Knott Head

Landscape Feature in Cumberland Allerdale

England

Knott Head

Swan House Former public house? — Swan House Credit: steven ruffles

Knott Head is a prominent landscape feature located in Cumberland, a county in the northwestern part of England. Situated in the Lake District, Knott Head is a large hill that reaches an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level. It is part of the beautiful Caldbeck Fells range, known for its stunning natural scenery and picturesque views.

The hill itself is characterized by its distinctive shape, resembling the head of a knotted rope, hence its name. Its unique formation is the result of geological processes that took place millions of years ago, including volcanic activity and glacial erosion. These processes have sculpted the hill, giving it its current appearance.

Knott Head boasts a diverse range of vegetation, with grassy slopes and patches of heather covering its surface. These provide habitat for a variety of plant and animal species, adding to the ecological significance of the area. The hill is also intersected by several footpaths, making it a popular spot for hikers and nature enthusiasts seeking to explore the surrounding countryside.

From the summit of Knott Head, visitors are treated to breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. On clear days, one can observe the expansive Caldbeck Fells, with their rolling hills, deep valleys, and sparkling lakes. The distant peaks of the Lake District National Park can also be seen, creating a truly awe-inspiring vista.

Overall, Knott Head is a captivating landscape feature in Cumberland, offering a combination of natural beauty, geological interest, and recreational opportunities for all who venture to its summit.

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Knott Head Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 54.610274/-3.2051403 or Grid Reference NY2224. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Swan House

Former public house?

steven ruffles

Path up scree to The Bishop

It's a rough path.

steven ruffles

Mountain bike track, Whinlatter

Steven Brown

Mountain bike track, Hospital Plantation, Whinlatter Forest Park

Steven Brown

Mountain bike track, Hospital Plantation, Whinlatter Forest Park

Steven Brown

Benchmark on Thornthwaite Chapel, Thornwaite

Benchmark description Link

OfficeOfPudseyBMs

North Loop bike trail coming out of Whinlatter forest onto the open fell

This mountain bike trail is supposed to be for bikes only and one-way, downhill. However signposting and trail marking is not all it could be, and we found ourselves walking uphill from a grassy forest ride onto the trail and were not prepared to lose a load of height to find our way back to a more suitable route. Fortunately, walkers are up and about earlier than bikers and we had the trail to ourselves until it rejoined the main forestry track. No bikes or riders were harmed by us or the dog... nor vice versa.

Andy Waddington

Mountain bikers keeping out of the wind in Whinlatter Forest

Definitely not a day to be riding out in the open as the wind was getting up towards gale force and gusty with it. Fortunately, Whinlatter Forest provides a lot of relatively sheltered trails.

Andy Waddington

Track junction in Beckstones Plantation

Andy Waddington

Radiation fog clings to the slopes of Braithwaite How

A cold night has filled the valleys with radiation fog, with the peaks and higher slopes initially clear of the roiling mists. An increasing northwesterly wind is starting to move the air, and is bringing clouds to the tops, limiting the sunlight reaching the valleys. Where the trees slow the breeze, fog lingers on the slopes of Braithwaite How. Across the valley, Skiddaw is just losing its summit view - one had to be out early to get sun on the tops today !

Andy Waddington

Boulder among the bracken, Kinn

The underlying solid geology of Kinn is the Kirkstile Formation of laminated mudstones and siltstones of Arenig (Ordovician) age, but the boulder doesn't seem to match that description and is likely to be a glacial erratic, brought by ice sheets from elsewhere. The rounded shape supports that conclusion. There is no bedrock showing here, and the rock sits on a slope heavily infested with bracken, above scattered woodland showing autumn colours. The view across the rapidly clearing morning radiation fog is towards Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite (one of those very rare things in the Lake District - a lake - as opposed to a water or a mere).

Andy Waddington

Ascending Kinn towards Grisedale Pike

After a steep pull from the road, the path to Grisedale Pike ascends more gently for a while up Kinn, as the morning sun disappears behind increasing amounts of cloud formed by a stiff northwesterly breeze. This is hardly unexpected in the Lakes in November, but an hour earlier the tops had been clear above a thermal inversion causing fog in the valley and we'd hoped for better views at least early in the walk. The forecast predicted an hour with rain in the middle of the day, so we counted ourselves fortunate that that didn't materialise.

Andy Waddington

Looking back down Kinn

Kinn forms the normal route of ascent of Grisedale Pike from the northeast near Braithwaite and steepens into Sleet How at about the point where this photograph was taken. There's about 400m of ascent to go, the majority of it now steep, so photography is always a good excuse to avoid starting the day's hard work...

Andy Waddington

Meanders in Coledale Beck

Whilst it looks pleasant enough, pollution from the Force Crag mines further up the valley is a significant issue in the beck and whilst there is some rediation in the form of settlement ponds, no effort seems to be being made to entirely remove the ugly workings and tackle the cause of the pollution at source, let alone at the original mine owners' expense as would be proper.

Andy Waddington

Traditional Cast Iron Fingerpost at Braithwaite

Situated in the little village of Braithwaite by the Coledale Beck. A water level marker can also be seen. Braithwaite is only 2.5 miles from Keswick.

Jennifer Petrie