Knowe Crags [Blease Fell]

About Knowe Crags [Blease Fell]

Standing at the western terminus of the Blencathra massif, this broad, grassy summit offers a spectacular vantage point over the Vale of Keswick. Accessible via a steep but rewarding zigzag path from Threlkeld, it serves as the gateway to the mountain’s high ridge, looking directly across the Glenderaterra valley toward the Skiddaw forest.

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Did You Know?

• •The name 'Knowe' is a Northern dialect variation of the Old English 'cnoll', meaning a rounded hill or hillock, while 'Crags' refers to the broken, rocky ground that drops steeply away from the summit's southern edge.
• •Although part of the wider Blencathra ridge, this point is distinguished as a summit in its own right by both Bill Birkett and Tim Synge. Alfred Wainwright specifically recommended the view from this western end for the way it reveals the rhythmic, parallel spurs of Blencathra's southern face.
• •The ascent from Threlkeld via the Blease Fell zigzags is a popular choice for walkers seeking a direct but non-technical route to the high ridge, offering an airy perspective of the Glenderaterra Beck far below.
• •Looking west from the summit, the view is dominated by the massive bulk of Lonscale Fell and the high, often cloud-topped plateau of Skiddaw, separated from Knowe Crags by the deep trench of the Mungrisdale and Threlkeld common land.
• •It is perhaps the only place in the Northern Fells where you can enjoy such dramatic mountain architecture while standing on terrain that feels as safe and cushioned as a suburban lawn.