Great Rigg: 766.4m Height, Walks and Summit Views

Great Rigg is a high point on the long ridge between Fairfield and Heron Pike, with Grasmere to the west and the Rydal valley to the east. At 766.4 metres, it has the height and outlook of a substantial fell, yet many walkers meet it as part of the Fairfield Horseshoe rather than as a destination in its own right.

A high ridge above Grasmere and Rydal

Great Rigg’s character comes from its position on Fairfield’s southern ridge. Its summit is a rounded rise along that ridge, marked by a cairn rather than a sharply defined rocky peak. The ground is largely grassy, with stone and exposed rock around the higher parts. From here, the ridge continues north towards the much larger bulk of Fairfield and south towards Heron Pike.

The outlook is particularly rewarding towards the south, where the lower fells lead the eye towards Windermere. Fairfield dominates the northern view, so this is not an unrestricted panorama in every direction. That contrast is part of the appeal: close at hand are the broad slopes of a high fell, while the southern prospect opens towards the lakes and lower country.

Great Rigg in the Eastern Fells

Alfred Wainwright included Great Rigg in The Eastern Fells, the first volume of his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Its recorded height is 766.4 metres, or 2,514 feet, placing it 54th among the 214 Wainwrights. The summit grid reference is NY355104.

Its neighbouring Wainwrights help explain the surrounding landscape. Fairfield stands to the north, Heron Pike lies along the ridge to the south, and Stone Arthur occupies a subsidiary ridge descending south-west towards Grasmere. Hart Crag is across the head of the Rydal valley, on the opposite side of the Fairfield Horseshoe. Great Rigg therefore belongs both to the skyline above Grasmere and to the high ground enclosing Rydal’s long valley. Looking at those relationships on a map makes its position much clearer than its modest summit profile might suggest.

A summit on the Fairfield Horseshoe

Great Rigg’s best-known association is with the Fairfield Horseshoe, the established circuit of the ridges surrounding the Rydal valley. Usually associated with Ambleside, the round takes in eight Wainwrights, including Fairfield, Hart Crag and Great Rigg. It is a substantial fell walk, with prolonged time on open, exposed ground.

For walkers approaching from the Grasmere side, Stone Arthur provides another familiar connection with Great Rigg. These different associations make it more than a summit to tick off during a circuit. It is a useful place to understand how the Grasmere fells meet the Fairfield massif, and to pause over the changing balance of ridge, valley and distant water. Detailed route guides and a current map are the right companions for planning a walk here.

Where Great Rigg stands

Summit at grid reference NY355104 · open full map

The real Great Rigg

Walking Great Rigg

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

• Stone Arthur, Great Rigg, Heron Pike and Nab Scar (walklakes.co.uk)
• Great Rigg, Heron Pike and Nab Scar (jimearl6.com)
• Great Rigg Route One - Grasmere (wainwrightroutes.co.uk)

Weather on Great Rigg

Conditions estimated at summit height (766 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Great Rigg on your wall

A painting of Great Rigg can hold onto the quieter character of this ridge: pale grass, a stony summit and the rise towards Fairfield. For anyone who knows the horseshoe or the climb above Grasmere, that familiar outline can bring a day on the fells home.

Own “Great Rigg Sunlit Ridge Path” — our painting of Great Rigg → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Eastern Fells

• Fairfield 873 m
• Stone Arthur 504 m
• Heron Pike 612 m
• Hart Crag 823 m

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