Knott

Knott is a grassy fell in the northern Lake District, the highest point of the Back o’Skiddaw group. It lies behind Skiddaw and Blencathra, two of the best-known Northern Fells, and is separated from them by Skiddaw Forest. The fell forms a long whale-backed ridge running east–west for about five kilometres. Its slopes are mostly smooth and gentle, though deep ravines cut into the flanks. The western end is Burn Tod, while the eastern end is Coomb Height, where old mine workings stand near Grainsgill Beck. Knott is one of the least visited tops in the Lake District. Its remoteness and the way it is hidden behind higher fells keep walkers away. The fell is usually climbed from Mungrisdale or via Great Sca Fell to the north. Alfred Wainwright once remarked that its summit turf would be the envy of many county grounds, and a small cairn marks the top. The view south is narrow, framed by Skiddaw and Blencathra, but shows Thirlmere and the Scafells beyond. Paths on Knott are faint and intermittent, making navigation across the grassy ridge a quiet challenge. To the north the fell drops toward the Solway Firth and the hills of south-west Scotland. Coomb Height, at the eastern end, holds the remains of Carrock Fell Mine, once Britain’s only tungsten mine outside Cornwall. The mine operated between 1850 and 1982, and its workings follow the Harding vein beneath Knott’s slopes.