Rivington Pike Tower

Rivington Pike

For thousands of us from Bolton, Horwich and Chorley, Rivington Pike is simply our hill, the one we all default to. But there’s more to it than beacon fires and reservoir views: this modest gritstone summit has hosted a Victorian industrialist’s grand landscaping project, a landmark access protest, wartime radar stations, and even a young Alfred Wainwright, long before he ever set foot in the Lakes. Here’s the full story, plus a circular route taking in the Pigeon Tower, the Terraced Gardens and Lower Rivington Reservoir.

The Langdale Pikes and Storm Abigail

The Langdale Pikes and Storm Abigail

I climb the Langdale Pikes with barely any experience, scramble up a gully Wainwright himself suggested, and lose my way on the descent as Storm Abigail rolls in. My phone dies, my map turns to pulp in the rain, and I spend a long hour working out which way is down. It’s the walk that pushed me to get proper training in mountain navigation.

Windermere and early mist from Nab Scar

The Lake District: 50 years in, still not done

I’ve been coming to the Lake District since before I could walk it, and I’ve now stood on all 214 Wainwrights. This isn’t another “top things to see” list — it’s what 50 years of actually spending time in this place has taught me.

Haystacks the Wainwright summit

Haystacks – The Wainwright Summit

Why is Haystacks so special? What’s the best route up it? Why did Wainwright think is was so good that he requested his ashes to be scattered there at Innominate Tarn?

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