About Great Rigg

Great Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District situated 7 kilometres north northwest of Ambleside and reaches a height of 766 metres (2,513 feet).

It is most often climbed as part of the Fairfield horseshoe, a 16 km circular walk which starts and finishes in Ambleside.

The fell's name originates from the Old English Language with “Rigg” meaning a bumpy or knobbly ridge.

Great Rigg is mostly without merit as just an undulation on one of Fairfield’s southern ridges.

With 31 metres of prominence, it just qualifies as a Hewitt and is best seen from the south west near Grasmere where its summit seems to dominate the valley.

The fell is rocky on its eastern side as Stone Cove drops to Rydal Beck and the western flank is mostly grassy as it falls away to Tongue Gill.

To the north and south are ridges which continue to other fells, with Fairfield 1.5 km away to the north while Heron Pike lies 2.5 km to the south.

There is a third less significant ridge which goes south west towards Grasmere which has the “Wainwright” fell of Stone Arthur on its shoulder overlooking Grasmere.

Great Rigg is invariably climbed on the way to the more significant fell of Fairfield which lies close by to the north, however a direct ascent of sorts can be done from Grasmere up the south west ridge taking in Stone Arthur on the way.

This walk can be continued to Fairfield and Seat Sandal before returning to Grasmere to complete a 10 km circular walk.

The summit is crowned by a substantial cairn which is named on large scale maps as Greatrigg Man.

It gives good views of the Lakeland mountains to the west and a distinctive feature of the outlook is the large number of lakes and tarns that are in view, with ten sizeable bodies of water well seen.