squat Beck, a tributary of Rannerdale.
Geology
The summit of the fell is a part of the Kirkstile Formation, OrdovicianOrdovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
rocks of the Skiddaw
Skiddaw
Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. With a summit at 931 m above sea level it is the fourth highest mountain in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes...
group. This is primarily laminated mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
and siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
. The Causey Pike Fault runs across to the south and Whiteless Breast and the lower slopes are examples of the Buttermere Formation, an olistostrome
Olistostrome
The term olistostrome is derived from olio - a dish of many ingredients or stew; a mixture of heterogeneous elements; hodgepodge. and stroma - a bed covering...
of disrupted sheared and folded mudstone, siltstone and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. Within this are minor intrusions of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
... There is no history of mining on the fell.
Summit and view
Whiteless Pike has a small peaked summit overlain with loose stones and bearing a cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. The steep slopes add foreground to the view, which includes a fine prospect of the Scafells
Scafells
Image:Annotated Scafell range.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Scafell range as seen looking west from Crinkle Crags. rect 23 372 252 419 Slight Side rect 173 794 560 834 Scafell East Buttress...
. The Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range is the name given to a part of the Eastern Fells in the English Lake District, fell being the local word for hill. The name comes from Helvellyn, the highest point of the group....
and Western Fells
Western Fells
The Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Great Gable they occupy a triangular area between Buttermere and Wasdale...
are well seen, with the rather drab close-up of Grasmoor perhaps the only disappointment. Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater
Loweswater
Loweswater is one of the smaller lakes in the English Lake District. The village of Loweswater is situated at the foot of the lake.The lake is not far from Cockermouth and is also easily reached from elsewhere in West Cumbria. The group of fells to the south of Loweswater is known as the Loweswater...
complete the view.