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455 m · Birkett — North Western (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Graystones - a small stone cairn on a grassy, rock-studded top, the view closed in by thick mist
Birkett — North Western (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Graystones

Graystones North Top at 455m (1,493ft) is the subsidiary northern summit of the Graystones group above Lorton Vale in the North Western Fells.

455 m
Height
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Graystones

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

455 mBirkett — North Western (not a Wainwright summit)+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km

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

Modelled guidance for the 455 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° / 4°
💨 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 455 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 - a small stone cairn on a grassy, rock-studded top, the view closed in by thick mist
© Lee McCoy

Graystones North Top at 455m (1,493ft) is the subsidiary northern summit of the Graystones group above Lorton Vale in the North Western Fells. Wainwright included the Graystones group in his North Western Fells guide, noting the excellent views across the Lorton Vale to the Buttermere fells and north to the Solway coast. A pleasant, undemanding walk from Lorton or Whinlatter giving fine views of the fertile valley below.

Routes up Graystones

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

Whinlatter Loop
13.6 km · ~3.8 hr
Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
455 m
Height
1,493 ft
In feet
NY 1778 2642
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid), about 3.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Graystones (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.

0.5 km WNWKirk Fell (Lorton)437 m · Western
2.2 km NNEBurthwaite Heights318 m · North Western
2.4 km SEWhinlatter Top525 m · North Western
2.5 km SSwinside509 m · North Western

Routes over Graystones

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.

Best parking to hike Graystones

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

Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) — 3.3 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) — 5.4 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 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 (Strava)

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

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

Hazard & Incident Information for Graystones

Hazard: Moderate

A quiet grassy fell (also called Kirk Fell) on the ridge between Whinlatter and the Vale of Lorton, with forest on its flanks. There are no crags to speak of, but its steep grassy ascent and descent — slippery and muddy when wet — plus boggy ground and forest navigation are the things to watch. Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Steep grassy ascent & descent: The climb (and especially the descent) is steep grass that becomes muddy and slippery after rain. Take the steep sections carefully, particularly coming down when wet, and use poles if you have them.
  • Boggy ground & faint paths (navigation): The undulating ridge is boggy in places and the paths can be vague, obscured by bog or following walls; in mist it's easy to lose the line. Carry map and compass and follow walls/fences as handrails.
  • Forest tracks & felling: Routes use the Darling How / Whinlatter plantation tracks, which change with felling and may differ from older maps. Follow current signage and keep clear of active forestry.
Who should attempt this fell: Graystones is an easy, quiet fell with no crags, but the steep grass is slippery when wet — take the descent carefully — and the boggy, forest-edged ground needs a map and compass in cloud. Pick a clear, drier day, follow walls and current forest signage, and take care on the steep grass in winter.

Most common causes: Slips on the steep, muddy grass, especially descending · Navigation errors on faint, boggy paths in cloud · Confusion where forest tracks differ from the map · Slippery or icy conditions in wet weather or winter

Local Mountain Rescue: Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information

Other fells near Graystones

Maps & guidebooks for Graystones

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