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Gibson Knott - looking down the Easedale side of the ridge to Grasmere and its lake, with the fells beyond in summer haze under a mackerel sky

Gibson Knott

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420 mWainwright — Central Fells+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Gibson Knott at 420m (1,378ft) is a craggy, pleasant little summit on the ridge between Far Easedale and Greenburn, above Grasmere, giving good views of the valley and of Helm Crag to the south-east. Wainwright included it in his Central Fells guide.

Summit conditions on Gibson Knott

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 52 mph, 14.9 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

45 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 43 mph times our exposure factor of 1.05. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 52 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

14.9 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 4 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 27 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Routes up Gibson Knott

Both start from Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid); the last two rows give its parking and bus. Full maps further down.

Helm Crag & Far EasedaleHelm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Steel Fell and Tarn Crag
Starts fromGrasmere VillageGrasmere Village
Distance and climb15.93 km, 870 m of climb20.82 km, 950 m of climb
Time, fast to steady~4½–6¼ h~5¾–7¾ h
ScramblingHands for a few steps: Helm Crag's summit rocks (about km 3.5). Helm Crag: The actual highest point is a slab/pinnacle of rock needing a short but genuinely exposed scramble, with big drops below.Hands for a few steps: Helm Crag's summit rocks (about km 4.0). Helm Crag: The actual highest point is a slab/pinnacle of rock needing a short but genuinely exposed scramble, with big drops below.
ExposureModerateModerate
NavigationModerateModerate
Steepest stretchDescent of about 27% at 10.2 km (Hard)Descent of about 27% at 15.7 km (Hard)
After the summitOver Calf Crag and Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell)Over Calf Crag, Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell) and Tarn Crag (Easedale)
Walked or plannedWalked by Lee, January 2025Walked by Lee, June 2024
Car park at the startStock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid)Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid)
Bus to the start555 at the start555 at the start

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

Is Gibson Knott a hard walk?

Not hard, but fiddlier than it looks. It is a knobbly section of the Helm Crag to Calf Crag ridge above Far Easedale, and the well-trodden path becomes indistinct among the rocky knolls in places, so you lose and regain it more than once.

Our Far Easedale round is 15.9 km with 870 m of ascent. Taken as part of the full Grasmere horseshoe it is 20.8 km and 950 m — and Gibson Knott is one of the pleasanter stretches of it. In mist it is easy to lose the line or mistake one knoll for another.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 420 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
12° / 6°
52 mph
14.9 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
10° / 7°
36 mph
16.0 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
10° / 8°
28 mph
0.2 mm (33%)
Fri 30 Oct
10° / 7°
29 mph
0.0 mm (23%)
Sat 31 Oct
11° / 2°
13 mph
0.0 mm (18%)
Sun 1 Nov
10° / 2°
9 mph
0.0 mm (10%)
Mon 2 Nov
8° / 2°
16 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Gibson Knott

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid) — at the start of Helm Crag & Far Easedale and Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Steel Fell and Tarn Crag
Walking base for Lang How, Swinescar Pike, Castle How (Raw Pike) and Stone Arthur — the 'Castle How & Lang How - Birketts' route starts 11 m away. Also serves 'Stone Arthur from Grasmere'. For Helm Crag, Silver How, the Easedale fells and the Far Easedale round. Signed as Stock Lane Car & Coach Park at the entrance. Pay and display (OSM-tagged).
Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 9 August 2026.
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Red Bank Road, Grasmere (W&F, paid) (0.5 km); Grasmere, roadside layby (free) (0.5 km); Broadgate Meadow car park, Grasmere (0.7 km)
Grasmere (~396 m straight line) — Accessible · RADAR key Stock Lane carpark (~39 m straight line) — 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
Helm Crag car park (paid) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Helm Crag (0.8 km), Stone Arthur (1.5 km), Gibson Knott (1.7 km). Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Steel Fell (layby) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Steel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell) (1.0 km), Seat Sandal (1.5 km), Gibson Knott (1.7 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
3 more places to park near Gibson Knott
Roadside parking for Steel Fell (free) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
0.9 km from Steel Fell. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Helm Crag (layby) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Helm Crag (0.9 km), Stone Arthur (1.3 km), Gibson Knott (1.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Roadside parking for Helm Crag — 2.1 km from summit (straight line)
1 km from Helm Crag. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

Buses

The 555 stops at Grasmere, at School, a 50 m walk from the start of Helm Crag & Far Easedale — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: distance and steepness). Last bus: Monday to Friday 20:46 towards Keswick (555); Saturday 20:46 towards Keswick (555); Sunday 18:36 towards Keswick (555). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

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.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Gibson Knott

Hazard & Incident Information for Gibson Knott

Checked by Lee McCoy, . Draws on published material from Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

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. In mist, check your position often and keep to the ridge path as it winds between the knolls, rather than holding a single bearing.
  • 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.

What to watch for: 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

Safety: 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 in cloud

Care needed

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of walkable ground near the summit that lies close to steep ground or crag. 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 (experimental).

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Gibson Knott

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

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 Easedale
Summits: Helm CragGibson KnottCalf CragSteel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell)

Download GPX Walked by Lee, January 2025

Warnings: Calf Crag: The ridge to Gibson Knott and Steel Fell is very boggy with unclear paths weaving among many small knolls. On a clear day it's straightforward; in mist it's a different proposition — accurate map-and-compass work is needed and many diversions are required to dodge the worst peat. Helm Crag: The actual highest point is a slab/pinnacle of rock needing a short but genuinely exposed scramble, with big drops below. It is not for the nervous or inexperienced — many people sensibly admire it from beside rather than standing on top. Attempt it only if you are a confident scrambler and the rock is dry; a slip here would be serious.

From the hazard notes for Helm Crag · Calf Crag, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Helm Crag, Gibson Knott, Calf Crag, Steel Fell and Tarn Crag
Summits: Helm CragGibson KnottCalf CragSteel Fell (Dead Pike - Steel Fell)Tarn Crag (Easedale)

Download GPX Walked by Lee, June 2024

Warnings: Helm Crag: The actual highest point is a slab/pinnacle of rock needing a short but genuinely exposed scramble, with big drops below. It is not for the nervous or inexperienced — many people sensibly admire it from beside rather than standing on top. Attempt it only if you are a confident scrambler and the rock is dry; a slip here would be serious. Calf Crag: The ridge to Gibson Knott and Steel Fell is very boggy with unclear paths weaving among many small knolls. On a clear day it's straightforward; in mist it's a different proposition — accurate map-and-compass work is needed and many diversions are required to dodge the worst peat.

From the hazard notes for Helm Crag · Calf Crag, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Gibson Knott

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Helm Crag & Far Easedale route:

bus shelter (43 m off the line) Stock Lane at School (43 m from the start, straight line) School (94 m from the start, straight line) bus stop (270 m from the start, straight line) Daffodil House for Dove Cottage (327 m from the start, straight line)

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

bus shelter (120 m off the line) Stock Lane at School (47 m from the start, straight line) School (95 m from the start, straight line) bus stop (254 m from the start, straight line) Daffodil House for Dove Cottage (316 m from the start, straight line)

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

About Gibson Knott

Gibson Knott - looking down the Easedale side of the ridge to Grasmere and its lake, with the fells beyond in summer haze under a mackerel sky
© Lee McCoy

Most naturally part of the classic horseshoe with Helm Crag and Calf Crag — one of the most enjoyable shorter circuits from Grasmere.

My Strava hikes over Gibson Knott

2 logged hikes pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Gibson Knott a Wainwright?

Gibson Knott is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Central
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
420 m
Height
1,378 ft
In feet
NY 3168 1003
Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

The view from Gibson Knott

The 360° skyline 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
The skyline as a list, 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 Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Gibson Knott

Gibson Knott waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 June, when the sun is up for 52 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 05:37 against an almanac sunrise of 04:45. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the east-north-east from here (58.8°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 5.73°.

0°40°50°60°70°05:23
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer05:23 BST ±5.0 min04:37+46 min
Equinox06:40 GMT ±5.0 min06:15+25 min
Midwinter08:31 GMT ±5.0 min08:33-2 min

The northern horizon stands at about 4.87° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Gibson Knott

Gibson Knott loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when last light is 48 minutes before almanac sunset — 21:04 against 21:52. The sun goes down to the north-west from here (305.3°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 4.98°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:04 BST ±5.0 min21:52-48 min
Equinox17:45 GMT ±5.0 min18:26-41 min
Midwinter15:22 GMT ±5.0 min15:49-27 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Gibson Knott

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
20Wainwrights in view+4 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 the view from Gibson Knott compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Gibson Knott. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. 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.

Places to stay near this fell

From Grasmere: 10 places

Frequently asked questions about Gibson Knott

Is Gibson Knott a hard walk? Answered above.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Gibson Knott

Places nearby: Sour Milk Gill (Easedale) · Easedale Tarn