St Sunday and Fairfield
1
NY337085 The most convenient start is the large lay-by on the west side of A591 at the north edge of Grasmere. Continue up A591’s footpath towards Dunmail Raise, then take the tarred driveway with the footpath signpost towards Winterseeds. Keep ahead between the houses into a field above. A faint grass track heads to right, through a gate, then up the left edge of a field to another gate. Now leave the track and head up to left of a wall to a kissing gate at the top of the field.
2
NY340090 Turn left above the field wall on a path between wide-spaced walls, with fine views across to Helm Crag. After a sheep pen, drop left to the confluence of Tongue Gill and Little Tongue Gill. Turn up the path running to right of Tongue Gill to Grisedale Hause, the pass between Seat Sandal and Fairfield, with Grisedale Tarn down ahead. The path drops towards the tarn, bending right down to the tarn side.
3
NY351121 As you approach the outflow, bear right across flat ground away from the tarn. You can see a path starting 200m ahead where it runs gently uphill across the steeper ground. After about 750m the path bends directly uphill, rough and rather steep to the ridgeline at Deepdale Hause. Turn left, following the gently rising but steep-sided ridgeline to the summit of St Sunday Crag.
4
NY369134 Return down the ridgeline south-west, and keep ahead along the narrow ridgeline of
Deepdale Hause. The path zigzags up through broken ground, with a direct line up the crest offering occasional scrambling moves. The narrow crest above is the top of Cofa Pike. The ridge dips to a second summit, decorated with boulders and a saddle.
5
NY358119 The ridge rises in a rocky step of slabby rock with some scree on it. In the dry, take this rocky step direct; from its top a clear path leads up south to the various cairns on Fairfield summit. In the wet, instead take a path on the right, which slants up below the rocks then contours to join the cairned path rising up Fairfield’s west spur.
6
NY358117 Descend south, soon finding the wide path and the beginning of the well-defined south spur. Descend quite steeply, then along level ridge for the short rise to Great Rigg. Continue briefly south, with steep drops on the left. Above a slight
levelling, take the right-hand path fork.
7
NY355102 The path bends down right, wide and with cairns down the wide ridgeline southwest. As the ridge narrows and steepens slightly the path gets fainter, weaving among small outcrops down to the very small rise that’s Stone Arthur’s unmarked summit.
8
NY347092 Below this point the grounds steepens ahead. The path bends down left, south, following a peaty spurline. As the spur narrows and steepens, the path turns back to the right, slanting downhill past a solo tree and across a small stream. With a broken wall above it, it bends down to the top of a wood of fir trees. Head down to left of the wood to a gate beside Greenhead Gill. A rough track runs down to a lane at the back of the Swan Inn. Turn right for the parking area beside the A591, or left for Grasmere village.