Grayrigg Forest

About Grayrigg Forest

Rising above the Lune Valley and the M6 corridor, this sprawling moorland marks the eastern edge of the Lake District. While its summit is broad and often boggy, it provides a grandstand view of the Howgill Fells and the high Eastern Fells across the deep, quiet cleft of the Westmorland Borrowdale.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Old Norse 'grár' and 'hryggr', meaning 'grey ridge'. The 'Forest' suffix historically referred to a private hunting ground rather than dense woodland, though modern plantations now cloak the lower slopes.
• •The summit plateau is home to a large television and radio relay mast, making the hill an unmistakable landmark for travellers on the M6 motorway and the West Coast Main Line.
• •It serves as the highest point of the Whinfell Ridge, a long upland stretch that separates the valleys of the River Kent and the River Lune.
• •In his Fellranger guide, Mark Richards notes the hill’s position provides a unique perspective on the Howgill Fells, which look like a massive, pleated curtain of green across the eastern horizon.
• •Navigating the broad, flat summit in mist is less a test of mountain craft and more an exercise in tactical bog-trotting, where the skeletal frame of the TV mast serves as the only reliable handrail.