North Pennines
Castle Knott
538M
1765FT
About Castle Knott
Rising steeply above the town of Sedbergh, this rounded Howgill shoulder offers a classic taste of the range’s velvet-smooth, grassy slopes. Often crossed on the climb toward The Calf, its position provides an intimate perspective of the Rawthey Valley and the rugged profile of the nearby Crook.
Key Statistics
Rank
148th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Yorkshire Dales
Prominence
?
54m
Nearest Town
Sedbergh
Geology
You are walking on the Bannisdale Formation, a foundation made of solid sandstone. This durable rock provides the firm ground beneath your boots.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SD656841
Latitude
54.2514°N
Longitude
2.5295°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old Norse 'knutr', meaning a craggy hill or knot, while 'Castle' refers to its imposing, steep-sided profile when viewed from the streets of Sedbergh below.
- •Alfred Wainwright described the ascent from Sedbergh via Castle Knott as a strenuous but rewarding introduction to the Howgills, famously praising the 'velvet-like' texture of the short-cropped grass that defines these hills.
- •It serves as a key waypoint on the popular horseshoe ridge walk that links the lower summit of Winder to the range's highest point, The Calf.
- •From the summit, the view south is dominated by the deep glacial troughs of Dentdale and Garsdale, with the massive flat-topped profile of Ingleborough clearly visible on the horizon beyond.
- •Despite the name, there are no medieval battlements to be found here; the only local residents likely to offer a challenge are the hardy sheep grazing the exposed slopes.