Highwayman Hikes: Gragareth Summit Circular - Kirkby Lonsdale Visitor and Local Information

With all the weather we have been having recently I have chosen a short walk to the Trig Point at Gragareth and back down past the Three Men of Gragareth. Most of you will know this one but it is a fantastic short walk with some of the best views the area has to offer with little effort. On a clear day you will be able to see Ingleborough, Morecambe Bay, the Howgill Fells and The Lake District. We will cover the full 12 mile circular when the days get longer but for now this is a great walk for when we get an hour or two of decent weather. Everyone will have different routes up, but I find this one is easier on the legs.

Time: 1 hour 15 mins approx. We spent a lot of time looking at the views

Difficulty: Easy/Medium. Depending on the weather but a good pair of boots is advised.

Starting Point: There are two places to park cars near Leck Fell House.

Sat Nav: LA6 2JE – Just keep on the road until you see the two parking places on your left and the farmhouse at the end.

These are working farms so please shut the gates after you and stick to the route and as Alan has asked nicely on the gate please keep dogs on the lead as there are sheep all around.

From the car park (with the cars behind you) take a left up the road towards the farm which will appear on the left (you won’t actually go to the farm) . Eventually you will see a gate in front of you. Walk through onto the path.

You will keep along this path for just over ½ a mile until you see the corner of the fencing on your right-hand side. Head towards the fencing, keeping the fence on your left hand side ( Rich is demonstrating it in the photo).

Now you are going to follow this fence line up, heading straight and keeping the fence on your left, it will become a little steeper but keep going. The fence at one point will turn left and then continue along . You don’t have to follow it that closely just always keep it on the left.

Ingleborough

Eventually Ingleborough will start to become clear as your reach the top and a dry stone wall in the distance. The county boundary wall running along the ridge is believed to be “one of the highest dry stone walls in the country.” Historically it formed the boundary between the West Riding of Yorkshire and Westmorland

The route is not going all the way to the dry stone wall but by all means go and have a look! Once it starts to become clear look to your right and you will see the Trig point for Gragareth. As you can see from out photos the drystone wall is in the background so if you get confused just follow this along.

This is a great spot to have a break, get some photos just like Rich (Head Chef at The Highwayman) and myself did. I couldn’t quite get myself on top of the trig point I’m afraid. If you get any photos send them over to us!

At the trig point you are going to take the most prominent path in a westerly direction (towards The Lakes) it is a clear path. This will start to take you back down hill and you will soon see the large cairns. These are the Three Men of Gragareth, there actually seems to be six of them in groups of three, the history is unknown as far as I can tell but another great photo opportunity!

The path from the Cairns and back to the path is indiscreet, as you can see from the map ( I’ve dashed it in red to help) below this is the route I tend to take as it is easier on the legs but as long as you are aiming down the hill you will eventually reach the original path we took. Once at the path just head back down towards the gate and return to the car.