Warrendale Knotts

Rising steeply above the market town of Settle, this limestone-capped summit offers a dramatic introduction to the Dales' karst landscape. Characterised by its craggy scars and tiered grassy terraces, the hill provides a bird’s-eye view of the Ribble Valley and the imposing western face of nearby Pen-y-ghent.

• •The name 'Knotts' stems from the Old Norse knútr, meaning a crag or rocky hill, while 'Warrendale' refers to the historical presence of rabbit warrens on these lower limestone slopes.
• •The hill forms part of the spectacular Attermire Scar complex, where the underlying limestone has been weathered into a series of distinctive natural terraces and scree slopes.
• •Directly below the summit ridge lies Victoria Cave, discovered in 1838; it yielded incredible finds including 130,000-year-old bones of hippopotamuses and hyenas, alongside Roman coins and pottery.
• •Looking west from the summit, the view is dominated by the long, grey spine of Giggleswick Scar, which clearly marks the line of the South Craven Fault.
• •The ascent from the Settle side is short enough to be tempting, yet vertical enough to make a walker reconsider their fitness levels before they have even cleared the town's orbit.