Grey Friar

About Grey Friar

Often overlooked in favour of the Old Man of Coniston, this broad Wainwright offers a quieter perspective on the Southern Fells. It forms a high, craggy-rimmed plateau overlooking the Duddon Valley, providing a logical link between the shores of Seathwaite Tarn and the higher summits of Great Carrs and Swirl How.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name is thought to derive from the appearance of the summit rocks, which early observers likened to the hooded silhouette of a monk in grey robes. It stands as a distinct western outlier of the Coniston range, separated from the main ridge by the col of Fairfield.
• •Alfred Wainwright considered this one of the best viewpoints in the district, specifically for its profile of the Scafell massif across the depths of Upper Eskdale, a vista he described as 'supreme'.
• •A notable landmark on the western slopes is the 'Matterhorn Rock', a large, sharply pointed boulder that walkers often use as a foreground for photographs looking down the Duddon Valley.
• •While the rest of the Coniston fells are defined by their relationship to the lake that shares their name, Grey Friar belongs entirely to the west; every stream on its slopes feeds the River Duddon rather than Coniston Water.
• •Being the most westerly of the group, it serves as a reliable windbreak for its more famous neighbours, heroically taking the brunt of Atlantic weather so that tourists on the Old Man don't lose their hats.