hikes.guideLake District

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

Grey Knotts - the summit cairn's stones in the foreground, with Haystacks and High Crag across the head of Buttermere, the lake and Crummock Water beyond
Wainwright — Western FellsAlso a Birkett

Grey Knotts

Grey Knotts at 697m (2,287ft) is the first summit above Honister Pass, a pleasant rocky summit giving fine views of the Gable group and across Borrowdale.

697 m
Height
~4.5–5.5 h
Typical time
+3
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →
697 mWainwright — Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 697 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Fri 11 Sep): 11° to 8°C, gusts to 27 mph, 1.0 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep
🌦️
11° / 8°
💨 27 mph
🌧 1.0 mm (100%)
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
14° / 8°
💨 47 mph
🌧 35.2 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
12° / 7°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.1 mm (74%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
14° / 7°
💨 33 mph
🌧 18.7 mm (96%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
12° / 7°
💨 32 mph
🌧 13.2 mm (100%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
10° / 8°
💨 34 mph
🌧 6.0 mm (96%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
10° / 7°
💨 38 mph
🌧 11.6 mm (98%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 697 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Grey Knotts at a glance

Grey Knotts

Grey Knotts - the summit cairn's stones in the foreground, with Haystacks and High Crag across the head of Buttermere, the lake and Crummock Water beyond
© Lee McCoy

Grey Knotts at 697m (2,287ft) is the first summit above Honister Pass, a pleasant rocky summit giving fine views of the Gable group and across Borrowdale. Wainwright included it as the ideal starting fell for the Honister ridge circuit — short, satisfying and giving immediate views of the Scafell and Gable groups. The ascent from Honister Hause is very short. Combined naturally with Brandreth and then Green Gable and Great Gable for a full day's circuit.

Routes up Grey Knotts

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

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
697 m
Height
2,287 ft
In feet
NY 2172 1256
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Grey Knotts a Wainwright?

Grey Knotts is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list and the Fellranger list.

Where do you park for Grey Knotts?

The nearest car park we hold is Honister Pass (paid, slate mine), about 1.2 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is Honister (NT, paid), 1.3 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

My hikes over Grey Knotts (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Parking & buses for Grey Knotts

Best parking to hike Grey Knotts

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

Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the top of the pass — Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts with minimal ascent. This is the slate mine's own car park, the WESTERN one; the National Trust car park 170 m east is a separate one. Fees: Day parking GBP 5 per day for visitors; free for all Honister activity guests (honister.com/your-visit/). Overnight parking GBP 15 a night in the large bottom car park, open to campervans, motorhomes and vans, no tent camping, no facilities, no electric hook-ups; book online or pay by QR code on arrival and display confirmation on the dashboard (honister.com/your-visit/overnight-parking) (operator, checked Aug 2026). You pay by card, inside the building, not at a machine in the car park. The posted opening is 9am but it is often later; the mine is content for you to arrive before it and pay on the way out, and the car park is covered by cameras (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 Aug 2026). Pay and display (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).
🕑 Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
If it is full: Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.3 km)
🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~136 m straight line) — Free🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~1825 m straight line) — FreeSky Hi Cafe (opens in new tab)
Honister (NT, paid) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts — the 'Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine' route starts 61 m away. Also serves 'Haystacks'. Paid National Trust car park - the prices we used to show here came from an aggregator rather than the Trust, so we no longer publish a figure; check the machine on arrival, and members should bring their card (National Trust car-park list, checked Aug 2026). The machine takes cards, and National Trust members park free on production of their membership card (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 Aug 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Grey Knotts car park — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Grey Knotts (1.7 km), Dale Head (1.9 km), Honister Crag (Black Star) (1.9 km). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
Free verge parking on the Seathwaite lane — the honeypot start for the Scafells, Great Gable and Glaramara. Arrive very early.
🕑 Typically full before 09:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
If it is full: Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) (1.8 km); Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.0 km); Rosthwaite (NT, paid) (3.8 km)
🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~188 m straight line) — Free
Thornythwaite Fell (layby) — 1.9 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 135 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm.

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

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Grey Knotts by bus

The 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), 140 m from the start of Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine — a route we rate Hard. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day, and it is not daily before then — a bus on 31 of the 56 days from 7 September. We don’t know when it returns. Confirmed with the operator, 29 August 2026. The last bus is 18:33 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Grey Knotts

Hazard & Incident Information for Grey Knotts

Hazard: Moderate

A rocky, knoll-topped fell above Honister, gentle and boggy on its western side but rugged on the east, where steep crags — Raven Crag (Gillercombe Buttress) — fall into the deep bowl of Gillercomb above Seathwaite. The steep, loose, rocky descent to Borrowdale has sudden drop-offs, the twin rocky summit knolls and boggy plateau need care in mist, and old graphite mine workings lie on the Seathwaite approach. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Eastern crags above Gillercomb (Raven Crag): The eastern (Borrowdale) side is all crag — Raven Crag / Gillercombe Buttress — dropping into Gillercomb. The steep, rocky, loose descent toward Seathwaite has sudden drop-offs. Keep back from the eastern edge in cloud, and take the steep descent slowly and on the correct line.
  • Rocky knoll summit & navigation: The top is a cluster of rocky knolls, easy to confuse in mist, on a boggy plateau shared with Brandreth (follow the fence line, correct side). Take a compass bearing to pick the right summit and the right way off.
  • Old graphite mine workings (Seathwaite side): Disused graphite mine workings lie on the Seathwaite approach. Keep clear of openings and spoil, and don't explore old levels.
Who should attempt this fell: From Honister Grey Knotts is a short, easy walk, but its eastern side is steep and crag-bound above Gillercomb — keep back from the edge and take the rocky, loose Seathwaite descent carefully on the right line. Navigate the knolly summit and boggy plateau by compass in cloud (the fence is a useful handrail), keep clear of the old mine workings, and treat the steep ground as full winter terrain when iced.

Most common causes: Walkers straying onto the eastern crags or the steep loose Seathwaite descent · Navigation errors among the rocky knolls and on the boggy plateau in cloud · Slips on the steep, rocky, loose Borrowdale-side ground · Mishaps around the old graphite mine workings

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · 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 (opens in new tab)

Navigating Grey Knotts in cloud

Care needed

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. 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 Grey Knotts compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Honister Pass (paid, slate mine), about 1.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Grey Knotts (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.

1.7 km NNWHonister Crag (Black Star)634 m · Western
2.9 km ESEThornythwaite Fell574 m · Southern

Routes over Grey Knotts

9.18 km · ~597 m ascent · loop · ~2.5–3.5 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

🥾 Walked in part — Lee walked this ground in April 2026; km 0.9–1.7, km 4.7–5.5 of this line are from the map.

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

9.61 km · ~690 m ascent · loop · ~3–4 h · Hard

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: The summit plateau in cloud. Gable’s top is a broad sea of boulders with crags on several sides and no handrails. Take a bearing off the summit and follow it precisely — this is where the callouts start. Do not drift towards the Napes. The southern face is a climbers’ playground of crags and gullies, not a walkers’ descent. The Windy Gap descent is loose and steep. Take it slowly, especially in the wet.

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

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

On the hill: terrain and water on Grey Knotts

Water & shelter on the way up

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

The view from Grey Knotts

The 360° skyline from Grey Knotts

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 Grey Knotts36 labelled tops shown (6 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 5 kmHelvellyn · 13 kmIll Crag · 5 kmSkiddaw · 17 kmGreat End · 4 kmBowfell · 7 kmGreat Gable · 2 kmPillar · 5 kmHigh Crag · 13 kmRaise · 14 kmFairfield · 14 kmBlencathra · 18 kmGreat Dodd · 15 kmGrasmoor · 9 kmStybarrow Dodd · 14 kmScoat Fell · 6 kmCrag Hill · 8 kmRed Pike · 6 kmPike de Bield · 6 kmHigh Stile · 6 kmGrisedale Pike · 10 kmGlaramara · 4 kmRed Screes · 18 kmWetherlam · 14 kmHigh Raise · 7 kmJenkin Hill · 16 kmHindscarth · 4 kmClough Head · 15 kmRed Beck Top · 4 kmMungrisdale Common · 19 kmBlake Fell · 13 kmKirk Fell · 3 kmGreen Gable · 2 kmCrag Fell · 12 kmBrandreth · 1 kmFleetwith Pike · 2 kmBroad Crag · 5 kmEsk Pike · 5 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 16 kmDollywaggon Pike · 13 kmDove Crag · 16 kmLooking Steads · 4 kmWandope · 8 kmSail · 8 kmDale Head · 3 kmHigh Crag · 4 kmLow White Stones · 7 kmLonscale Fell · 16 kmYoke · 23 kmHigh House Tarn Top · 4 kmCalfhow Pike · 14 kmKirk Fell East Top · 3 kmSouther Fell · 22 kmPillar Rock · 5 kmThirdgill Head Man · 8 kmLooking Stead · 3 kmHaystacks · 2 kmBleaberry Fell · 10 kmCarling Knott · 13 kmWatendlath Fell · 8 kmMellbreak · 9 kmLingmell · 8 kmLow Fell · 13 kmDarling Fell · 13 kmMerrick · 108 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 106 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 90 km · a rare clear dayDivis · 182 km · a handful of days a yearBeneraird · 127 km · a handful of days a yearAgnew's Hill · 180 km · a handful of days a year
What you can see from Grey Knotts, by direction
  • North: Crag Hill (8 km), Grisedale Pike (10 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (16 km), Skiddaw Little Man (16 km), Skiddaw South Top (17 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (17 km), Skiddaw (17 km)
  • North-east: Stybarrow Dodd (14 km), Great Dodd (15 km), Green Side (15 km), Knowe Crags (17 km), Gategill Fell Top (18 km), Blencathra (18 km), Atkinson Pike (19 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (12 km), Nethermost Pike (13 km), High Crag (13 km), White Side (13 km), Helvellyn (13 km), Dollywaggon Pike (13 km), Raise (14 km), Cofa Pike (14 km), Fairfield (14 km), St Sunday Crag (15 km), Dove Crag (16 km)
  • South-east: Bowfell (7 km)
  • South: Great Gable (2 km), Great End (4 km), Broad Crag (5 km), Ill Crag (5 km), Scafell Pike (5 km), Esk Pike (5 km), Pike de Bield (6 km)
  • West: Pillar (5 km), Black Crag (5 km), Red Pike (6 km), Scoat Fell (6 km)
  • North-west: High Stile (5 km), High Stile (6 km), Grasmoor (9 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Merrick (108 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (106 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Fleet (90 km, Scotland), Corserine (104 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (101 km, Scotland), Divis (182 km, Ireland), Beneraird (127 km, Scotland), Cairnharrow (81 km, Scotland).

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 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Grey Knotts

Grey Knotts sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 December) first light is only 10 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

30°40°50°60°04:34
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
Midsummer04:34 BST ±5.0 min04:37-3 min
Equinox06:17 GMT ±5.0 min06:16+1 min
Midwinter08:40 GMT ±5.0 min08:33+7 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean 0.15°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Grey Knotts

Grey Knotts loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when last light is 20 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:30 against 15:50. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (224.5°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 1.8°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:57 BST ±5.0 min21:53+4 min
Equinox18:32 GMT ±5.0 min18:27+5 min
Midwinter15:30 GMT ±5.0 min15:50-20 min

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 Grey Knotts. 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. 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 Grey Knotts

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
60Wainwrights in view+19 marginal
109 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick · possible under favourable refraction
Sea in viewnone from here

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland.

Far horizons
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 109 km clear
All 60 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

How Grey Knotts’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.

Places to stay near this fell

Seatoller House (opens in new tab) guest house

about 2.0 km from the start, in a straight line

The nearest serviced bed to the top of Honister with a kitchen behind it. It is the only property inside 3 km whose own page answers evening meal, breakfast time, parking, dogs and a family room together - and two of its ten rooms are downstairs, which matters to a walker who has just come off Haystacks on wrecked knees.

Worth knowing: “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”

The house is 400 years old, has taken guests for more than a century, and is the biggest building in the hamlet of Seatoller.

  • Dogs “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”
  • Family rooms “Rabbit Large Family room, Private bathroom directly opposite, great views of garden & Fells”
  • Evening meal “The dining room has two large traditional oak tables creating a friendly atmosphere where guests are served a set meal at 7 pm (excluding Wednesdays).”
  • Parking “There are 10 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, a large award winning garden surrounding the house and ample private car parking.”

YHA Borrowdale (opens in new tab) hostel

about 3.1 km from the start, in a straight line

The only bed in the cluster whose own page states a cot, a highchair, ground-floor rooms, wheelchair access, a drying room, a self-catering kitchen and a 07:30 breakfast. For a family where one adult walks Great Gable and the rest do not, nothing else in the radius answers as many of their questions - which is why it earns a row despite not being independent.

Worth knowing: “Dogs: Pets are not permitted at YHA Borrowdale, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation. Assistance dogs are welcome - please notify us at the time of booking.”

There has been a youth hostel in this valley since before the war - the present one opened at Longthwaite at Easter 1939, after an earlier hostel at Grange-in-Borrowdale closed in 1937.

  • Drying room “Self-catering kitchen Shared drying room Shared lounge Sole use available Unlimited breakfast Water refill station Wheelchair accessible WiFi”
  • Family rooms “YHA Borrowdale offers a variety of accommodation options including rooms of varying sizes, camping pods and camping pitches.”
  • Evening meal “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Borrowdale (see sample menu ).”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Borrowdale (see sample menu ).”
  • Parking “Parking: This hostel has on-site parking (subject to availability). Charges apply though overnight guests benefit from a discounted rate of £5 per vehicle for 24 hours.”
  • Children “Accessible rooms available Bed linen Central heating Cot available Ground floor rooms available Heating Hot water Lock on doors Smoke alarm”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Grey Knotts

Is Grey Knotts a hard walk?

From Honister it is one of the shortest ways onto high ground anywhere in the Lakes — the mine road starts you high and the climb is brief. The top is a jumble of rocky knolls, boggy on its western side, with no single obvious summit among them.

The eastern side is the part to respect: steep crags fall toward Gillercombe, and the ground changes character abruptly. Our Brandreth round is 9.2 km with 597 m of ascent with navigation graded hard; the Great Gable day from Honister is 9.6 km and 690 m, which we rate Hard.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Other fells near Grey Knotts