Gragareth: Lancashire Present-Day County Top

Three Men of Gragareth

Three Men of Gragareth

Significance: Present-Day County Top of Lancashire
Member of: Hewitt
Parent Peak: Great Coum. NHN = Crag Hill
Historic County: Lancashire (of which Old Man of Coniston is the County Top)
Elevation: 628m, according to Peakbagger and Hillbagging, or 627m according to Wikipedia.
Date climbed: 11th June 2018
Coordinates: 54.2085° N, 2.4814° W

Route Start / End: Circular from Leck Fell House
Route Distance: 5 km (3.1 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 207m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: None
OS Trig Pillar: TP3427 - Gragareth Fell
OS Map: Yorkshire Dales Map | Southern & Western | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL2
Guidebook: Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Lancashire), Wikipedia (Gragareth), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

This was a sneaky bonus tick. After a brilliant weekend in the Lake District tackling the Old Man of Coniston and Helvellyn, we were heading home. The drive is nearly five hours on a good day, so I was looking for a convenient mountain en route to stretch our legs and break up the journey. Gragareth fitted the bill perfectly: it is a decent, respectable climb and sits only 15 minutes off the M6. It is also a wonderfully obscure peak. Heading up on a Monday morning meant we had the entire walk to ourselves.

The best place to start the walk is from a small parking bay just before the gate to Leck Fell House. Go through this gate and the second gate at the junction just before the driveway for the farm. After this, you are officially out onto Yorkshire Dales Open Access land.

The first part is fairly straightforward. Continue along the path beyond the gate, keeping to the right-hand side of the wall. After about 1km, there is a path on the map that supposedly doubles back roughly southwards, leading up across the hill. We could not see any trace of it on the ground, so we simply followed the GPS bearing across some very rocky, deeply weathered patches of limestone pavement that look remarkably like old lava flows.

At the top of the hill, you will reach the Three Men of Gragareth: a trio of tall, prominent stone cairns standing sentry over the valley. From here, head east and follow a much clearer path all the way to the summit.

The summit itself is marked by a black OS trig pillar sitting on a large, grassy plateau, offering fantastic views over to Whernside. For the descent, take the path heading south(ish) towards a long stone wall. Do not climb over the ladder stile; instead, just keep following the wall all the way down until it brings you back to the second gate by Leck Fell House.

Despite not being the most dramatic mountain walk in the world, exploring these remote places is a highly rewarding diversion from a long motorway drive home from the Lakes.

The Lancashire County Top Dispute There is a long-standing dispute in the peak-bagging community about the true high point of present-day Lancashire. Different sources offer conflicting information: Peakbagger lists Gragareth as the high point at 628m (2060 ft) and Green Hill at 627m (2057 ft). Meanwhile, Hillbagging shows Gragareth at 628m but places Green Hill slightly higher at 628.2m. In David Bathurst's book, Walking The High Points of England, he shows Gragareth at 627m and Green Hill at 628m. Wikipedia lists similar elevations.

So, what is the factual truth? While the physical ground of Green Hill is indeed a fraction higher, the county boundary runs directly along the ridge. The actual summit of Green Hill falls just over the border into Cumbria. Therefore, Gragareth is officially the highest point of land wholly within Lancashire.

OTHER HIGH POINTS IN LANCASHIRE

Back to English County Top Index
Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Lancashire, EnglandComment