Lake District
Great Carrs
785M
2575FT
About Great Carrs
Great Carrs forms the northern tip of the Coniston range, linked to Swirl How by a narrow ridge. It is often overshadowed by its taller neighbors, but the dramatic drop into Greenburn and the somber WWII memorial make it a poignant, must-visit summit for hikers.
Key Statistics
Rank
74th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Fells
Prominence
?
23m
Nearest Town
Coniston
Geology
You're walking on layers of volcanic ash and hardened lava. These layers came from ancient eruptions, leaving rhyolitic and andesitic rocks.
Find It
Latitude
54.3988°N
Longitude
3.1247°W
Did You Know?
- •The summit plateau is home to the wreckage of a Royal Canadian Air Force Halifax bomber that crashed in 1944; a memorial cross made from the plane's parts honors the eight crew members who died.
- •The name 'Carrs' likely derives from the Old Norse word 'kjarr', which usually refers to brushwood or marshy ground, though here it defines the steep, rocky crags on the fell's eastern side.
- •Geologically, the fell is part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, featuring rugged, weathered rock that forms the sheer cliffs of Hell Gill Pike and offers technical scrambling routes.
- •Great Carrs serves as a key vantage point overlooking the Three Shire Stone at Wrynose Pass, the historic meeting point of the ancient counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire.
- •Approaching from Wrynose Pass involves the 'Wrynose trudge,' a path that looks straightforward on a map but uses relentless scree and hidden bog to test the structural integrity of your ankles.