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773 m · Wainwright — Southern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Grey Friar - the pointed summit boulder standing alone on a grassy plateau, with the Scafell range a blue silhouette in the haze behind
Wainwright — Southern FellsAlso a Birkett

Grey Friar

Grey Friar at 773m (2,536ft) is the most westerly of the main Coniston Fells, a broad, grassy dome that Wainwright described as giving the best views of any of the group — particularly westward to the Scafell massif across the Duddon valley, and south-west to the coast and the sea.

773 m
Height
~3.5–4.5 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →

Home › Fells › Grey Friar

Written and walked by Lee McCoy

773 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 773 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 13° to 6°C, gusts to 47 mph, 40.4 mm of rain forecast.

Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
13° / 6°
💨 47 mph
🌧 40.4 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
12° / 8°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.1 mm (6%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌦️
14° / 10°
💨 35 mph
🌧 5.8 mm (100%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
13° / 8°
💨 35 mph
🌧 8.5 mm (98%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌧️
10° / 7°
💨 26 mph
🌧 2.5 mm (70%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌧️
9° / 7°
💨 32 mph
🌧 16.4 mm (100%)
Fri 18 Sep
🌧️
10° / 7°
💨 33 mph
🌧 14.6 mm (92%)

Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 18:50 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 773 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

Grey Friar at a glance

Grey Friar

Grey Friar - the pointed summit boulder standing alone on a grassy plateau, with the Scafell range a blue silhouette in the haze behind
© Lee McCoy

Grey Friar at 773m (2,536ft) is the most westerly of the main Coniston Fells, a broad, grassy dome that Wainwright described as giving the best views of any of the group — particularly westward to the Scafell massif across the Duddon valley, and south-west to the coast and the sea. The ascent from Wrynose Pass is short and straightforward, making it one of the easiest 2,500-footers in the district. Most commonly combined with Swirl How and Great Carrs as part of the Coniston ridge circuit. The summit moorland is boggy in places but the views more than compensate on a clear day.

Field notes

This is a wonderful place to rest on the Coniston circuit as it's less busy, has a great view over toward the Isle of Mann and you can hide yourself away behind a rock - but you don't need to as it's a low traffic fell. I seem to prefer these quieter ones. Fells that aren't grand or imposing, just allows you to put your feet up and contemplate the madness of the world. Many looking for a grand day out may miss it, and if you're part of a large group then others may appreciate that, but if you're on your own, or as a couple, this is probably the one fell on the route that'd look forward to revisiting, and so should you.

Routes up Grey Friar

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

The Coniston Horseshoe
20.8 km · ~6.3 hr
The full Coniston Horseshoe — the grand ~21 km, ~1,280 m round of seven Wainwrights above Coniston: Wetherlam, the steep Prison Band onto Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, the Old Man of Coniston and Dow Crag. The big day out; for the shorter version see the [Coniston Old Man round](/routes/coniston-old-man-round.html).
Coniston Old Man Round
17.4 km · ~5.4 hr · Moderate
A satisfying round of the Coniston fells, and a simpler approach to the Old Man than my longer outing. From Coniston it climbs to the Old Man itself, then follows the high ridge over Brim Fell and Swirl How and back over Wetherlam, with Grey Friar an easy extra along the way. You can extend it further by adding Dow Crag. Big views over the southern fells and the sea, old copper-mine history underfoot, and a proper mountain feel without the biggest mileage.

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Southern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
773 m
Height
2,536 ft
In feet
NY 2600 0036
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Grey Friar a Wainwright?

Grey Friar is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list and the Fellranger list.

Where do you park for Grey Friar?

The nearest car park we hold is Hard Knott (verge), about 1.9 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Hard Knott car park, 2.3 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

My hikes over Grey Friar (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Parking & buses for Grey Friar

Best parking to hike Grey Friar

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

Hard Knott (verge) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
1.7 km from Hard Knott.
Directions Something changed here?
Hard Knott car park — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Hard Knott (1.2 km), Border End (1.3 km), Yew Bank (1.7 km). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions Something changed here?
Hell Gill Pike (verge) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
0.9 km from Hell Gill Pike.
Directions Something changed here?
Demming Crag (layby) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Demming Crag (1.5 km), Horsehow Crags (1.7 km), Harter Fell (Eskdale) (1.7 km). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions Something changed here?
Birks Bridge (FE) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Demming Crag (1.4 km), Harter Fell (Eskdale) (1.6 km), Horsehow Crags (1.6 km). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions Something changed here?

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.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Grey Friar by bus

The 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, 520 m and 39 m of ascent from the start of Coniston Old Man Round — a route we rate Moderate. The last bus is 20:24 towards Kendal (505) and 18:44 towards Ambleside (505), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 505 “Coniston Rambler”
Windermere – Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Hawkshead – Coniston
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Daily in season (reduced winter service). Best access for the Coniston fells (Old Man, Wetherlam group).

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

Hazards on Grey Friar

Hazard & Incident Information for Grey Friar

Hazard: Moderate

A rugged, out-on-a-limb fell set apart from the main Coniston ridge, with a stony twin-topped summit and rough, steep approaches from Seathwaite, the Duddon or Wrynose. Its appeal is its remoteness — but that, plus indistinct paths and steep ground above Seathwaite Tarn, is also its hazard. The link from the main ridge is easy to misjudge in cloud, and help is a long way off. Coniston Mountain Rescue Team covers this quiet corner.

  • Navigation to and from the summit in cloud: Grey Friar stands off the main ridge and its paths are faint; the ground between it and Swirl How is awkward, and one onward line from Swirl How appears to head straight over a cliff face. In mist it is easy to lose the route or drift onto steep ground. Navigate by compass and don't trust a vague trod.
  • Steep, rough flanks (Seathwaite Tarn / Duddon side): The fell falls away in rough, craggy, broken ground, particularly toward Seathwaite Tarn. A slip or a wrong line on these steep flanks can land you in difficult terrain. Keep to the higher, gentler ground and pick your descent carefully.
  • Remoteness: This is one of the least-visited Coniston fells, a long way from any road on the Duddon side. A minor injury or navigation error becomes serious simply because of how far you are from help. Carry full kit, navigation and a means of calling for assistance, and allow plenty of time.
Who should attempt this fell: Grey Friar rewards walkers who like solitude, but treat it as a navigation fell: the paths are indistinct and the connection to the main ridge needs care in cloud, so be confident with map and compass. Keep to gentler ground on descent rather than dropping down the rough flanks, and plan for the remoteness — it is a long way from a road, so carry what you need and leave time to spare. Full winter skills if there is snow or ice.

Most common causes: Navigation errors on the faint paths and the link to the main ridge in cloud · Slips on the steep, rough flanks above Seathwaite Tarn · Difficulties compounded by remoteness and a long walk-out · Being caught out by failing light on rough ground

Local Mountain Rescue: Coniston 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

A note on Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water)

Church Beck (with Red Dell Beck & Levers Water) runs below the old Coniston copper mines and carries mine-derived copper and zinc — enough to matter for river life, though the lead and cadmium that would harm a person stay below the drinking limit here. Treat any hill water before drinking (a filter won’t remove dissolved metals); don’t single this beck out as a clean fill-up.

What’s actually in this beck — we mapped every mine-fed one →

Metal-mine water data © Environment Agency (Open Government Licence v3.0).

Navigating Grey Friar in cloud

Straightforward

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Friar compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Hard Knott (verge), about 1.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Grey Friar (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.

1.4 km ESEGreat How (Swirl Band)775 m · Southern
1.5 km NELittle Carrs692 m · Southern
1.6 km NEHell Gill Pike662 m · Southern
2.3 km EBlack Sails745 m · Southern

Routes over Grey Friar

The Coniston HorseshoeRevised
20.8 km · ~1279 m ascent · loop · ~6–8.5 h
Summits: WetherlamSwirl HowGreat CarrsGrey FriarBrim FellThe Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)Dow CragBuck Pike - Seathwaite FellBrown Pike

✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee, Wetherlam-first — the full Coniston round over all the major tops, a long and serious mountain day. The trickiest navigation is the Grey Friar–Calf Cove–Levers Hawse traverse and the Lad Stones ground; carry OS Explorer OL6 and a compass for the clag.

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: Prison Band, the rocky descent from Black Sails to Swirl Hawse, is steep and eroded with the ground falling away both sides — care needed in mist or wind. Dow Crag's summit sits above a serious east face over Goat's Water — keep slightly left (west) of the top and well back from the gullies and edge, especially in poor visibility. The Grey Friar → Calf Cove → Levers Hawse leg is largely pathless and the round's hardest navigation — careful map-and-compass work in clag. The short final climb to Dow Crag from Goat's Hawse has scrambly steps with moderate exposure — stay on the path and away from the edge.

Full route guide ↗

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

Coniston Old Man RoundRevised
17.4 km · ~1148 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h · Clockwise · Moderate
Summits: The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)Brim FellGrey FriarSwirl HowWetherlam

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Any season in good conditions; rough and rocky, with old mine workings to keep clear of.

⚠️ Warnings: Disused mine shafts and quarry spoil on the flanks, especially toward the Coppermines valley — keep to the paths. The high ridge is exposed and the broad tops need care in cloud.

Full route guide ↗

🥾 Walked in part — Lee walked this ground in August 2024; km 10.6–13.2 of this line is from the map.

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

On the hill: terrain and water on Grey Friar

Water & shelter on the way up

On the The Coniston Horseshoe route:

🛖 map (7 m)

On the Coniston Old Man Round route:

💧 possible water source (6 m)🚌 The Ruskin Centre (321 m)🚌 John Ruskin School (W bound) (345 m)🚌 The Crown Inn (353 m)🚌 The Crown Hotel (367 m)

💧 Treat water from the fell before you drink it. A mapped point is usually a tap or public supply, but never drink untreated from a beck, stream or tarn — even clear-looking hill water can carry giardia or cryptosporidium from livestock or a carcass upstream and leave you seriously ill. Run it through a filter or purifier (a LifeStraw, Sawyer Squeeze or HydraPak) or bring it to a rolling boil first.

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

The view from Grey Friar

The 360° skyline from Grey Friar

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 Friar36 labelled tops shown (12 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 8 kmScafell · 8 kmHelvellyn · 17 kmIll Crag · 8 kmSkiddaw · 29 kmGreat End · 9 kmBowfell · 6 kmFairfield · 15 kmBlencathra · 28 kmGreat Dodd · 22 kmHigh Raise · 23 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 3 kmHaycock · 16 kmDove Crag · 15 kmGlaramara · 10 kmHarter Fell · 22 kmWetherlam · 3 kmCarl Side · 28 kmLonscale Fell · 27 kmSeatallan · 14 kmBlack Combe · 19 kmWhitfell · 12 kmSwirl How · 1 kmDow Crag · 3 kmGreat How · 1 kmHarter Fell · 4 kmIngleborough · 55 km · clear daysWalna Scar · 4 kmIllgill Head · 10 kmWard's Stone · 53 km · clear daysWhite Pike · 5 kmWhin Rigg · 11 kmCaw · 7 kmDemming Crag · 4 kmStainton Pike · 12 kmGreen Crag · 6 kmPillar · 15 kmEsk Pike · 8 kmHigh Crag · 16 kmRaise · 19 kmHart Crag · 15 kmBrim Fell · 2 kmSeat Sandal · 14 kmSergeant Man · 9 kmKentmere Pike · 22 kmRed Crag · 24 kmHigh Pike · 35 km · clear daysBuck Barrow · 14 kmGreat Carrs · 1 kmWhite Maiden · 5 kmWhernside · 51 km · clear daysGreat How · 7 kmYoadcastle · 12 kmPikes · 6 kmCrook Crag · 6 kmPen-y-ghent · 64 km · clear daysWhite Pike · 12 kmHorsehow Crags · 4 kmStoneside Hill · 16 kmWhite Combe · 18 kmDawsonground Crags · 6 kmIrton Fell · 12 kmStickle Pike · 9 kmGummer's How · 18 kmBirch Fell · 18 kmStaveley Fell · 19 kmWhitbarrow · 22 kmSnowdon · 160 km · a handful of days a yearAran Fawddwy · 182 km · a handful of days a yearSnaefell · 87 km · a rare clear daySouth Barrule · 103 km · a rare clear daySlieve Croob · 184 km · a handful of days a yearYr Eifl · 180 km · a handful of days a yearPendle Hill · 80 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 154 km · a handful of days a yearDivis · 188 km · a handful of days a yearWhite Coomb · 115 km · a rare clear dayGreat Whernside · 79 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 102 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Grey Friar, by direction
  • North: Crinkle Crags South Top (4 km), Crinkle Crags (5 km), Crinkle Crags (5 km), Crinkle Crags (5 km), Shelter Crags (5 km), Bowfell (6 km), Pike de Bield (7 km), Esk Pike (8 km), Great Dodd (22 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (27 km), Knowe Crags (27 km), Skiddaw Little Man (27 km), Gategill Fell Top (28 km), Blencathra (28 km), Skiddaw South Top (28 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (28 km), Skiddaw (29 km), Skiddaw North Top (29 km)
  • North-east: Fairfield (15 km), Dove Crag (15 km), Dollywaggon Pike (15 km), Hart Crag (15 km), High Crag (16 km), Nethermost Pike (16 km), Helvellyn (17 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (17 km), White Side (18 km), Raise (19 km), Stybarrow Dodd (20 km), Rampsgill Head (22 km), High Raise (23 km)
  • South-east: Brim Fell (2 km), The Old Man of Coniston (3 km)
  • North-west: Ill Crag (8 km), Scafell (8 km), Scafell Pike (8 km), Broad Crag (8 km), Great End (9 km), Pillar (15 km), Haycock (16 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (160 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (148 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (182 km, Wales), Snaefell (87 km, Isle of Man), Moel Siabod (156 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (169 km, Wales), South Barrule (103 km, Isle of Man), Slieve Croob (184 km, Ireland).

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.

Sunrise and sunset on Grey Friar

Grey Friar sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 April) first light is only 7 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

0°30°40°50°60°04:38
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:38 BST ±5.0 min04:38—
Equinox06:22 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+6 min
Midwinter08:27 GMT ±5.0 min08:32-5 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean 0.25°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Grey Friar

Grey Friar holds the light. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does the sun leave this summit before almanac sunset — the ground falls away westward rather than standing over you, and at midsummer it is still in the sun 1 minutes after the valley has lost it.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:53 BST ±5.0 min21:52+1 min
Equinox18:32 GMT ±5.0 min18:26+6 min
Midwinter15:58 GMT ±5.0 min15:50+8 min

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Grey Friar. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes. These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Grey Friar

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
69Wainwrights in view+22 marginal
160 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay

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

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 160 km clear
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 144 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManW · 87 km clear
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesESE · 55 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 54 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 51 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterWSW · 43 km in view
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSE · 27 km in view
All 69 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Great Carrs, Swirl How, Brim Fell, Dow Crag, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Wetherlam, Cold Pike, Hard Knott, Pike of Blisco, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Bowfell, Green Crag, Slight Side, Loft Crag, Pike of Stickle, Harrison Stickle, Esk Pike, Thunacar Knott, Pavey Ark, Scafell, Scafell Pike, Blea Rigg, Great End, Sergeant Man, Silver How, High Raise (High White Stones), Tarn Crag (Easedale), Glaramara, Illgill Head, Sergeant's Crag, Gibson Knott, Helm Crag, Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Heron Pike (Rydal), Stone Arthur, Middle Fell, Great Rigg, Seat Sandal, High Pike (Scandale), Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Seatallan, Pillar, Haycock, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Caw Fell, High Seat, Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Bleaberry Fell, Gray Crag, The Knott (High Street), Kentmere Pike, Rest Dodd, Clough Head, Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Latrigg, Lonscale Fell, Dodd (Skiddaw), Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw, Knott, High Pike (Caldbeck)

How Grey Friar’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.

Places to stay near this fell

Bank Ground Farm guest house

about 2.7 km from the start, in a straight line

The strongest single sentence for a family in the whole cluster — "High chairs, cots and stair gates are available on request" — paired with a stated breakfast time, chefs cooking dinner on site, six en-suite B&B rooms plus cottages sleeping 2 to 16, and two EV chargers. The stair gates matter: nobody else within 3 miles mentions them.

Worth knowing: “Pets are more than welcome on the farm, we have purpose built five star accommodation so that you can bring the whole family along, however with the exception of assistant dogs, no pets are allowed inside the cottages and farmhouses.”

Arthur Ransome used the farm as the model for Holly Howe in Swallows and Amazons, and the 1970s film was shot there.

  • Dogs “Pets are more than welcome on the farm, we have purpose built five star accommodation so that you can bring the whole family along, however with the exception of assistant dogs, no pets are allowed inside the cottages and farmhouses.”
  • Family rooms “The traditional farm buildings have been converted into cottages of different sizes, sleeping two to sixteen.”
  • Evening meal “Let our fab chefs prepare you lovely meals, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.”
  • Children “High chairs, cots and stair gates are available on request.”

Coniston Holly How YHA hostel

about 1.7 km from the start, in a straight line

The cluster's best wet-walker-plus-family combination inside 2 km: a shared drying room, a highchair, all-you-can-eat cooked breakfast with under-10s at £1, a licensed bar, a self-catering kitchen and a bus stop nearby — and unlike Coppermines you can book a single private room rather than the whole building. Carries two restrictions a reader must see before booking: dogs only in the Camping & Cabins, and under-12s barred from dorm rooms.

Worth knowing: “Pets are not permitted at YHA Coniston Holly How, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation.”

It is a working Mountain Leader training and assessment base, not just a hostel.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “Bed in a shared room is offered here Private room is offered here Camping & Cabins is offered here”
  • Evening meal “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Coniston Holly How”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Coniston Holly How”
  • Parking “The hostel car park is controlled by an ANPR parking system and is free for guests and patrons from check-in at 17:00 to 10:00 on the day of departure, charges apply outside of these times.”
  • Children “People of all ages are welcome at YHA. Guests aged under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or older.”

YHA Coppermines hostel

about 1.6 km from the start, in a straight line

A whole building for one group 500 feet up the Old Man, with a shared drying room, a shared laundry room, a cot, a highchair, ground-floor rooms and free parking — the best answer in the cluster for a large family or a walking group who want the place to themselves. Two conditions decide whether it works: it is exclusive-hire only, so there are no single beds to book, and dogs are only allowed if you take the whole hostel.

Worth knowing: “Pets are not permitted at YHA Coniston Coppermines, except when hiring the whole hostel through YHA Exclusive Hire.”

It sits 500 feet up the mountain already, and they warn that the postcode alone will send your sat nav to somebody's private house.

  • Drying room “Shared drying room”
  • Family rooms “Entire place is offered here Bed in a shared room is not offered here Private room is not offered here”
  • Evening meal “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Coniston Coppermines”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Coniston Coppermines”
  • Parking “Free parking is available onsite.”
  • Children “People of all ages are welcome at YHA. Guests aged under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or older.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions about Grey Friar

Is Grey Friar hard?

Not for any single difficulty, but it is the awkward one of the Coniston fells. Grey Friar stands out on a limb from the main ridge, so every approach — Seathwaite, the Duddon, Wrynose — is rough and steep, the paths on it are indistinct, and the ground above Seathwaite Tarn is steep. Its appeal and its hazard are the same thing: it is out of the way.

Most walkers reach it as part of a long day. Our Coniston Old Man round is 17.4 km with 1148 m of ascent, rated Moderate; the full horseshoe is 20.8 km and 1279 m, which we grade severe for length. Both grade hard for navigation — the tops here are broad and the linking ground is easy to misread in cloud.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Grey Friar