Lake District
Great Castle How
498M
1635FT
About Great Castle How
Overlooking the Easedale valley near Grasmere, this rugged, heathery outcrop serves as a fine vantage point on the approach to Blea Rigg. While often bypassed for higher ground, the summit offers a complex, rocky character and an intimate perspective of the surrounding Lakeland crags.
Key Statistics
Rank
422nd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Central Fells
Prominence
?
26.1m
Nearest Town
Chapel Stile
Geology
This fell is formed from ancient layers of shattered volcanic rock, hardened ash, and solid flows created during a period of explosive activity.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY307078
Latitude
54.4612°N
Longitude
3.0692°W
Did You Know?
- •The name combines the Old Norse 'haugr', meaning a hill or mound, with 'Castle', a common Lakeland descriptor for a fell with a craggy, fortress-like profile rather than any actual defensive structure.
- •This summit is classified as a Synge, a list compiled by Tim Synge in his 1995 guide, which identifies Lakeland peaks over 300 metres with at least 15 metres of prominence.
- •From the summit, you get a particularly sharp profile of Helm Crag’s 'Lion and the Lamb' formation across the Easedale valley, backed by the higher rise of Fairfield and the Eastern Fells.
- •Most walkers encounter this top as a brief detour while traversing the undulating, often boggy ridge between the popular Silver How and the higher ground of Blea Rigg.
- •Despite being titled 'Great', it stands over 200 metres lower than the modestly named Little Hart Crag located just a few miles to the east.