Kisdon

About Kisdon

Standing as a limestone-capped island between the villages of Muker and Keld, this isolated fell splits the upper reaches of Swaledale. Its steep, green flanks rise sharply from the river, offering a manageable but rewarding climb to a summit that provides an exceptional vantage point over the famous hay meadows below.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Kisdon is derived from Old Norse, likely Kýs-dunn, meaning 'Cattle Hill.' This reflects its historical use as high-quality grazing land, a tradition that continues today with the hardy Swaledale sheep that roam its slopes.
• •The hill is almost entirely encircled by water. The River Swale flows around its western and northern sides, while Skeb Skeugh and Straw Beck hem it in to the south, making the fell feel like a massive inland island within the valley.
• •The historic 'Corpse Way' runs along the lower eastern slopes. Before a graveyard was established at Keld, families from the upper valley had to carry their dead in wicker coffins along this path to the consecrated ground at St Andrew’s Church in Muker.
• •From the summit trig pillar, the view offers a unique perspective of the valley's 'V' shape, with clear sights across to the dark, peat-covered slopes of Rogan's Seat and the massive bulk of Great Shunner Fell to the west.
• •While its height of 498 metres might not intimidate the seasoned mountaineer, the unrelenting steepness of the initial climb from the river suggests the Norsemen who named it 'Cattle Hill' had significantly fitter cows than we do today.