Lake District
Swineside Knott
553M
1814FT
About Swineside Knott
Rising above the Glencoyne valley near Glenridding, this modest grassy shoulder provides a quieter alternative to the busy Helvellyn range. Often overlooked by those bagging the higher Dodds, it offers an intimate vantage point over Ullswater and the rugged profile of Place Fell across the water.
Key Statistics
Rank
320th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Eastern Fells
Prominence
?
15m
Nearest Town
Dockray
Geology
Swineside Knott is built from the Birker Fell Andesite Formation, a durable layer of volcanic lava that once flowed across this wild landscape.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY379197
Latitude
54.5689°N
Longitude
2.9619°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely stems from the Old Norse 'Svin-side', indicating a hillside where pigs were once pastured. The 'Knott' suffix is a characteristically Cumbrian term for a rocky or craggy outcrop, also rooted in the Norse word 'knutr'.
- •Though often ignored in favour of the 800-metre giants nearby, this fell is a recorded Birkett. Bill Birkett championed such hills for their unique perspectives, and this spot offers an unrivalled look at the industrial archaeology of the Glencoyne valley below.
- •The summit provides a direct line of sight down the length of Ullswater, with the distinctive twin peaks of The Nab and Rest Dodd clearly visible across the water in the Far Eastern Fells.
- •Its eastern slopes drop steeply into the Glencoyne valley, the site of historic lead mines and the woods where Dorothy Wordsworth first spotted the daffodils that inspired her brother William’s most famous poem.
- •Despite the name, you are significantly more likely to find yourself outnumbered by Herdwick sheep than pigs; the local swine haven't been seen tending these particular slopes for centuries.