Great Dun Fell

Great Dun Fell rises 848 metres in the Pennines of Cumbria, two kilometres south of Cross Fell along the watershed. It belongs to the historic county of Westmorland yet lies within today’s Westmorland and Furness authority. The fell shares its high ridge with the 842-metre Little Dun Fell, a twin summit that helps the Pennine Way climb from Dufton. The summit carries a radar station run by National Air Traffic Services, a key control point for air traffic over northern England and southern Scotland. A tarred road was rebuilt to reach the station, making it Britain’s highest road, though it is private above Knock village. The road is open as a bridleway until just below the radar, allowing walkers, cyclists and riders to reach the top. A new radome is being installed in 2025 to replace the old one. The fell also hosted a meteorological observatory run by the University of Manchester for cloud and pollution studies. Old lead mines scar the slopes, with hushing gullies still visible on the eastern flank. Silverband Mine on the west side once produced galena, later barytes, and finally closed in 1966 after expansions by Laporte Chemical. An aerial ropeway once carried ore down to Milburn Grange and is now a scheduled monument. The fell’s climate is cool and often cloudy, with summers rarely above 10 °C and winters moderated by oceanic winds.