Great Dun Fell

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Great Dun Fell
Photo shows a large white golfball-style radar dome, with two smaller radar domes and a number of other antenna; all set against a dramatic cloudy sky.
The radar station on the summit
Highest point
Elevation848 m (2,782 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Prominence76 m (249 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Parent peakCross Fell
ListingHewitt, Nuttall
Coordinates54°40′59″N 2°27′05″W / 54.6831°N 2.4513°W / 54.6831; -2.4513
Geography
Map of England, showing the location of Great Dun Fell within Cumbria
Map of England, showing the location of Great Dun Fell within Cumbria
Location of Great Dun Fell within England
CountryUnited Kingdom
CountyCumbria
Parent rangeNorth Pennines
OS gridNY710321
Topo mapOS Landranger 91

At a height of 848 metres (2,782 ft), Great Dun Fell is the second-highest mountain in England's Pennines, lying two miles (3.2 km) south along the watershed from Cross Fell, its higher neighbour. Together with its smaller twin, Little Dun Fell, which reaches 842 m (2,762 ft),[1] it forms a stepping-stone for the Pennine Way on its long climb up from Dufton. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Westmorland and the modern county of Cumbria.

Radar station[]

At the summit there is a radar station which is operated by National Air Traffic Services and is a key part of the Air Traffic Control system for Northern England and Southern Scotland. A radome containing Primary Surveillance radar (PSR) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) antennas, various towers and fencing crown the summit. Alfred Wainwright abhorred the old radio station (removed in the 1980s) in his book Pennine Way Companion.[citation needed]

The construction of the radar station led to the repaving of a tarred road to the summit, which became Britain's highest road. This road is marked as private from just above the village of Knock, and is not open to public motor vehicles. However, it is a bridleway until shortly before the radar station, so it is open to walkers, cyclists and horseriders.[2]

Great Dun Fell Field Station[]

The University of Manchester formerly had a permanent meteorological observatory at the Great Dun Fell site. It has hosted a number of field experiments doing research into clouds and their interactions with pollution. As the summit is in cloud for two thirds of the year it is an ideal location for this type of research. The university still has the option to use the site for short-term measurement periods.[3]

Hushing[]

There are the remains of hushing gulleys on the slopes of the mountain, created during lead mining of the industrial revolution.

Climate[]

Great Dun Fell is a tundra climate, with a July mean just below 10 °C (50 °F). Winters are extremely mild for a tundra climate, with daytime temperatures most often staying above freezing. The Met Office station publishes only temperature and frost averages. Considering Great Dun Fell's climate status, the fact that night-time lows average 1.7 °C (35.1 °F)[4] over the course of the year is rather remarkable and a testament to the influence of the waters surrounding the British Isles, which keep summit temperatures relatively low even in summer.

hideClimate data for Great Dun Fell 847m asl, 1981–2010 (Record highs and lows 2000-present, mean max and mins 2000-2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.3
(59.5) 		12.1
(53.8) 		14.7
(58.5) 		18.0
(64.4) 		22.0
(71.6) 		21.6
(70.9) 		27.2
(81.0) 		29.7
(85.5) 		20.3
(68.5) 		18.7
(65.7) 		17.2
(63.0) 		14.3
(57.7) 		29.7
(85.5)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 7.6
(45.7) 		8.0
(46.4) 		9.8
(49.6) 		12.7
(54.9) 		15.8
(60.4) 		18.2
(64.8) 		19.9
(67.8) 		17.6
(63.7) 		15.5
(59.9) 		12.5
(54.5) 		10.2
(50.4) 		8.0
(46.4) 		22.0
(71.6)
Average high °C (°F) 1.5
(34.7) 		0.8
(33.4) 		2.2
(36.0) 		4.2
(39.6) 		7.9
(46.2) 		10.5
(50.9) 		12.4
(54.3) 		12.1
(53.8) 		9.7
(49.5) 		6.6
(43.9) 		3.8
(38.8) 		1.9
(35.4) 		6.2
(43.2)
Average low °C (°F) −2.6
(27.3) 		−2.9
(26.8) 		−1.9
(28.6) 		−0.4
(31.3) 		2.3
(36.1) 		5.1
(41.2) 		7.3
(45.1) 		7.3
(45.1) 		5.2
(41.4) 		2.6
(36.7) 		−0.1
(31.8) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		1.7
(35.1)
Mean minimum °C (°F) −6.7
(19.9) 		−7.0
(19.4) 		−6.0
(21.2) 		−3.6
(25.5) 		−1.7
(28.9) 		1.6
(34.9) 		3.9
(39.0) 		3.9
(39.0) 		1.6
(34.9) 		−1.3
(29.7) 		−4.5
(23.9) 		−6.0
(21.2) 		−8.5
(16.7)
Record low °C (°F) −12.5
(9.5) 		−11.3
(11.7) 		−9.0
(15.8) 		−8.2
(17.2) 		−5.6
(21.9) 		−1.1
(30.0) 		1.3
(34.3) 		0.0
(32.0) 		−1.2
(29.8) 		−5.7
(21.7) 		−9.9
(14.2) 		−10.4
(13.3) 		−12.5
(9.5)
Source 1: Met Office[5]
Source 2: Meteomanz[6]

References[]

  1. ^ "Little Dun Fell". Hill Bagging. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. ^ Ainsley, Rob (2008). 50 Quirky Bike Rides. Eye Books. p. 187. ISBN 9781903070550. Archived from the original on 25 March 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Great Dun Fell Field Station". University of Manchester Centre for Atmospheric Science. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Great Dun Fell 2 climate". Met Office. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Great Dun Fell 2 climate". Met Office. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  6. ^ http://www.meteomanz.com/sy4?l=1&cou=6040&ind=03227&y1=2000&y2=2020

External links[]


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