St. Sunday Crag seen from Dollywaggon Pike

St. Sunday Crag

Height841m (2,759ft)

Prominence166m (545ft)

RegionEastern Fells

Climbed4 Times

"The slender soaring lines of St. Sunday Crag and its aloof height and steepness endow this fine mountain with special distinction. It stands on a triangular base and its sides rise with such regularity that all its contours assume the same shape, as does the final summit plateau." — A. Wainwright

Widely celebrated as 'the Ullswater Fell' due to its commanding, majestic presence when viewed from the waters below, St. Sunday Crag forms the absolute high point of the grand northeastern ridge extending from Fairfield. The mountain's distinctive title originates from local dialect; 'Saint Sunday' is a regional translation for Saint Dominic, the patron saint of astronomers, though the exact historical reason for attaching his name to this specific fell has been lost over time.

The true drama of the fell belongs to its northern face, which hosts its most striking mountaineering feature: a half-mile-long, highly symmetrical wall of dark rock. This formidable crag is deeply scarred by a dramatic series of plunging vertical gullies that contrast sharply with the smoother, sweeping lines of the ridge walks above.

Sara at the summit with Fairfield in the distance

The final summit plateau is a pleasant, rocky ridge that slopes gently at each end, featuring two distinct stone cairns anchored at its highest zone. While the first cairn marks the absolute geographical summit, continuing along the high turf to the second cairn at the northern tip reveals a truly world-class, drop-down panoramic view over the full length of Ullswater winding through the valley below.