The Great Dun Fell

Great Dun Fell climbs from Knock on the Eden Valley side of the North Pennines towards the radar station high above. The selected route is about 7.3 kilometres long, gaining roughly 630 metres and making the change from village country to exposed fell unmistakable. The lower road gives some opportunity to settle before steeper stretches become a larger part of the work. Higher up, the narrow road winds across the hillside with the radar dome providing a clear destination when visibility allows.

The gradient changes repeatedly, with easier passages offering only partial relief before the harder upper slopes resume. The increasing exposure adds to the sense of leaving the valley behind, while the final bends keep the ascent involved almost to its conclusion. The selected finish brings you to the radar-station road high above the starting point in Knock. This is a substantial climb whose landscape matches the scale of its effort.