Great Dun Fell
| Great Dun Fell | |||
| Westmorland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The radar station and summit of Great Dun Fell | |||
| Range: | Pennines | ||
| Summit: | 2,782 feet NY710321 54°40’59"N, 2°27’5"W | ||
Great Dun Fell in Westmorland climbs to a summit at 2,782 feet above sea level, whichj makes it is the second-highest mountain in the Pennines, standing two miles south along the watershed from Cross Fell, its higher neighbour. Together with its smaller twin, Little Dun Fell, which reaches 2,762 feet,[1] it forms a stepping-stone for the Pennine Way on its long climb up from Dufton.
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 this section of Great Britain. A radome containing Primary Surveillance radar (PSR) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) antennae, various towers and fencing crown the summit. Alfred Wainwright abhorred the old radio station (removed in the 1980s) in his book Pennine Way Companion.
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 horse-riders.
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.[2]
Hushing
There are the remains of hushing gulleys on the slopes of the mountain, created during lead mining of the Industrial Revolution.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Great Dun Fell) |
References
- ↑ "Little Dun Fell". Hill Bagging. http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/mountaindetails.php?rf=2709. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ↑ "Great Dun Fell Field Station". University of Manchester Centre for Atmospheric Science. http://www.cas.manchester.ac.uk/restools/fieldstations/greatdunfell/.