Grey Friar

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Grey Friar
Grey Friar from Great Carrs, one km to the east, Harter Fell is in the background.
Elevation	770 m (2526 ft)
Location	Cumbria, England
Range	Lake District Southern Fells
Prominence	78 m
Topo map	OS Landranger 96, 90 OS Explorer 6
OS grid reference	NY259003
Listing	Hewitt, Nuttall, Wainwright

Grey Friar is a fell is the English Lake District, it is one of the Coniston Fells and is situated 13 kilometres west-south-west of Ambleside. It reaches a height of 770 metres (2526 feet) and stands to the north east of the other Coniston Fells, a little off the beaten track and tends to be the least visited of the group. It is quite a large fell and forms the eastern wall of the Duddon Valley for several kilometres, in fact all drainage from Grey Friar goes to the Duddon Valley and not to Coniston Water.

The fell has been mined for copper extensively in the past, the Seathwaite mine was situated on the southern slopes above Seathwaite Tarn while the Cockley Beck mine stood on the fells lower north western slopes, they operated in the mid 1800s and were nowhere near as profitable or extensive as the main Coniston copper mines in the so called “Coppermines Valley”.

Grey Friar can be climbed from several locations, it is often ascended along with the other six Coniston fells and this walk is usually started at Coniston village. Direct ascents of the fell can be started from the Duddon valley, the top of the Wrynose Pass or Cockley Beck. The summit of the fell is stony with two cairned rock outcrops, the south easterly is the higher while the north westerly offers the better view. There is a good view of the Scafell massif and the other Coniston fells are well seen along the ridge to the south. 200 metres north west of the main summit is a distinctive pointed rock, often called the “Matterhorn Rock”