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450 m · Wainwright — North Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — North Western Fells

Graystones (Graystones North Top)

Graystones at 456m (1,496ft) is a small, heathery fell above Lorton Vale, its summit giving pleasant views of Bassenthwaite Lake and the northern fells.

450 m
Height
~2–2.5 h
Typical time
+5
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Graystones (Graystones North Top)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

450 mWainwright — North Western Fellssummit is not a Birkett top+5 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 450 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 14°C, gusts to 34 mph, 3.1 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
16° / 14°
💨 34 mph
🌧 3.1 mm (77%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 29 mph
🌧 12.0 mm (79%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌧️
14° / 6°
💨 30 mph
🌧 2.3 mm (76%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 3°
💨 23 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (69%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 1.5 mm (63%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
16° / 4°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 7°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (20%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 450 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Graystones (Graystones North Top)

Graystones at 456m (1,496ft) is a small, heathery fell above Lorton Vale, its summit giving pleasant views of Bassenthwaite Lake and the northern fells. Wainwright included it as the lowest of the Lord's Seat group. The ascent from Lorton or Whinlatter is short and easy. Often combined with Broom Fell as a gentle half-day outing. A quiet, accessible summit above the pastoral Lorton Vale.

Routes up Graystones (Graystones North Top)

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Whinlatter Loop
13.6 km · ~3.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
North Western
Synge
450 m
Height
1,476 ft
In feet

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid), about 3.5 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Graystones (Graystones North Top) (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

0.3 km SEGraystones455 m · North Western
0.3 km WSWKirk Fell (Lorton)437 m · Western
2.1 km NEBurthwaite Heights318 m · North Western
2.7 km SEWhinlatter Top525 m · North Western
2.7 km SSwinside509 m · North Western

Routes over Graystones (Graystones North Top)

Whinlatter LoopRevised
13.56 km · ~671 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: GraystonesGraystones (Graystones North Top)Broom FellLord's SeatBarfWhinlatter TopWhinlatter (Brown How - Whinlatter)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View from Graystones (Graystones North Top)

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys
Computed 360-degree skyline from Graystones (Graystones North Top)34 labelled tops shown (15 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 20 kmSkiddaw · 9 kmRaise · 19 kmBlencathra · 15 kmGreat Dodd · 18 kmGrasmoor · 6 kmCrag Hill · 6 kmGrisedale Pike · 5 kmHobcarton Crag · 5 kmKnott · 14 kmWhiteside · 5 kmCaw Fell · 16 kmLittle Sca Fell · 14 kmGreat Borne · 12 kmBlake Fell · 10 kmUllister Hill · 3 kmGavel Fell · 10 kmWhinlatter · 2 kmCarl Side · 8 kmCriffel · 42 km · clear daysLonglands Fell · 13 kmBurnbank Fell · 9 kmBinsey · 10 kmFellbarrow · 5 kmSmithy Fell · 5 kmLord's Seat · 3 kmFaulds Brow · 19 kmBengairn · 49 km · clear daysGraystones · 0 kmKirk Fell · 0 kmLing Fell · 2 kmBainloch Hill · 42 km · clear daysClints Crags · 9 kmWatch Hill · 6 kmSkiddaw South Top · 9 kmCatstye Cam · 20 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 9 kmStybarrow Dodd · 18 kmBroad End · 9 kmIron Crag · 16 kmFrozen Fell · 13 kmBrae Fell · 14 kmWhinlatter Top · 3 kmCrag Fell · 15 kmHopegill Head · 5 kmSharp Knott · 10 kmGasgale Crags · 4 kmHobcarton End · 4 kmOwsen Fell · 9 kmGale Fell · 11 kmDodd · 4 kmFloutern Cop · 11 kmSighty Crag · 69 km · clear daysHatteringill Head · 5 kmBengray · 64 km · clear daysGrange Fell · 56 km · clear daysWhite Hill · 58 km · clear daysSlieve Donard · 179 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 95 km · a rare clear dayBroad Law · 97 km · a rare clear daySnaefell · 87 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 92 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 79 km · a rare clear dayGreen Lowther · 90 km · a rare clear dayEttrick Pen · 81 km · a rare clear dayCairn Table · 108 km · a rare clear dayCairnharrow · 71 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 76 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 72 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 86 km · a rare clear dayLaw Kneis · 87 km · a rare clear dayHods Hill · 85 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Graystones (Graystones North Top), by direction
  • North-east: Frozen Fell (13 km), Knott (14 km), Great Sca Fell (14 km), Little Sca Fell (14 km), Brae Fell (14 km)
  • East: Ullister Hill (3 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (9 km), Skiddaw South Top (9 km), Skiddaw (9 km), Skiddaw North Top (9 km), Skiddaw Little Man (9 km), Broad End (9 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (9 km), Lonscale Fell (11 km), Knowe Crags (14 km), Gategill Fell Top (14 km), Blencathra (15 km), Little Dodd (17 km), Great Dodd (18 km), Randerside (18 km)
  • South-east: Grisedale Pike (5 km), Watson's Dodd (17 km), Stybarrow Dodd (18 km), Raise (19 km), White Side (19 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (20 km), Helvellyn (20 km), Catstye Cam (20 km)
  • South: Ladyside Pike (4 km), Whiteside (5 km), Sand Hill (5 km), Hobcarton Crag (5 km), Grasmoor (6 km), Crag Hill (6 km), Starling Dodd (11 km), Iron Crag (16 km), Caw Fell (16 km)
  • South-west: Carling Knott (9 km), Blake Fell (10 km), Great Borne (12 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (179 km, Ireland), Merrick (95 km, Scotland), Broad Law (97 km, Scotland), Snaefell (87 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (92 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Fleet (79 km, Scotland), Corserine (91 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (90 km, Scotland).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Graystones (Graystones North Top)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
31Wainwrights in view+11 marginal
96 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 96 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 87 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 42 km distant
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 31 km in view
  • Irish Sea open waterW · 25 km in view
All 31 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Broom Fell, Ling Fell, Sale Fell, Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Low Fell, Grasmoor, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Burnbank Fell, Skiddaw, Skiddaw Little Man, Blake Fell, Hen Comb, Gavel Fell, Binsey, Starling Dodd, Great Borne, Great Cockup, Meal Fell, Longlands Fell, Knott, Great Sca Fell, Brae Fell, Crag Fell, Caw Fell

How Graystones (Graystones North Top)’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Best parking to hike Graystones (Graystones North Top)

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) — 3.5 km from summit (straight line)
Forest centre — Lord's Seat, Barf, Whinlatter fells, Grisedale Pike's back route.
Directions
🚺 Whinlatter Forest Park Centre (120m) — Free☕ The Cottage in the Wood☕ Cafe Ambio
Lanthwaite Green (NT) — 5.6 km from summit (straight line)
At the foot of Grasmoor and Whiteside, Crummock Water.
Directions

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Buses to Graystones (Graystones North Top) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Graystones (Graystones North Top) (Strava)

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Navigating Graystones (Graystones North Top) in cloud

Care needed

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Graystones (Graystones North Top) compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Graystones (Graystones North Top)

Maps & guidebooks for Graystones (Graystones North Top)

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