North Pennines
Helms Knott
303M
994FT
About Helms Knott
Rising above the village of Dent, this modest limestone-capped outcrop offers a distinct character despite its low elevation. It serves as a scenic stepping stone to the bulk of Rise Hill, providing intimate, low-level views across the valley of Dentdale toward the massive slopes of Great Coum and Crag Hill.
Key Statistics
Rank
274th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Yorkshire Dales
Prominence
?
Data coming soon
Nearest Town
Westmorland and Furness
Geology
You are walking on layers of hardened silt and mudstone. These were pierced by a fine-grained volcanic rock that pushed into the surrounding stone.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SD683895
Latitude
54.3800°N
Longitude
2.4700°W
Did You Know?
- •The name combines the Old Norse knūtr, meaning a craggy hill or rocky outcrop, with helm, which in northern dialects often describes a 'cap' of cloud or a helmet-like shape that sits over the summit.
- •Its position provides an excellent perspective on the Dent Fault, the geological boundary where the limestone of the Dales meets the much older Silurian rocks of the Howgill Fells, visible to the northwest.
- •Walkers often reach the summit via the historic track through Flinter Gill, an old drovers' route out of Dent that passes the remains of a 19th-century hydraulic ram once used to pump water to the high farms.
- •At 303 metres high, the summit sits just six feet short of the 1,000-foot mark, a geographical oversight that proves particularly galling for walkers who prefer their hills in four figures.