Hard Knott South Top

Rising above the hairpin bends of the famous Hardknott Pass, this minor summit offers a rugged, rock-strewn landscape typical of the Southern Fells. While often overlooked for the main peak, it provides a quiet, heathery vantage point with a dramatic, steep-sided perspective down into the upper reaches of Eskdale.

• •The name derives from the Old Norse words 'harthr' and 'knutr', which combine to mean 'hard, craggy hill'—a fitting description for the fractured igneous rock that litters this terrain.
• •On the lower western slopes lies the spectacularly situated Hardknott Roman Fort (Mediobogdum), built during the reign of Hadrian to guard the strategic mountain pass.
• •The summit provides a clear, unencumbered view south across the Duddon Valley to the distinctive, conical profile of Harter Fell and the distant, shimmering sands of the Duddon Estuary.
• •Being slightly detached from the main Hard Knott summit, this top offers a superior angle for observing the Scafell massif, looking directly into the high wild basin of Great Moss.
• •It serves as an ideal, quiet grandstand for watching the slow, pained progress of motorists attempting the 1-in-3 gradients of the pass below, safely removed from the sound of grinding gears.