St Sunday Crag

Hills and Mountains

11 Feb

Written By Anthony Ackers

Griesdale in the Lake District, with a snow-covered St Sunday Crag on the left, and Nethermost Pike on the right, under a cloudy winter sky — The snow-capped mountain of St Sunday Crag in the Lake District, heading up Griesdale.

Location: NY 369 134

Getting there: Choose an approach from Ambleside/Grasmere, or from Patterdale (parking available in all three)

Height (spot height near cairn on summit): 841m

Prominence: 166m

Map: OS Explorer OL5 Lake District North Eastern Area

OS Maps API | Basic Map ZXY (EPSG:27700) | Leaflet

Towering above Patterdale, yet dwarfed by the peaks around it, the curiously-named St Sunday Crag provides an arduous, though never-overly challenging mountain walk with jaw-dropping views on a clear day.

The mountain of St Sunday Crag in the Lake District, looking verdant on a clear sunny day, viewed from Striding Edge — Looking across towards St Sunday Crag from Striding Edge

The unusual name of this Wainwright fell is something of a mystery. We do know that ‘St Sunday’ is the colloquial name for ‘St Dominic’, a Spanish priest from the 13th century, who was famous for founding the Dominican Order, a strict Catholic order, and the patron saint of astronomers. It is unknown why the fell is dedicated to him - the Dominican Order became established in southern England in the middle ages, but there is no indication of significant influence on St Sunday Crag, or in the wider Lake District.

The rocky summit of St Sunday Crag in the Lake District, looking east towards Sheffield Pike and Ullswater, on a clear day under a blue sky — The grassy and rocky summit of St Sunday Crag

Indeed, St Sunday Crag is fairly devoid of human history - although several abandoned mines dot nearby fells, St Sunday Crag seems to have been solely dedicated to sheep farming. Not that you’ll find many sheep on its summit - the rocky terrain of the surprisingly wide plateau comes across as quite inhospitable. The highest point is not easy to find - with no trig point on the summit, several piles of stones and cairns sit atop the plateau.

Griesdale Tarn in the Lake District on a clear, sunny day, under a blue sky, with the mountain of St Sunday crag on the right and Dollywagon Pike on the left — Looking towards the summit of St Sunday Crag on the right, from Griesdale Tarn

A spectacular freshwater body, Griesdale Tarn, lies nestled between St Sunday Crag and its neighbour, Fairfield. From here, views extend into Griesdale, and across to Striding Edge, which lines the other side of the valley. Ullswater is easily visible beyond the valley.

Most will tackle St Sunday Crag from Patterale, taking in Birks along the way, and returning via Griesdale. If your legs are up to it, Fairfield and Nethermost Pike and Hellvelyn are all available to slot into your walking plans - the latter can be combined with a saunter along Striding Edge for an epic adventure.

But for something different, you can also approach from Grasmere to the west, or even add a leg into the Fairfield Horseshoe.

The snow-capped mountain of St Sunday Crag in the Lake District, viewed from Striding Edge, with low cloud hanging around the summits and the winter sun breaking through — A dramatic, snowy St Sunday Crag

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Hi, I’m Ant…

I offer guided adventures and walkshops, for individuals and teams, to get people out of the office, and into the outdoors, giving you the time, space and inspiration to spark extraordinary thinking in extraordinary landscapes.