Great Dun Fell, Cumbria (12. Summit of Great Dun Fell)

This is the second highest peak in the Pennines at 2,785 feet (or 849 metres) above sea level. The highest peak, Cross Fell, is just 2 miles further north and you should be able to see it in the distance. The views are mainly of wild moorland and other Pennine fells. On a clear day you will also see the Lakeland Fells to the south west. The radar station at the summit of Great Dun Fell is a key part of the national air traffic control system for northern England and southern Scotland. It was built in 1948 and the Civil Aviation Authority continued Gordon Manley’s tradition of taking weather observations. The ‘golf ball’ radome was added in the mid-1980s.The radome is a weatherproof enclosure that protects the radar antenna and conceals the antenna electronic equipment from public view. The Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Manchester also uses the station for research into the behaviour of clouds. The masts and equipment at the summit are vital for air traffic control and telecommunications, as well as weather observations, but their presence is not always appreciated. Alfred Wainwright wrote in his Pennine Way Companion of 1968: “The summit of Great Dun Fell is unique. Happily there is no other so defaced, so debased. A monstrous miscellany of paraphernalia, most conspicuous being four tall masts, disgraces it. Additionally there are wind and sunshine recorders, other grotesque contraptions and several squat buildings of no charm whatsoever. All these, aided and abetted by rusty tins thrown out by the resident staff (nice chaps, actually) make this quite the ugliest of all summits. A cairn and a few sheep are all one expects, or wants to see, on a mountain top.” Directions to stop 13 Walk around the radar station and follow the road back on yourself. About 155 metres south-south-west of the summit and 14 metres below it is a small hollow which was the site of Manley’s hut. Stop when you have found this hollow.