Great Sca Fell: 651m Height, Walks and Summit Views

Great Sca Fell is a broad, grassy Wainwright in the Uldale fells, part of the quieter country north of Skiddaw. At 651m, it offers spacious walking rather than rocky drama, with rounded ridges linking it to neighbouring summits. Its appeal lies in that openness: long stretches of fellside, views towards the Solway Firth and room to appreciate a less rugged side of the Northern Fells.

A rounded summit in the Uldale fells

Great Sca Fell stands at 651m (2,136ft), with its summit at grid reference NY291339. It is the highest of the Uldale fells, a group of rounded tops in the north-western part of the Lake District. Grass, rather than exposed crag, defines its upper slopes, and its broad shape makes it a very different prospect from the sharper ridges found elsewhere in Lakeland.

The fell has two distinct tops: Great Sca Fell itself and the lower Little Sca Fell immediately to the north. Their names belong to this northern landscape and should not be confused with Scafell or Scafell Pike in the western Lakes. Here, the interest is in gentle changes of contour and the way one grassy ridge leads the eye towards another.

Great Sca Fell in the Northern Fells

Alfred Wainwright included Great Sca Fell in Book Five of his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, The Northern Fells. It ranks 114th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. Its setting is within the extensive upland country often called Back o’ Skiddaw, where broad slopes and open ridges contrast with the more conspicuous outlines of Skiddaw and Blencathra.

Meal Fell, Brae Fell and Knott are neighbouring Wainwrights, while Great Calva belongs to the wider group of nearby northern summits. Great Sca Fell is often included in walks taking in several of the Uldale tops, rather than treated as an isolated objective. Its position helps explain that appeal: the surrounding fells form a connected landscape whose character becomes clearer over a longer day on foot.

Views and walking character

On a clear day, the outlook north reaches across the Cumbrian lowlands towards the Solway Firth and the Scottish hills beyond. Closer at hand, the surrounding Uldale fells give the view its rolling foreground. Skiddaw is a substantial presence to the south, while the higher ground around Knott helps frame the eastern outlook. Visibility makes a considerable difference to the experience of this open summit.

Great Sca Fell is not chiefly known for a dramatic crag or a celebrated scrambling ridge. Its distinction is the quieter pleasure of broad horizons and linked grassy tops. Those rounded slopes still require care in poor visibility, and exposed ground can feel very different in strong wind. A dedicated walking guide and a current map are useful companions when choosing a circuit through the surrounding fells.

Where Great Sca Fell stands

Summit at grid reference NY291339 · open full map

The real Great Sca Fell

Walking Great Sca Fell

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

• Little and Great Sca Fells, Meal Fell, and Great Cockup (walklakes.co.uk)
• Great and Little Sca Fell, Brae Fell, and Longlands ... (alltrails.com)
• Best routes • Great Sca Fell - OS Maps (osmaps.com)

Weather on Great Sca Fell

Conditions estimated at summit height (651 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Great Sca Fell on your wall

A painting of Great Sca Fell can hold the things that make this northern country memorable: the low sweep of a ridge, changing cloud and the space between summits. As a print or canvas at home, it offers a familiar connection to days among the Uldale fells.

Own “Great Sca Fell Twin Peaks” — our painting of Great Sca Fell → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Northern Fells

• Knott 710 m
• Brae Fell 586 m
• Meal Fell 549 m
• Great Calva 691 m

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