The steep slopes of Knott Rigg rising above the pass at Newlands Hause

Knott Rigg

Height556m (1,824ft)

Prominence52m (171ft)

RegionNorth Western Fells

Climbed2 Times

Knott Rigg stands at the head of the Newlands Valley, deriving its name from Old English roots to mean "hill on a knobbly ridge". Due to its relatively moderate elevation, the fell misses out on many major British hill lists, but it deservedly claims an individual chapter in Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. The mountain is best viewed from the road at Newlands Hause, where it presents the illusion of a sharp, conical peak, though its true high point is actually hidden from view. To see the complete, sweeping stature of the fell, one must look at it from the Buttermere valley to the southwest.

"Keskadale is the long arm of Newlands extending south-west and providing its only outlet for vehicles from the head of the valley. The road is accompanied by a steep-sided ridge of moderate height. The ridge has two distinct summits; the lower is Knott Rigg." — Wainwright 1957, Book Two

Standing on the summit, the immediate panorama is heavily enclosed by the towering walls of the Coledale and Buttermere giants. However, the vista opens up beautifully looking eastward, framing a fantastic window through the valley in the wide gap between Causey Pike and the high shoulder of High Spy.

The simple, small pile of stones marking the high point of Knott Rigg

Trip Reports

Hindscarth, Robinson, Knott Rigg & Ard Crags18/12/2016

A Newlands Round22/06/2014

Return to Lake District – North Western Fells