Grike: Height (488m), Walks and Western Fells Views

Grike stands at the western edge of the Lakeland fells, where the higher ground above Ennerdale begins to give way towards the coastal plain. At 488m, it is a modest summit by Western Fells standards, but its open, rounded top offers a different perspective from the enclosed valleys further east. Often walked with neighbouring Crag Fell, it rewards attention in its own right.

A rounded fell above western Ennerdale

Grike rises south-west of Ennerdale Water, with Crag Fell immediately to the east. Its broad, grassy summit gives it a softer outline than many of the crag-faced fells deeper in the district. The top is marked by a substantial cairn, and the summit grid reference is NY084140. At 488m (1,601ft), this is a fell whose appeal owes more to its position than to sheer height.

The outlook brings together two quite different landscapes. Westwards, the ground falls towards the West Cumbrian coastal plain and the Irish Sea; inland, the higher Western Fells take over the horizon. That contrast is central to Grike’s character. Rather than standing among the district’s highest summits, you are looking into the mountain country from its outer edge.

Grike in Wainwright’s Western Fells

Grike belongs to Book Seven of Alfred Wainwright’s A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, The Western Fells. It ranks 177th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. That places it among the lower summits in the collection, within a region that also includes some of Lakeland’s most substantial mountain ground around Pillar and Great Gable.

Crag Fell is its closest Wainwright companion, joined to it by the intervening ridge. Lank Rigg lies to the south, while Great Borne and Gavel Fell belong to the wider neighbourhood north of Ennerdale. These relationships help place Grike on the map: it is part of the western fringe of the district, rather than an isolated outlier. Its modest height is only one part of that setting.

Walks and the appeal of the western fringe

Grike is commonly combined with Crag Fell, making a natural pairing of two neighbouring Wainwrights above the western end of Ennerdale. Walks also start from the road near Kinniside Stone Circle, while Ennerdale Bridge is a useful nearby village when planning a visit. Dedicated route descriptions are worth consulting for current access details and the choice of approach.

This is not a fell defined by a famous scrambling ridge or a sharply pointed summit. Its interest is quieter: open ground, a broad horizon and the transition between coastal Cumbria and the higher fells. The rounded shape should not be mistaken for shelter, however. The exposed top remains subject to the same wind, low cloud and changing weather as its taller neighbours.

Where Grike stands

Summit at grid reference NY084140 · open full map

The real Grike

Walking Grike

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

• Crag Fell and Grike (loweswatercam.co.uk)
• Grike, Crag Fell, Whoap and Lank Rigg (wainwrightwalking.co.uk)
• Best routes • Grike - OS Maps (osmaps.com)

Weather on Grike

Conditions estimated at summit height (488 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Grike on your wall

A painting of Grike can hold onto that meeting of open fell and coastal light, rather than a dramatic summit profile. As a fine art print or canvas, it offers a familiar connection to western Lakeland for anyone who values its quieter, rounder outlines.

Own “Sunlit Cairn on Grike Summit” — our painting of Grike → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Western Fells

• Crag Fell 523 m
• Lank Rigg 541 m
• Gavel Fell 524 m
• Great Borne 616 m

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