Carrock Fell's geology is unique in the Lake District in that it is predominantly composed of gabbro, a rough igneous rock that also makes up the famous Black Cuillin on the Isle of Skye.

The mine was situated in Grainsgill Beck on the south western flanks of the fell with the main adit at a height of 340 metres.

Carrock Fell's other claim to historical fame is that it was climbed by well-known British novelists Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins in 1857 during a tour of northern Cumberland.

Later, Collins and Dickens collaborated on a humorous narrative based in part upon their climb up Carrock Fell, entitled The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices.

Carrock Fell can also be climbed from the road between Mungrisedale and Hesket Newmarket, threading a way through the craggy and bouldery eastern slopes known as "Apronful of Stones".