Grizedales

About Grizedales

Rising quietly above the Rawthey Valley near Sedbergh, this grassy upland offers a peaceful alternative to the busier Howgill Fells. Crowned by a trig pillar, its broad summit provides a perfect vantage point to study the steep western flanks of Whernside and the distinctive, rounded profiles of the nearby Howgill range.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely derives from the Old Norse 'griss' (young pig) and 'dalr' (valley), suggesting the surrounding slopes were once used as seasonal grazing for swine by Norse-settled farmers.
• •The summit offers an excellent perspective of the 'Great Pin' and 'Little Pin'—two prominent stone shake-holes on the nearby slopes of Baugh Fell—along with clear views down into the deep incision of Dentdale to the south.
• •While often overlooked in favour of the higher fells, Grizedales is classified as a Hump (a hill with a hundred-metre prominence), marking it as a topographically significant peak in its own right rather than just a shoulder of its larger neighbours.
• •It is a hill for those seeking total solitude; you are far more likely to share the summit with the local Swaledale sheep than with another party of walkers, even on a clear weekend.
• •Despite its proximity to the town of Sedbergh, the terrain remains largely pathless and can be surprisingly heavy going after rain, making it a good test of a walker’s navigational patience.