Shipman Knotts

Shipman Knotts is a fell in the English Lake District, standing 587 metres high in a quiet part of Cumbria, two kilometres north-east of Kentmere village. It is not one of the most famous fells but has its own chapter in Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Wainwright wrote about its “characteristic roughness” with rocky outcrops covering its steep slopes. The fell is actually the southern shoulder of Kentmere Pike but is treated as a separate top. Its rugged terrain makes it a distinctive feature in the landscape. The fell lies on a ridge that runs north to Goat Scar, marked by a dry-stone wall that sometimes strays from the watershed. The eastern face above Longsleddale is steep, featuring Rough Crags and Goat Scar itself. The western side is rough but gentler after the first climb out of Kentmere. Mixed woodland appears on both sides of the fell. South of Shipman Knotts, a broad upland area stretches between Kentmere and Longsleddale for eight kilometres to Burneside. The summit has three rocky hummocks, with the middle one being the highest point. It offers a view of Longsleddale, though nearby higher fells partly block the outlook. The fell can be reached from Kentmere village by following a track west towards Longsleddale valley. The climb passes a 350-metre-high pass before following the dry-stone wall north to the top. Shipman Knotts is also part of longer walks like the Kentmere horseshoe, a 19-kilometre route with 1,100 metres of ascent.