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420 m · Wainwright — Central Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Central FellsAlso a Birkett

Gibson Knott

Gibson Knott at 420m (1,378ft) is a craggy, pleasant little summit on the ridge above Greenburn above Grasmere, giving good views of the valley and Helm Crag to the south.

420 m
Height
~2–2.5 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Gibson Knott

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

420 mWainwright — Central Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 420 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 16° to 15°C, gusts to 33 mph, 9.7 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
16° / 15°
💨 33 mph
🌧 9.7 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 13°
💨 30 mph
🌧 3.7 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 6°
💨 28 mph
🌧 1.3 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
16° / 3°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
16° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.6 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌫️
17° / 7°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
17° / 7°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 420 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Gibson Knott

Gibson Knott at 420m (1,378ft) is a craggy, pleasant little summit on the ridge above Greenburn above Grasmere, giving good views of the valley and Helm Crag to the south. Wainwright included it as part of the Far Easedale circuit from Grasmere, noting its rocky character and the fine views it gives of Grasmere below. Most naturally part of the classic horseshoe with Helm Crag and Calf Crag — one of the most enjoyable shorter circuits from Grasmere.

Routes up Gibson Knott

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Helm Crag & Far Easedale
15.9 km · ~4.6 hr
Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Steel Fell and Tarn Crag
20.8 km · ~5.7 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Central
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
420 m
Height
1,378 ft
In feet
NY 3168 1003
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Grasmere village (paid), about 3.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Gibson Knott (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

2.5 km NNWWythburn Fell508 m · Central
2.6 km SSWCastle How (Raw Pike)498 m · Central
3.0 km WSWCodale Head732 m · Central
3.0 km SLang How414 m · Central

Routes over Gibson Knott

Helm Crag & Far EasedaleRevised
15.93 km · ~850 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h
Summits: Helm CragGibson KnottCalf CragSteel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Steel Fell and Tarn CragRevised
20.82 km · ~910 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h
Summits: Helm CragGibson KnottCalf CragSteel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell)Tarn Crag (Easedale)

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View from Gibson Knott

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys
Computed 360-degree skyline from Gibson Knott24 labelled tops shown (2 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 6 kmHigh Crag · 4 kmFairfield · 4 kmDollywaggon Pike · 4 kmSwirl How · 10 kmGrey Friar · 11 kmGreat Rigg · 4 kmWetherlam · 9 kmHarrison Stickle · 4 kmCodale Head · 3 kmLow White Stones · 4 kmHeron Pike North Top · 4 kmWansfell Pike · 10 kmHawk Rigg · 9 kmLang How · 3 kmWard's Stone · 58 km · clear daysSilver How · 4 kmSteel Fell · 1 kmTarn Crag · 2 kmCalf Crag · 2 kmTop o' Selside · 18 kmGummer's How · 23 kmGrandsire · 17 kmWhite Hill · 62 km · clear daysBrim Fell · 12 kmHeron Pike · 4 kmPavey Ark · 4 kmIngleborough · 55 km · clear daysBlea Rigg · 3 kmStone Arthur · 3 kmFair Snape Fell · 69 km · clear daysLoughrigg Fell · 6 kmBigland Barrow · 26 kmWinter Hill · 101 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 111 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Gibson Knott, by direction
  • North: Steel Fell (1 km)
  • North-east: Dollywaggon Pike (4 km), High Crag (4 km), Helvellyn (6 km)
  • East: Stone Arthur (3 km), Great Rigg (4 km), Heron Pike North Top (4 km), Fairfield (4 km)
  • South-east: Heron Pike (4 km), Nab Scar (5 km), Wansfell Pike (10 km), Ingleborough (55 km), Ward's Stone (58 km)
  • South: Castle How (3 km), Lang How (3 km), Silver How (4 km), Hawk Rigg (9 km), Blake Rigg (9 km), Wetherlam (9 km), Black Sails (10 km), Long Crag (11 km), Brim Fell (12 km), Top o' Selside (18 km), Arnsbarrow Hill (19 km), Stang Hill (19 km), Birch Fell (22 km), Gummer's How (23 km)
  • South-west: Tarn Crag (2 km), Blea Rigg (3 km), Pavey Ark (4 km), Harrison Stickle (4 km), Little Carrs (10 km), Hell Gill Pike (10 km), Great Carrs (10 km), Swirl How (10 km), Great How (11 km), Grey Friar (11 km)
  • West: Calf Crag (2 km), Codale Head (3 km), Low White Stones (4 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Winter Hill (101 km, England), Billinge Hill (111 km, England).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Gibson Knott

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
20Wainwrights in view+3 marginal
56 kmFurthest sightlineIngleborough
—Sea in viewnone from here
Far horizons
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 56 km clear
All 20 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell), Helm Crag, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Calf Crag, Blea Rigg, Stone Arthur, Silver How, Great Rigg, Pavey Ark, Dollywaggon Pike, Heron Pike (Rydal), Harrison Stickle, Fairfield, Helvellyn, Loughrigg Fell, Black Fell, Wetherlam, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Grey Friar

How Gibson Knott’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Best parking to hike Gibson Knott

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Grasmere village (paid) — 3.3 km from summit (straight line)
For Helm Crag, Silver How, the Easedale fells and the Far Easedale round.
Directions
🚺 Grasmere (71m) — Accessible · RADAR key🚺 Stock Lane carpark (425m) — Accessible☕ The Little Inn Coffee Shop☕ Grasmere Tea Gardens☕ Thirteen Valleys Kitchen🍺 1769 Bar & Restaurant🍺 Tweedies Bar🍺 The Distiller’s Arms🏪 Grasmere Outdoors🏪 Mountain Hi🏪 Trespass🏪 Mountain Warehouse
Steel End, Thirlmere (paid) — 3.3 km from summit (straight line)
South end of Thirlmere for the Wythburn valley and Armboth fells.
Directions
🚺 Dob Gill Car Park (933m) — Free

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Helm Crag & Far Easedale route:

🛖 map (43 m)🚌 Stock Lane at School (43 m)🚌 School (94 m)🚌 map (270 m)🚌 Daffodil House for Dove Cottage (327 m)

On the Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Steel Fell and Tarn Crag route:

🛖 map (120 m)🚌 Stock Lane at School (47 m)🚌 School (95 m)🚌 map (254 m)🚌 Daffodil House for Dove Cottage (316 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

Buses to Gibson Knott from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 555
Kendal – Staveley – Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal – Grasmere – Thirlmere (Wythburn & Swirls) – Keswick
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Year-round, roughly hourly. The backbone bus of the A591 — ideal for Helvellyn (Wythburn/Swirls), Fairfield, the Central fells and anything around Grasmere/Rydal. From Penrith, take the X4/X5 to Keswick and change.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Gibson Knott (Strava)

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Hazard & Incident Information for Gibson Knott

Hazard: Moderate

A knobbly section of the Helm Crag–Calf Crag ridge above Far Easedale near Grasmere. The well-trodden path is occasionally indistinct among the rocky knolls, the southern face above Far Easedale is rocky (Horn Crag), and although the ridge is low it can be surprisingly exposed when the valley feels calm. Navigation and footing on the knolly crest are the things to watch. Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Knobbly ridge & indistinct path (navigation): The path weaves over a series of rocky knolls and is occasionally faint; in mist it's easy to lose the line or misjudge which knoll is which. Keep a compass bearing and follow the crest.
  • Rocky southern face above Far Easedale: The south side drops in rocky ground (Horn Crag) toward Far Easedale. Keep to the ridge path and don't drift onto the steep southern slopes, particularly in cloud.
  • Exposure despite the low height: Even though the ridge is modest, it can be very exposed to wind when the valley feels benign. Dress for the tops, not the valley, and take care on the rocky crest when wet or windy.
Who should attempt this fell: Gibson Knott is an enjoyable knobbly ridge fell, but the path is faint in places and the crest rocky — keep a compass bearing in cloud, mind the rocky southern edge above Far Easedale, and don't be fooled by the modest height: it can be windy and slippery up there. Take care on the rocks in winter.

Most common causes: Navigation errors on the indistinct, knolly ridge in cloud · Slips on the rocky crest, especially when wet · Drifting onto the rocky southern face above Far Easedale · Underestimating wind exposure on a low ridge

Local Mountain Rescue: Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information

Navigating Gibson Knott in cloud

Care needed

Walkable ground sits close to a lethal drop — in cloud it’s easy to walk straight onto steep ground. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Gibson Knott compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Gibson Knott

Maps & guidebooks for Gibson Knott

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