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638 m · Wainwright — Far Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

Grey Crag at 638m (2,093ft) is the summit of Sleddale Fell, a Wainwright in the Far Eastern Fells above the remote Longsleddale valley.

638 m
Height
~3–4 h
Typical time
+3
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

638 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km Severe in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 638 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 13°C, gusts to 36 mph, 13.2 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 13°
💨 36 mph
🌧 13.2 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
15° / 12°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.2 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
13° / 5°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 4°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 6°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (24%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 638 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

Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

Grey Crag at 638m (2,093ft) is the summit of Sleddale Fell, a Wainwright in the Far Eastern Fells above the remote Longsleddale valley. Wainwright noted its quiet, solitary character and the fine views down Longsleddale to Shap and east to the Pennines. One of the most remote and least-visited of all the Wainwrights, typically approached from the head of Longsleddale. A rewarding fell for those seeking genuine solitude.

Routes up Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

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

Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)
17.7 km · ~5.3 hr
A long ~18 km round from Sadgill in quiet Longsleddale over five Wainwrights — Grey Crag, Tarn Crag, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell and Shipman Knotts — across some of the loneliest, broadest grass tops in the Far Eastern fells. Real navigation in cloud.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
638 m
Height
2,093 ft
In feet
NY 4971 0722
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited), about 2.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) (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.

0.7 km NNEHarrop Pike637 m · Far Eastern
1.1 km SWGreat Howe (Longsleddale)494 m · Far Eastern
2.4 km WGoat Scar626 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)Revised
17.69 km · ~1043 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h
Summits: Shipman KnottsKentmere PikeHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellTarn Crag (Sleddale)Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)Great Howe (Longsleddale)

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: Boggy ground: the Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass) are peat-hagged and frequently very wet — expect bog and use the wall/fence lines as handrails.; Faint paths + serious navigation: trods are indistinct across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau. Best saved for good visibility — avoid the Tarn Crag/Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog.; A long, quiet day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent, with far fewer people than the Kentmere side — be self-reliant.

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

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 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)36 labelled tops shown (9 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 28 kmHigh Raise · 8 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 24 kmSwirl How · 23 kmRampsgill Head · 8 kmHarter Fell · 4 kmKentmere Pike · 3 kmBranstree NE Top · 3 kmSelside Pike · 4 kmCross Fell · 33 km · clear daysBlack Combe · 42 km · clear daysBorder End · 27 kmTarn Crag · 1 kmIngleborough · 41 km · clear daysWhernside · 35 km · clear daysWard's Stone · 49 km · clear daysGreat Yarlside · 3 kmHowes · 3 kmThe Calf · 20 kmWasdale Pike · 4 kmGreat Saddle Crag · 3 kmnameless · 1 kmWild Boar Fell · 27 kmLittle Yarlside · 3 kmCapplebarrow · 4 kmTop o' Selside · 24 kmGreat Howe · 1 kmBrunt Knott · 7 kmnameless · 4 kmnameless · 7 kmCocklaw Fell · 4 kmKnipescar Common · 12 kmYarlside · 21 kmGrandsire · 12 kmAye Gill Pike · 29 kmHampsfell · 30 kmIll Bell · 6 kmBranstree · 3 kmYoke · 6 kmWhite Maiden · 27 kmHarrop Pike · 1 kmGoat Scar · 2 kmThe Forest · 5 kmSallows · 7 kmHigh House Bank · 5 kmWhatshaw Common · 5 kmBurney · 32 km · clear daysCapple Howe · 8 kmHollow Moor · 4 kmnameless · 7 kmGreat Knoutberry Hill · 35 km · clear daysBlack Fell · 17 kmGummer's How · 22 kmMickle Fell · 35 km · clear daysRogan's Seat · 42 km · clear daysWhite Hill · 52 km · clear daysWhitbarrow · 21 kmDufton Pike · 28 kmCarnedd Llewelyn · 164 km · a handful of days a yearAran Fawddwy · 195 km · a handful of days a yearPendle Hill · 73 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 164 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 84 km · a rare clear daySighty Crag · 74 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 86 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 89 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 106 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell), by direction
  • North: Branstree NE Top (3 km), Selside Pike (4 km)
  • North-east: Harrop Pike (1 km), Cross Fell (33 km)
  • East: Great Yarlside (3 km)
  • South-east: Whernside (35 km), Ingleborough (41 km)
  • South: Ward's Stone (49 km)
  • South-west: The Old Man of Coniston (24 km), Brown Pike (26 km), White Maiden (27 km), Stoneside Hill (39 km), Stoupdale Head (40 km), Black Combe (42 km), Black Combe South Top (42 km)
  • West: Goat Scar (2 km), Kentmere Pike (3 km), Yoke (6 km), Ill Bell (6 km), Wetherlam (22 km), Black Sails (22 km), Swirl How (23 km), Little Carrs (23 km), Great Carrs (24 km), Great How (24 km), Brim Fell (24 km), Bowfell (25 km), Esk Pike (26 km), Great End (27 km), Ill Crag (27 km), Border End (27 km), Broad Crag (28 km), Scafell Pike (28 km), Scafell (29 km)
  • North-west: Tarn Crag (1 km), Branstree (3 km), Harter Fell (4 km), Kidsty Pike (7 km), Rampsgill Head (8 km), High Raise (8 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Carnedd Llewelyn (164 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (195 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (172 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (183 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (73 km, England), Moel y Gamelin (164 km, Wales), Cadair Berwyn (180 km, Wales), Boulsworth Hill (84 km, England).

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 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
9Wainwrights in view+19 marginal
161 kmFurthest sightlineCarnedd Llewelyn · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.

Far horizons
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 161 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 71 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 42 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSW · 39 km in view
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 35 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 33 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesNE · 33 km clear
All 9 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Shipman Knotts, Sallows, Sour Howes, Holme Fell, Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)

How Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)’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 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

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

Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Longsleddale — Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Grey Crag, Tarn Crag.
Directions
Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — 4.4 km from summit (straight line)
Free but small and fills very early — High Street, Harter Fell, Kidsty Pike, Branstree.
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 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).

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

My hikes over Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) in cloud

Severe

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

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 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell) 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 Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

Maps & guidebooks for Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)

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