Great Carrs: Height, Walks and Coniston Views at 785m

Great Carrs stands at the northern end of the Coniston fells, a 785m summit often visited alongside Swirl How and Grey Friar. Its grassy western slopes give little warning of the craggy ground falling towards Greenburn on the other side. Walkers value it for the open ridge walking and the outlook towards the Scafell range, while the wartime aircraft memorial near its summit gives the place a particular poignancy.

A summit above Greenburn

Great Carrs belongs to the northern part of the Coniston group, with Swirl How close to the south and Grey Friar to the west. Its summit reaches 785m, or 2,575ft, at grid reference NY270009. The contrast between its two sides is one of its defining features: comparatively gentle, grassy ground faces west, while broken crags overlook the upper reaches of Greenburn to the east.

The ridge running north towards Wrynose Pass is known as Wet Side Edge. Together with the high ground around Swirl How and Wetherlam, Great Carrs helps frame the upland basin of Greenburn. It is worth distinguishing that valley from neighbouring Little Langdale, into which it opens: the summit stands above a quieter side of the Coniston fells, rather than directly above Coniston village.

In clear weather, the northern outlook takes in the Scafell massif, Bowfell and the Crinkle Crags. Closer at hand, the adjoining ridges make the structure of the Coniston group easy to read. This is a summit where the relationships between neighbouring fells are as rewarding as the distant view.

Great Carrs in the Southern Fells

Wainwright included Great Carrs in Book Four, The Southern Fells. It ranks 42nd by height among the 214 Wainwrights. Its neighbouring Wainwrights include Swirl How, Grey Friar, Brim Fell and Wetherlam, placing it within a substantial network of high ridges rather than as an isolated objective.

Great Carrs is commonly included in rounds linking several Coniston summits. Walks associated with the fell include outings from Wrynose Pass and longer circuits above Greenburn; the familiar pairing with Swirl How reflects how closely the two summits sit together. Although the connecting ground can look straightforward on a map, these are exposed upland walks, with craggy edges and navigation requiring care in mist.

The wartime aircraft memorial

Great Carrs is also known for the memorial to the crew of a Halifax bomber that crashed here in 1944. The memorial stands near the summit, and aircraft wreckage remains on the fell. It is a tangible reminder of wartime flying over Lakeland, distinct from the farming and mining history encountered elsewhere in these valleys. For many walkers, pausing here becomes as memorable a part of the visit as reaching the summit itself.

Where Great Carrs stands

Summit at grid reference NY270009 · open full map

The real Great Carrs

Walking Great Carrs

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Lake District Walk: Great Carrs and Grey Friar (walklakes.co.uk)
• Grey Friar - Great Carrs walk (andrewswalks.co.uk)
• Grey Friar, Swirl How, and Great Carrs, Cumbria, England (alltrails.com)

Weather on Great Carrs

Conditions estimated at summit height (785 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Great Carrs on your wall

A painting of Great Carrs can bring back the quieter details of a Coniston round: the long line of Wet Side Edge, pale grass against dark crag, or cloud lifting from the neighbouring summits. A print or canvas gives those familiar shapes a place at home.

Own “Sunlit Rocks on Great Carrs” — our painting of Great Carrs → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Southern Fells

• Swirl How 802 m
• Grey Friar 773 m
• Brim Fell 796 m
• Wetherlam 763 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.