Great Knoutberry Hill

Walk 8 - By car/train or train: Great Knoutberry Hill (672m) from Dent Station -9 miles -4½ hours with an option to go to Great Widdale Tarn. An outstanding walk with good panoramic views of the 3 Peaks from Great Knoutberry starting at Dent Station and finishing at Ribblehead. Back to Ribblehead

Dent Station	Summit trig point

From Dent Station turn right and proceed up the steep Coal Road for ½ mile until a bend is reached at the top of the hill. Turn right along the bridle way (sign-posted Widdale), following the contour (south) until a gate is reached.

As an alternative it is possible to ascend Great Knoutberry via Great Widdale Tarn. If wanting to take this option bear left immediately after passing through gate from Coal Road. Climb over rough pasture for 3/4 mile [roughly taking the same line as the road from Dent Station]. Eventually the tarns will emerge. From the main tarn follow the fence to the summit - I usually take the left hand side in preference. After 1/2 mile the trig point will be reached and continue as below

Turn left through the gate [a sheep enclosure] and upwards along permissive path (not shown on map) following right hand side of the fence to top of Great Knoutberry and the trig point. From the trig point continue to the right of the wall and descend to meet the Widdale path. Turn right for 100m towards Arten Gill and then turn left to follow wall (on right). There is a very feint path at this point following the same contour around Swinely Cowm (broken black line on map). After about ¾mile look for a stile in the wall leading to an enclosed track. The track starts to descend the hillside until reaching the minor road out of Dentdale at Newby Head Gate. This forms part of the Pennine Bridleway.

Great Coum and Middleton Fell	Coal Road with Middleton Fell in background
View of Ingleborough from the summit	Ascending Great Knoutberry

Turn right and walk along the road for 500m. Turn left along track known as Black Rake Road. This continues for a mile. Turn right at a sign post (to Gearstones) with High Gayle Farm on the left. Follow the wall for ¾ mile crossing two ravines before dropping down to the Hawes- Ingleton Road at Gearstones.

Turn right and follow the main road to Ribblehead. (Alternatively it is perhaps preferable to proceed straight across Blea Moor towards Ribblehead thus avoiding part of the road).

Widdale Tarn - the larger of two tarns - just below the summit of Great Knoutberry

Back to Ribblehead

©John Carey 2010

This page was last updated on 04-May-2020