Aikin Knott

Aikin Knott is a sharp, heathery shoulder on the long western ridge of Whiteside. It offers a more intimate perspective of Crummock Water and the Lorton Vale than the higher peaks, serving as a rewarding objective for those seeking a steep, direct climb from the valley floor.

• •Aikin Knott is classified as a Birkett, standing at 473 metres on the dramatic western flank of Whiteside in the North Western Fells.
• •The name likely originates from the Old Norse word 'eiken', meaning oaken, suggesting these now-bare slopes were once covered in ancient oak woodland.
• •The fell overlooks the village of Lorton, famous for the 'Lorton Yew' which was immortalized in verse by the poet William Wordsworth.
• •The ascent from the Swinside side is notoriously unrelenting, gaining nearly 300 metres of elevation in a very short distance over slippery grass and scree.
• •While the rugged, hard-scrabble slopes might look like the setting for a modern 'Hillbilly Elegy,' the only political posturing you'll find here is a Herdwick sheep refusing to concede the best patch of grass.