Parking
Use the small informal pull-ins around the Three Shires Stone at NY277028 on the top of Wrynose Pass. Spaces are very limited. Park without blocking the pass, gates, or access for other vehicles, then start beside the stone.
Overview
About Cold Pike and Pike of Blisco Loop
Why go
- Two summits and Red Tarn in one compact circuit
- Quiet, rugged feel away from the busiest fells
Heads up
- Boggy ground and faint paths on the Cold Pike section
- Exposed, rocky terrain despite the short mileage
Red Tarn sits in a striking basin between the two summits, with reddish rock around its shallow water. Pike of Blisco gives the bigger panorama across Great Langdale and the surrounding fells, while Cold Pike feels quieter and more rugged. The route is a good niche choice for walkers who want two summits without committing to the longer Crinkle Crags or Bowfell circuits.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation398–679 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Cold Pike and Pike of Blisco Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Wrynose Pass: Two Summit Loops0:00 / 1:21
“You're nearing the top of Wrynose Pass, where two summit loops give you a choice of rugged fell walks straight from the road.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Blea Tarn: Shore Walk or Side Pike
- Tilberthwaite: Cathedral Cavern or Slater’s Bridge
- Great Langdale: Crinkle Crags and Bowfell
- Mickleden: Mountains from the Valley Floor
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Cold Pike and Pike of Blisco Loop
The routeThis is a 4.0-mile loop from the Three Shires Stone at Wrynose Pass.
This is a 4.0-mile loop from the Three Shires Stone at Wrynose Pass. The distance is the complete circuit, including the short out-and-back detour to Pike of Blisco's summit. From the pass, the route crosses rough open fell to Cold Pike, drops toward Red Tarn, climbs Pike of Blisco, then retraces the summit spur and returns above the tarn to close the loop.
What it feels likeThe mileage is short, but this is a proper high-level fell walk with about 486 metres of ascent.
The mileage is short, but this is a proper high-level fell walk with about 486 metres of ascent. Expect boulder-strewn and grassy ground, boggy patches, several small streams, and stretches where the path is faint. The final climb to Pike of Blisco uses rough rock ramps, while the Cold Pike section is the least obvious to follow. There is little shade and the whole route is exposed to wind, rain, and mist.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
