Get Lost Mountaineering

Wandope & Whiteless Pike from Buttermere

Start/Finish

Parking, especially free parking, is hard to find around Buttermere village. If you cannot find anywhere to park for free then the National Trust car park just to the west of the village is probably the best to use and it's free to National Trust members.

Distance/Time

10 km   About 4 – 5 hours

Peaks

Wandope, 772 m, NY 188 197.

Whiteless Pike, 660 m, NY 180 190.   OL4 North Western Lakes.

Introduction

This is a walk with great views but it is very strenuous. The ascent of Wandope from the foot of Addacomb Beck is unrelentingly steep. The descent of Whiteless Pike is steep in places and crosses several rock bands. There are great views to Crag Hill, Sail, Ard Crags, Knott Rigg, Robinson, Grasmoor, Melbreak, Rannerdale Knotts and the High Stile/Red Pike range. On a particularly clear day, Great Gable may also be seen.

Route

(1) Find the prominent Bridge Hotel in Buttermere village. Opposite, across the road, is the start of a footpath signed “Ghyll Wood”. Follow the obvious path up the wood above Mill Beck. It is a pleasing start to the walk. When the path splits, take the left fork towards a wall where there are steps. On the other side of the wall is a track going right. If you miss the fork, you will come to a bridge over Mill Beck. Don't cross the bridge but go left up the steep bank on a path which leads to the steps. Follow the track which soon becomes a path. Just after a small pile of white stones, fork left as this is the better path. Follow the path which turns upstream when it reaches a stream to reach an easy crossing point then ascends over Bleak Rigg. Further on, the path again heads upstream to cross Third Gill before continuing on towards Addacomb Beck about 1.5 km ahead. When Addacomb Beck is reached, there are some simple stone structures. The main path crosses the beck and continues but this route does not go that way. Look for a faint path slanting left and up then going into the bracken. It is crucial to find this path as it is the only way through the bracken and heather above that. It is a narrow path but reasonably well defined once found although progress is likely to be slow. It goes through the bracken to reach open hillside, with good views of some waterfalls, before passing through some sections of heather. The path is unrelentingly steep. In places, it weaves around but is still easy to follow. Eventually the angle eases and, within 20 m, reach the small cairn which marks the summit of Wandope, 772 m. In clear weather, the ridge from Crag Hill to Wandope will be seen off to the right.

(2) Continue over Wandope and soon pick up a wide grassy path heading between west and south west. This path soon divides. The left fork goes to Whiteless Pike but it is worth continuing ahead to a cairn which gives excellent views of Melbreak and Crummock Water. One can then continue past the cairn, trending left, to reach the path to Whiteless Pike or one can return to the fork to pick up the path there. The path leads down to a dip then up the other side. The ridge is narrow in places but not technical although strong winds may be unnerving. The ridge is marked as Whiteless Edge on OS maps but it is also known as Wandope Edge. The ascent from the dip leads to a small flat top where there is no cairn but the highest point is Whiteless Pike, 660 m.

(3) Descend on the obvious path, roughly south. This is steep in places and there are some rock bands to cross. In 2024, path improvement work was taking place. Follow the obvious path down until it meets the path from Rannerdale Knotts which you will have been looking down on for much of the descent. Continue down, choosing the main path when options appear. Lower down, reach the track used earlier after Ghyll Wood. Continue down and reach the road opposite Crag Houses Farm. Go left for Buttermere village or right for the National Trust car park.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 10^th August, 2024.