Mungrisdale Common facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mungrisdale Common |
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Seen from Atkinson Pike on Blencathra, 1.5 km to the SE with Great Calva in the background.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 633 m (2,077 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 2 m |
| Parent peak | Atkinson Pike |
| Listing | Wainwright |
| Geography | |
 Mungrisdale Common
Location in Lake District
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| Location | Cumbria, England |
| Parent range | Lake District, Northern Fells |
| OS grid | NY312292 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 90, Explorer OL4, OL5 |
Mungrisdale Common, pronounced mun-grize-dl, is a special kind of hill called a fell in the English Lake District. A famous writer named Alfred Wainwright included it in his guide to the Lakeland Fells. However, he didn't like it much! He even said it looked "like a pudding that has been sat on." Some people think he only put it in his book to fill space. The name "Mungrisdale Common" is a bit confusing because the fell is actually quite far from the village of Mungrisdale.
Contents
What is Mungrisdale Common Like?
Mungrisdale Common is located north of a larger fell called Blencathra. It's like a smaller hill that branches off from Blencathra. The slopes are gentle and covered in grass. From the top of Blencathra, the land slopes down and then rises just a tiny bit to form Mungrisdale Common. The highest point of Mungrisdale Common is only about 6 feet higher than the land around it.
After the small flat top, the land slopes down towards an area called Skiddaw Forest. This "forest" is actually a marshy, open area with very few trees. It's about 400 meters (1,300 feet) high and surrounded by taller fells.
Waterways and Boundaries
Three streams flow out of Skiddaw Forest, dividing the Northern Fells into different parts. Dash Beck flows northwest, the River Caldew flows northeast, and the Glenderaterra Beck flows south.
The Glenderaterra Beck is to the west of Mungrisdale Common. A stream called Roughten Gill forms the southern edge of the fell. Another stream, Sinen Gill, has a beautiful waterfall which is one of the most interesting things to see on the fell. To the north is the River Caldew, and across it is Great Calva.
Mungrisdale Common sits on an important boundary line for water, called a watershed. Rain that falls on the southern side of the fell flows towards the sea at Workington. Water that falls on the northern side flows towards the Solway Firth near Carlisle.
Markers and Cairns
At the very top of Mungrisdale Common, there's a very small pile of stones called a cairn. This cairn was built after Alfred Wainwright wrote about the fell, encouraging people to visit it. There are also two older, larger cairns on the fell. One is to the west of the summit, and another is between Sinen Gill and Roughten Gill. You can also find a small stone pillar and a "Cloven Stone" which were used as boundary markers in the past.
What are the Rocks Like?
The rocks under Mungrisdale Common are mostly from a very old time period called the Ordovician age. They are part of something called the Kirk Stile Formation. These rocks are made up of layers of mudstone and siltstone, with some greywacke sandstone mixed in. What's unusual here is that on top of these rocks, there are thick layers of peat. Peat is a type of soil made from decayed plants, often found in wet, boggy areas.
In the 1800s, people tried to mine for lead and copper in the Glenderaterra valley nearby. These mines were called Glenderaterra Mine (later Brundholme Mine) and Blencathra Mine. However, they didn't find enough valuable minerals to make a profit, so they were eventually closed down.
The View from the Top
Alfred Wainwright wasn't just unhappy with how Mungrisdale Common looked; he also didn't like the summit itself! He said it was hard to find the highest point because it was covered in "a thousand tufts of tough bent and cotton-grass." He also complained that the top was always wet and uncomfortable to sit on.
Despite his complaints, the view from the top is interesting. You can see a surprising gap between Lonscale Fell and Blencathra that reveals distant high fells like Pillar and Crinkle Crags. You can also see the fells that surround Skiddaw Forest.
How to Get There
If you want to climb Mungrisdale Common, Wainwright suggested starting from Keswick or Threlkeld and walking through the Glenderaterra valley. Another way is from Scales or Mungrisdale. Most people who visit Mungrisdale Common do so as part of a longer walk to climb Blencathra, as the path between them is quite gentle.
Fun Fact
Mungrisdale Common is one of only two "Wainwrights" (hills listed in Alfred Wainwright's famous guide) that isn't included in another popular book called Complete Lakeland Fells by Bill Birkett. The other is Castle Crag, which is much smaller.
