Great Rigg
766m (2514ft)
The Eastern Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
You can find Great Rigg & all the walks that climb it on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps: (click/TAP to select)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Maps (the ones with orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (the ones with pink/magenta covers):
See Great Rigg and the surrounding tops on our free-to-access 'Google Style' Peak Bagging Maps:
See Great Rigg and the surrounding tops on our downloadable PDF Peak Bagging Maps:
*Walk & bag all 35 Wainwrights in The Eastern Fells area of The Lake District in just 8 easy-to-follow circular walks.
*This version is marked with the walk routes you need to follow to Walk all 214 Wainwrights in just 59 walks. Click here for more information.
NB: Whether you print off a copy on to paper or download it to your phone, these PDF Peak Baggers Maps will prove incredibly useful when your are up there on the tops and you cannot get a phone signal!
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 7ml (11km) |
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| Ascent: | 2,661ft (811m) |
| Time: | 5.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Grasmere - River Rothay - Grasmere (A591) - Stone Arthur - Great Rigg - Rydal Fell (Heron Pike North Top) - Heron Pike - Butter Crag - Alcock Tarn - Brackenfell - Dove Cottage - Grasmere (A591) - Grasmere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 7.5ml (12km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,116ft (950m) |
| Time: | 6 hrs |
| Grade: | (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Grasmere - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Mill Bridge - Little Tongue - Seat Sandal - Grisedale Tarn - Fairfield - Rydal Head - Great Rigg - Stone Arthur - Grasmere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 9.5ml (15km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,682ft (1,122m) |
| Time: | 7.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Grasmere - Mill Bridge - Little Tongue - Seat Sandal - Grisedale Tarn - Fairfield - Rydal Head - Great Rigg - Rydal Fell (Heron Pike North Top) - Heron Pike - Alcock Tarn - Grasmere
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11ml (17.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,633ft (1,107m) |
| Time: | 7.75hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Ambleside - Rydal - Nab Scar - Heron Pike - Rydal Fell (Heron Pike North Top) - Great Rigg - Fairfield - Rydal Head - Hart Crag - Dove Crag - High Pike (Scandale) - Low Pike (Scandale) - High Sweden Bridge - High Sweden Coppice - Ambleside
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 12.25ml (19.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,984ft (1,214m) |
| Time: | 8½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Ambleside - Rydal - Nab Scar - Heron Pike - Rydal Fell (Heron Pike North Top) - Greenhead Gill Head - Stone Arthur - Great Rigg - Fairfield - Rydal Head - Hart Crag - Dove Crag - High Pike (Scandale) - Low Pike (Scandale) - High Sweden Bridge - High Sweden Coppice - Ambleside
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 12.5ml (20km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,411ft (1,040m) |
| Time: | 8 hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Ambleside - Rydal - Nab Scar - Heron Pike - Rydal Fell (Heron Pike North Top) - Great Rigg - Fairfield - Rydal Head - Hart Crag - Dove Crag - Little Hart Crag - Scandale Pass - Red Screes - Snarker Pike - Ambleside
Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, summited & bagged Great Rigg
Paul Roddam walked up Great Rigg on September 14th, 2024 [from/via/route] From Ambleside [with] Bri and Barber [weather] Wet
John Ramsbottom climbed Great Rigg on August 31st, 2024 [from/via/route] Stone Arthur, Great Rigg, Heron Pike [with] Lola [weather] Changeable, warm at the bottom, windy at the top - Good day with & Lola, went to Watersedge Inn Ambleside, for a quick pint
Kate Peacock bagged Great Rigg on May 18th, 2024 [from/via/route] Helen & Amber walked to this one with me. Anti-clockwise. Great walk. Busy due to events but people were friendly [with] Me & Skye [weather] Sunny with a nice breeze - Sunburnt as the breeze made me think it wasn't as hot
Melfyn Parry hiked Great Rigg on November 21st, 2023 [from/via/route] Followed route C247 - walked out of Ambleside on the A591 & just after Scandale Bridge we crossed the road to follow the lane into the Rydal Hall estate, went passed the cafe & the Hall & then turned right to pass Rydal Mount. Here we veered left to take the stone steps path to the top of Nab Scar, again following a well defined path we were soon on Heron Pike. Continuing along the path with a slight detour to ascend Heron Pike north top. Continuing on to Great Rigg & onwards to Fairfield. We stopped here for lunch & the clouds lifted to give great views over towards Helvellyn & Sunday Crag. After pausing to take some photos we retraced our steps for a few metres before heading left to follow the ridge line to ascend Hart Crag, then Dove Crag & then High Pike. The undulating ridge takes you through some quite boggy areas & on to Low Pike & then down to High Sweden Bridge (a fascinating old bridge). All that was left to do from here was to follow the trail downwards in to Ambleside returning to the village by the Salutation Hotel. [with] DS [weather] Visibility was very good below 800m. By lunchtime the cloud had lifted even more to give clear views of the whole horseshoe. A dry day with sunny intervals, quite cold above 600m but very pleasant below this level. - Doing the walk in a clockwise direction as per C247 is best as the ascent anticlockwise would be much more of a cardio vascular workout.
David Higginbottom summited Great Rigg on February 8th, 2023 [from/via/route] Route 247 [with] Carolyn [weather] Very poor
James Hughes conquered Great Rigg on June 26th, 2023 [from/via/route] Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Great Rigg, Fairfield, Hart Cragg, Dove Cragg, High Pike, Low Pike [with] Solo [weather] Four seasons in a day. Unsettled with showers at times, cold & misty around Fairfield, improved on descent into Ambleside. - Chatted with Andrew from Littleborough. Outraged by parking cost & then toilet fee. Pint at Golden Rule (Robinsons Cumbria Way) at end.
Rob Prikanowski scaled Great Rigg on June 21st, 2023 [from/via/route] c247 [weather] Cloudy but dry, strong wind, top in the mist.
Angeline Grieveson walked up Great Rigg on April 5th, 2023 [with] Dotty
Sarah Moore climbed Great Rigg on December 5th, 2022 [from/via/route] c247 / The Fairfield Horseshoe (from Ambleside) [with] On my own [weather] Beautiful start with a cold edge... turning to icy cold with sleet & minimal visibility between Great Rigg - Fairfield - Hart Crag. - This one scared me. The realisation that if I slipped up at Fairfield then I don't know that I could have waited an hour plus for mountain rescue was very scary. Used the GPS & was proud of myself but major "eeek"
Martin Hartshorne bagged Great Rigg on September 12th, 2022 [with] finley [weather] Low cloud then sunshine to finish
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More Photographs & Pictures of views from, on or of Great Rigg
Helm Crag, Seat Sandal, Grisedale Hause, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Stone Arthur, Heron Crag, Nab Scar, Loughrigg and Grasmere above The Pass of Dunmail Raise from the top of High Raven Crag
Rydal Head with Fairfield (left) and Hart Crag (right) from Great Rigg
Grisedale Hause, Dollywaggon Pike (centre), Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn and Striding Edge (far right) from Great Rigg
Lake Windermere, Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Heron Pike (North Top) and Great Rigg (far right) from the summit of Low Pike (Scandale)
Dunmail Raise and Grasmere Village in the valley with Helvellyn (left), Fairfield (centre) and Seat Scandal, Great Rigg and Heron Pike beyond from Lang How
Heron Pike, Heron Pike (North Top), Great Rigg, Rydal Head and Fairfield from Hart Crag
*The Coniston Fells, The Langdale Pikes, High Raise, The Helvellyn Ridge, Fairfield, Seat Sandal, Great Rigg, Heron Pike and finally Loughrigg Fell from Lang How
. . . see all 26 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on or of Great Rigg
Send us your photographs and pictures on, of, or from Great Rigg
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