Stone Arthur
Encyclopedia
Stone Arthur is a fell
in the English
Lake District
, an outlier of the Fairfield
group in the Eastern Fells
. It stands above Grasmere village
.
, but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
and that convention is followed here. His decision was based on it having a summit tor with"a short wall of rock like a ruined castle.". This outcrop is appears particularly impressive from Grasmere village, from where the higher fells are hidden.
From the top of Great Rigg the main ridge ploughs on due south, descending over the tops of Heron Pike
and Nab Scar
and carrying the ever popular Fairfield horseshoe
walk. A second shorter ridge descends steadily to the south west over gradually roughening ground, until after three quarters of a mile a rock outcrop is thrust up. This is Arthur's Chair and the ridge upon which it stands is Stone Arthur. Prominence is negligible, and other than the low outcrop itself, the "summit" is merely the point at which the gradient steepens markedly.
Between Stone Arthur and Heron Pike is the little valley of Greenhead Gill. This bears evidence of former mining activities, beginning at around 600 ft above sea level with a trial. Further up the fellside are the remains of Grasmere Lead Mine. This was operated by the Mines Royal between 1564 and 1573 and there are several levels and shafts around the 1,000 ft contour..
To the north west of Stone Arthur is the valley of Tongue Gill, separating it from the lower slopes of Seat Sandal
. This side of the ridge is craggy with the main features being Brackenwife Knotts and Rigg Crags. Both Tongue and Greenhead Gills are tributaries of the River Rothay
, which passes through Grasmere village to the lake of Grasmere
. The lower slopes have been planted with areas of woodland.
and breccia
of the Pavey Ark Member.
combined with the gradient do not make the prospect particularly alluring. The summit can also be reached from either side of the ridge. Beginning at Mill Bridge, Tongue Gill can be followed until the footbridge, before making a pathless ascent on grass. From Grasmere, Greenhead Gill also provides access, climbing until a contouring traverse to the summit can be made.
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, an outlier of the Fairfield
Fairfield (Lake District)
Fairfield is a fell in the English Lake District. It is the highest of a group of hills in the Eastern Fells, standing to the south of the Helvellyn range.-Topography:...
group in the Eastern Fells
Eastern Fells
The Eastern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Helvellyn they primarily comprise a north south ridge running between Ullswater and Lakeland's Central Valley.-Partition of the Lakeland Fells:...
. It stands above Grasmere village
Grasmere
Grasmere is a village, and popular tourist destination, in the centre of the English Lake District. It takes its name from the adjacent lake, and is associated with the Lake Poets...
.
Topography
Stone Arthur is properly the south western ridge of Great RiggGreat Rigg
Great Rigg is a fell in the English Lake District, it is situated 7 kilometres north northwest of Ambleside and reaches a height of 766 metres . It is most often climbed as part of the Fairfield horseshoe, a 16 km circular walk which starts and finishes in Ambleside...
, but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells of the Lake District in northwest England...
and that convention is followed here. His decision was based on it having a summit tor with"a short wall of rock like a ruined castle.". This outcrop is appears particularly impressive from Grasmere village, from where the higher fells are hidden.
From the top of Great Rigg the main ridge ploughs on due south, descending over the tops of Heron Pike
Heron Pike
Heron Pike is a fell in the English Lake District, two kilometres east of Grasmere. It is part of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells.-Topography:...
and Nab Scar
Nab Scar
Nab Scar is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It stands above Rydal Water.-Topography:...
and carrying the ever popular Fairfield horseshoe
Fairfield horseshoe
Fairfield Horseshoe is a classic circular hillwalking ridge walk route starting from Rydal or Ambleside in the English Lake District that takes in all the fells that surround the valley of the Rydal Beck....
walk. A second shorter ridge descends steadily to the south west over gradually roughening ground, until after three quarters of a mile a rock outcrop is thrust up. This is Arthur's Chair and the ridge upon which it stands is Stone Arthur. Prominence is negligible, and other than the low outcrop itself, the "summit" is merely the point at which the gradient steepens markedly.
Between Stone Arthur and Heron Pike is the little valley of Greenhead Gill. This bears evidence of former mining activities, beginning at around 600 ft above sea level with a trial. Further up the fellside are the remains of Grasmere Lead Mine. This was operated by the Mines Royal between 1564 and 1573 and there are several levels and shafts around the 1,000 ft contour..
To the north west of Stone Arthur is the valley of Tongue Gill, separating it from the lower slopes of Seat Sandal
Seat Sandal
Seat Sandal is a fell in the English Lake District, it is situated four kilometers north of the village of Grasmere from where it is very well seen...
. This side of the ridge is craggy with the main features being Brackenwife Knotts and Rigg Crags. Both Tongue and Greenhead Gills are tributaries of the River Rothay
River Rothay
The Rothay is a spate river of the Lake District in north-west England. Its name comes from Old Norse and translates literally as the red one. This has come to mean trout river. It rises close to Rough Crag above Dunmail Raise at a point about 1542 feet above sea level...
, which passes through Grasmere village to the lake of Grasmere
Grasmere (lake)
Grasmere is one of the smaller lakes of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It gives its name to the village of Grasmere, famously associated with the poet William Wordsworth, which lies immediately to the north of the lake....
. The lower slopes have been planted with areas of woodland.
Geology
The summit tor is an example of the pebbly sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
of the Pavey Ark Member.
Summit and view
The summit of Stone Arthur is difficult to locate exactly amongst the upthrust rocks of Arthur's Chair. The view is excellent, particularly over Grasmere with Easedale Tarn showing across the valley.Ascents
Stone Arthur can be climbed directly up the steep ridge from the village, although the depth of brackenBracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
combined with the gradient do not make the prospect particularly alluring. The summit can also be reached from either side of the ridge. Beginning at Mill Bridge, Tongue Gill can be followed until the footbridge, before making a pathless ascent on grass. From Grasmere, Greenhead Gill also provides access, climbing until a contouring traverse to the summit can be made.