Piked Howes

Rising from the eastern flanks of the Kentmere valley, this rocky outcrop serves as a rugged companion to the higher Shipman Knotts. It offers a grounded perspective of the Far Eastern Fells, with particularly clear views across the deep trench of Longsleddale and the steep, scree-covered slopes of the Ill Bell ridge.

• •The name combines the Old English 'piked', describing a pointed or sharp-topped hill, with the Old Norse 'haugr' (howe), meaning a mound or hillock.
• •It is classified as a Synge, a list compiled by Tim Synge in 1995 to identify every distinct Lakeland summit with a minimum of 15 metres of prominence.
• •From the summit, walkers can look directly across the valley to see the 'three steps' of the Kentmere Horseshoe: the distinctive profiles of Yoke, Ill Bell, and Froswick.
• •Despite being over 400 metres high, it is often treated as a mere waypoint on the descent from Shipman Knotts towards the village of Kentmere.
• •It provides a rare sense of solitude compared to the busier summits nearby, as many walkers on the main horseshoe path bypass the actual high point of the howes entirely.