Greystoke Forest

Located on the eastern fringe of the Northern Fells, this sprawling plantation offers a quieter, wooded alternative to the rugged Skiddaw massif. The terrain is defined by a maze of forestry tracks, eventually rising to a gentle summit that rewards persistent walkers with framed views toward the back of Blencathra.

• •The name is shared with the nearby village and derives from the Old English 'stoc', meaning a secondary settlement or farmstead, combined with a Celtic or Old English river name.
• •Unlike the open grazing land typical of the Lake District, this is a working commercial forest that provides an important sanctuary for red squirrels, which prefer the dense coniferous cover provided by the spruce and pine.
• •The summit marks a geological transition point where the carboniferous limestone of the Eden Valley meets the much older Skiddaw Slates that form the high peaks to the west.
• •From clearings near the highest point, you can look across the Mosedale valley to the distinctive profiles of Souther Fell and Bowscale Fell.
• •Finding the exact highest point often requires more faith in a GPS than your eyes, as the 'summit' frequently feels like any other slightly elevated stand of timber in the middle of a plantation.