Hard Knott
Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England
title: "Hard Knott" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["eskdale,-cumbria", "fells-of-the-lake-district", "marilyns-of-england", "cumberland-(unitary-authority)"] description: "Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_Knott" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Hard Knott |
| photo | Hard Knott - geograph.org.uk - 109075.jpg |
| photo_caption | Looking to the summit of Hard Knott, with Crinkle Crags and Bowfell behind. |
| elevation_m | 549 |
| prominence_m | 154 |
| parent_peak | Scafell Pike |
| listing | Marilyn, Wainwright |
| location | Cumbria, England |
| range | Lake District, Southern Fells |
| coordinates | |
| grid_ref_UK | NY231023 |
| topo | OS Landrangers 89, 90, Explorer OL6 |
| map | United Kingdom Lake District#United Kingdom Copeland |
| map_caption | Location in the Lake District##Location in Copeland Borough |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the mountain ::
| name = Hard Knott | photo =Hard Knott - geograph.org.uk - 109075.jpg | photo_caption = Looking to the summit of Hard Knott, with Crinkle Crags and Bowfell behind. | elevation_m = 549 | elevation_ref = | prominence_m = 154 | prominence_ref = | parent_peak = Scafell Pike | listing = Marilyn, Wainwright | location = Cumbria, England | range = Lake District, Southern Fells | coordinates = | grid_ref_UK = NY231023 | topo = OS Landrangers 89, 90, Explorer OL6 | map = United Kingdom Lake District#United Kingdom Copeland | map_caption = Location in the Lake District##Location in Copeland Borough
Hard Knott is a fell in the English Lake District, at the head of Eskdale.
The northern and western slopes of Hard Knott are in the civil parish of Eskdale, while the southern and eastern slopes are in the civil parish of Ulpha. Both are in the unitary authority area of Cumberland and the ceremonial county of Cumbria.
Geology
Rhyolitic lava-like tuff of the Bad Step Tuff forms the summit rocks with the dacitic lapilli-tuffs of the Lincomb Tarns Formation to the north west. Border end shows outcropping plagioclase-phyric andesite lavas of the Birker Fell Formation.
Summit
Hard Knott reaches a height of 549 m, the summit knoll bearing a cairn. There are other named tops on the ridge in addition to the summit, with Yew Bank to the north and Border End to the south. Hard Knott is known for its views of the Scafell massif to the north, while Harter Fell dominates the vista to the south.
Ascents
The fell is usually climbed from the top of the Hardknott Pass where there are several parking spaces. It is also possible to begin the ascent from the foot of the pass in Eskdale, although this will triple the length of the walk and the height gained. However, the best plan is probably to climb Hard Knott in conjunction with the neighbouring fell of Harter Fell making a horseshoe walk starting and finishing in Eskdale. From the top of the pass it is a short ascent to the fell summit following an electric fence that skirts to the right of the dangerous looking Raven Crag and takes the walker to the summit in a short time. Other possible routes include a pathless ascent from the Esk via The Steeple, a circuitous walk via the head of Moasdale and an ascent of the eastern flanks via Dod Pike.
References
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Scafells_from_Hard_Knott_3.jpg" caption="Panorama shot from the summit of Hard Knott showing from left to right the fells of [[Slight Side]], [[Scafell]], [[Scafell Pike]], [[Great End]], [[Esk Pike]], [[Bow Fell]] and [[Crinkle Crags]]."] ::
References
- "Election Maps". [[Ordnance Survey]].
- [[British Geological Survey]]: 1:50,000 series maps, ''England & Wales Sheet 38'': BGS (1998)
- Richards, Mark: ''Mid-Western Fells'': Collins (2004): {{ISBN. 0-00-711368-4
- [[Alfred Wainwright]]: ''[[A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells]]'', Book 4: {{ISBN. 0-7112-2457-9
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::