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Name:Great Whernside
Hill number:2781
Height:704m / 2310ft
RHB Section:35B: The Central Pennines
Nuttall/Wainwright area:Yorkshire Dales - Southern Fells
County/UA:North Yorkshire
Catchment:Ouse (York), Catchment Boundaries, Wharfe
Class:Marilyn, Hump, Simm, Hewitt, Nuttall,
Buxton & Lewis, Bridge, Clem
(Ma,Hu,Tu,Sim,Hew,N,BL,Bg,Cm)
Grid ref:SE 00205 73912
Summit feature:very large cairn
Drop:288m
Col:416.4m  SD 7894 8319  
OS map sheet(s):(1:50k) 98
(1:25k) OL30S
Observations:rock 3m S is highest visible ground but higher ground may lie under cairn; trig point (SE 00201 73905) and rock 4m E are lower
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GPS data:show GPS entries for this hill

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N.B. Some hill summits are on private property or on land where there is no public right of way.  Permission should be sought from the landowner where access to a hill summit is through private land.
Please report via the contact page any logs you see below which describe or encourage acts of trespass.  Please quote the hill number and hill name.

Logged Descriptions  (logged by 794 users, only the latest 50 shown - Show all)ByDate of Ascent
Parked just past the cattle grid and went straight up and down in truly awful conditions! Lots of deep snow, mist and windy. Was great to be out though!Nicky C13/02/2024
Parked at Tor Dike, and walked up to Buckden Pike. Then back down, over the road and up to Great Whernside.simocity13/09/2023
Circular walk - from the excellent YHA Kettlewell - via Hag Dyke to Great Whernside (for my last English Hewitt) and Little Whernside with return via Tor Mere Top and Top Mere Road.RobB18/07/2023
3rd of 6 hills on a 33km circular from Middlesmoor. From Meugher, passed between two gills then followed boundary to Stone Head Crags where i had a break. Easy from there to top. Continuation on ridge heading for Little Whernside...Dazingdale28/05/2023
Tor Mere Top, Great Whernsidekeithouk14/05/2023
Great Whernside and Buckden Pike from Kettlewell. Up by Hag Dyke to the trig at the top of Great Whernside, then north along the ridge, turning left along the Bridleway from Scar House and following it to the Coverdale / Kettlewell road at the top of the pass. Straight across and up the track by the fence to the ridge wall and then in a short distance to Tor Mere Top. Turned NW and followed the often boggy track by the wall to the Polish War Memorial and along the flagstones to Buckden Pike's trig and summit cairn. Down the track to Buckden and back along the Dales Way to Kettlewell. 27km with 800m ascent, taking me 7 hours.silverwolf_alan07/05/2023
Christmas Eve walk. Revisit. Unfortunately in the cloud when I reached the trig but have enjoyed the views previously. /Dmeltdiceburg24/12/2022
Dales 30 number 29. With Tony & JohnLANGDALE17/10/2022
Climbed up from Kettlewell via Hag Dyke, walked along ridge to north and came back down to the road. Walked back to Kettle well along green lane. Easy to navigate on this beautiful day. Accompanied by MCW. I first climbed this in 1975 on my first Youth hosteling trip.Woolly Hattie17/09/2022
Really hot day. Did Great Whernside + Buckden Pike from Kettlewell.andrewr28213/08/2022
Second time of hiking this one. Hiked to wild camp at the top. It was damp and windy so we took shelter by a wall, thankfully we were able to keep the views of angramNCurtis04/08/2022
Took easy route from top road whilst up with gold DofE group. Did some geocaching near the top. Great views S and Wrobphys05/07/2022
From Kettlewell: Buckden Pike, Tor Mere Top and Great Whernside. Blustery cool June day, but the thunderstorms that were forecast didn't materialise.Lazylizzie25/06/2022
Scar House reservoir, crossed the dam and followed track past ruined village of Lodge and onto ancient footpath that contours below Little Whernside to the coll at SE012768, then up ridge and round to summit. Back same way to coll and then over Little Whernside and Dead Man's Hill.Flatfield09/05/2022
Great and Little Whernside from Kettlewell, good walk but a bit boggy around the top of Little Whernside. Parking easy in the main car park of Kettlewell.JazDisney07/05/2022
Galltywenallt05/05/2022
With the Explorer Scouts, up from Kettlewell on the south side of Dowber Gill, north along the ridge, back along the bridleway to the top of Park Rash and then down from Tor Mere Top. Rather misty on the summit. 16.5km with 620m ascent in 5h 45m.silveracorn_alan23/01/2022
Trig point not reached due to snow/boggy groundCessarine02/12/2021
Visited Dead Man's Hill, Little Whernside and Great Whernside during the fourth day of our circular walk around the Yorkshire Dales National Park from Braidley to Kettlewell. A stunning day, with superb visibility extending from the North York Moors to the Lake District. With Annette, Christine, Geoff and Steve. 17km with 630m ascent in 6 hours.silveracorn_alan04/11/2021
Circular from Kettlewell, Great Whernside-Tor Mere Top-Busckden Pike, Buckden, Dales Way back to Kettlewell.Dan Baddeley18/09/2021
Great Whernside and Buckden Pike from road pass in between.Topographer5731/08/2021
19 miles 3483ft walk. Start at Kettlewell, to Great Whernside, Little Whernside, Dead Mans Hill, Scar House Reservoir and Angram Reservoir, back over Great Whernside to Kettlewell.stephenbuda20/08/2021
HardenC30/07/2021
From kettlewell and back via top mere. Slight boggy section just after the scout hut.Chriseast111/07/2021
Solo from road to the north. Good weather. Very enjoyable walk with a lot of wildlife about.mike.hoult17/06/2021
Circular hike from Scar House taking in Little Whernside and topping on Great Whernside. Used the opportunity to practice some micro navigation finding the actual source of The Nidd and other physical features. Also found the wreck of a Wellington Bomber that crash landed in September 1942 on a night nav exercise. Nature notes: lots seen today but the curlew and lapwing were abundant and in fine voice.higlett05/06/2021
Great Whernside, Buckden pike and Birks FellRuth10/04/2021
A high level traverse of the Top of Nidderdale from Scar House Reservoir, visiting Great Haw, Dead Man's Hill, Little Whernside and Great Whernside. Return direct down to Angram Reservoir. A clear sunny day to the east, but low cloud to the west. Splendid remote lockdown hike! 25km with 720m ascent in 6h45m. (S)silveracorn_alan20/03/2021
With Chris. Up Great Whernside from Kettlewell via Hagg Dyke, north along the ridge, descending to the top of Park Rash, then directly up to Tor Mere Top and along the ridge to the summit of Buckden Pike, then descent above Cray to Buckden. Back along the Dales Way to Kettlewell. A very snowy walk with deep drifts and a heavy snowstorm en route. 22.9km with 820m ascent in 7h50m.silveracorn_alan02/01/2021
Cold November ascent from KettlewellRockdoctor22/11/2020
Second half of the day's outing. Continued from car and did a circular route to take in both Great and Little Whernsidejustin99905/10/2020
A detour off Lady Anne's WayPhilipChaston31/08/2020
From the cattle grid. Had intended to extend the walk but poor weather arriving. My final English Marilyn.NormanW19/08/2020
Started from the high point on the Cam Gill Road and wandered up to Hem Gill Shaw. The ridge was then traversed to Sweet Hill before dropping down to look at a crashed bomber site. Then back by way of Hag Dyke to the car.3 kinnears06/07/2020
From Kettlewell solo gale force winds and no view leaving Buckden pike for another daycolinfielding11/06/2020
Walked from Kettlewell to summit of Great Whernside via Hag Dyke and back down Cam HeadCarlJones06/06/2020
Parked at the top of Park Rash (SD 985 757). Followed bridleway to ridge, then north along field boundary to Little Whernside, back along ridge to Great Whernside, back down to car at Park Rash. Headed off along track to old mine then out across tough country to Brown Haw. 25km with 600m ascent in 7hours. (S)silveracorn_alan20/05/2020
Ascent from Lofthouse via Thrope Plantation, Lofthouse Moor, and Brown Ridge. Ascent of Great Haw via Woogill Moor. On to Dead Man’s Hill, via Carle Fell, and Little Whernside, Whernside, and Great Whernside. Follow parish boundary along Riggs Moor to Sandy gate. Descent via Straight Stean Beck, and along track in How Stean Beck to Armathwaite. On to Middlesmoor and back to Lofthouse.raymooremanx08/02/2020
MC JC O. Climbed from high point on minor road to Kettlewell. Lowering cloud and thick mist on top. Very wet lower slopes.Martin6601/01/2020
Ascended from Kettlewell via Hag Dykedanielmudd198229/12/2019
Good off-road parking at SD 9862 7572. Little Whernside first, then doubled back to here. Several Elmslies also bagged.jonglew25/11/2019
Nutall route on a gloriously sunny day off workMark Sims20/09/2019
Nuttalls route. Heavy rain and strong winds meant I didn't really enjoy this one!Gary Heath18/08/2019
From kettlewell - never did find the jacket I lost somewhere on the way upNeilb13/08/2019
From KettlewellPaulGibbons29/06/2019
From Kettle well and then onto Buckden Pike. Down to Buckden and four miles of road back to Kettlewell. Hottest day of the year and the day of the Wharfedale 3Peaks. Swimming against the tide.Longwojo29/06/2019
the first of 2 nuttalls today great whernside and buckden pike from the cattle gris at SD 98460 76349nice walk up to the summit back down to the van for a brew before heading off to buckden pike which was a bog fest all the way to the cross for the polish plain crash for the warDarren-44315/06/2019
From Grassington, via Providence Pot, then Hags Farm, return via Cam HeadMrChris198028/05/2019
Parked in Pateley Bridge and followed Nidderdale Way to Nabs. Bivvied overnight on Wig Stones then this was fourth of eight hills after Moss Drive and Meugher. Walk from Meugher to Sandy Gates and then onwards was hard work.Wheelsy25/05/2019
With JW, MS and CS (previously CB). From car park, up Little Whernside and Great Whernside. Nice weather!robertgn18/05/2019