hikes.guideLake District

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

Wainwright — Southern FellsAlso a Birkett

Hard Knott

Hard Knott at 549m (1,801ft) stands above the infamous Hardknott Pass, its rocky summit giving superb views down to the Roman fort of Mediobogdum directly below — one of the most evocative historical viewpoints in the Lake District.

550 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+13
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Hard Knott

550 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+13 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

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

Modelled guidance for the 550 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 14°C, gusts to 35 mph, 9.3 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 14°
💨 35 mph
🌧 9.3 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 12°
💨 31 mph
🌧 9.1 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
13° / 8°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 3°
💨 23 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 9°
💨 20 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 7°
💨 16 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 550 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

Hard Knott

Hard Knott, a Lake District fell
Photo: Stephen Dawson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hard Knott at 549m (1,801ft) stands above the infamous Hardknott Pass, its rocky summit giving superb views down to the Roman fort of Mediobogdum directly below — one of the most evocative historical viewpoints in the Lake District. Wainwright described it as a fell of considerable character, its craggy, complex terrain quite out of proportion to its modest height. The ascent from the pass is short and steep, rewarded with outstanding views across to Harter Fell (Eskdale) and up to Scafell. Often combined with Harter Fell for a fine Eskdale circuit. An unmissable viewpoint for anyone driving or cycling the Hardknott road.

Routes up Hard Knott

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

Alternative Hardknott Round (Green Crag, Harter Fell & Hard Knott)
14.7 km · ~4.5 hr · Hard
A rugged Eskdale round over three characterful, quiet tops — Green Crag, Harter Fell and Hard Knott — through some of the wildest, least-walked country in the Lakes, with the Scafells filling the skyline. Rocky, boggy and lightly pathed: a proper fell day for those who like their hills empty.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Southern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Marilyn
550 m
Height
1,804 ft
In feet
NY 2318 0237
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Hardknott Pass (roadside pull-ins), about 1.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Hard 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.

0.6 km SWBorder End522 m · Southern
0.7 km NYew Bank499 m · Southern
1.7 km SSWHorsehow Crags433 m · Southern
1.8 km NWSilverybield Crag395 m · Southern
2.0 km NNWThrostlehow Crag404 m · Southern
2.1 km ENELittle Stand740 m · Southern
2.4 km SSWDemming Crag525 m · Southern
2.5 km NEStonesty Pike765 m · Southern
2.6 km NWHigh Scarth487 m · Southern
2.6 km NNWScar Lathing439 m · Southern
2.8 km NECrinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle)834 m · Southern
2.8 km WSWGoat Crag312 m · Southern
2.8 km WDawsonground Crags397 m · Southern

Routes over Hard Knott

Alternative Hardknott Round (Green Crag, Harter Fell & Hard Knott)Planned
14.68 km · ~957 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h · Hard
Summits: Green CragHarter Fell (Eskdale)Hard Knott

✎️ Three wild, quiet Eskdale tops linked into a big round — boggy in stretches (notably north of Green Crag) and rocky underfoot; a dry, clear day makes all the difference.

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: Late spring to autumn, in dry weather. The ground north of Green Crag is notably boggy and much slower when wet.

⚠️ Warnings: The ground north of Green Crag is boggy — wet, tussocky and slow, and worse after rain. Pick a dry spell and expect to lose time here.; Rough, rocky and only lightly pathed — navigation needs care in poor visibility. Carry map and compass.; A long, remote round (nearly 15 km, 950 m of ascent) with little quick escape; start early and carry food, water and layers.; Livestock on the lower fields; keep dogs under close control.

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.

The View from Hard 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 Hard Knott36 labelled tops shown (5 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 5 kmScafell · 5 kmIll Crag · 5 kmEsk Pike · 5 kmSwirl How · 4 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 6 kmHaycock · 12 kmDow Crag · 6 kmGrey Friar · 4 kmStonesty Pike · 2 kmWetherlam · 6 kmLittle Stand · 2 kmSeatallan · 11 kmBrown Pike · 6 kmWhite Maiden · 7 kmIllgill Head · 7 kmBowfell · 4 kmWhitfell · 12 kmCrinkle Crags · 3 kmCrinkle Crags South Top · 3 kmSwinklebank Crag · 27 kmWhin Rigg · 8 kmCaw · 8 kmSlight Side · 3 kmStainton Pike · 11 kmPikes · 8 kmWhite Pike · 11 kmHarter Fell · 3 kmHigh Gait Crags · 3 kmEskdale Fell · 4 kmIrton Fell · 9 kmStickle Pike · 10 kmRough Crag · 8 kmGoat Crag · 3 kmBurney · 17 kmMuncaster Fell · 13 kmBroad Crag · 5 kmBrim Fell · 6 kmGreat Carrs · 4 kmBuck Pike · 6 kmCaw Fell · 13 kmWalna Scar · 7 kmWhite Pike · 7 kmThe Forest · 30 kmWoodend Height · 10 kmMiddle Fell · 9 kmGreat How · 4 kmYew Bank · 1 kmCrook Crag · 5 kmFox Haw · 9 kmBrock Barrow · 8 kmGreat Bank · 9 kmKepple Crag · 4 kmAran Fawddwy · 184 km · a handful of days a yearSnaefell · 85 km · a rare clear daySouth Barrule · 101 km · a rare clear dayCadair Berwyn · 171 km · a handful of days a yearManod Mawr · 166 km · a handful of days a year
What you can see from Hard Knott, by direction
  • North: Bowfell (4 km), Pike de Bield (4 km), Ill Crag (5 km), Scafell Pike (5 km), Esk Pike (5 km), Broad Crag (5 km), Great End (6 km)
  • North-east: Little Stand (2 km), Stonesty Pike (2 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (3 km), Crinkle Crags (3 km)
  • East: Little Carrs (4 km), Great Carrs (4 km), Wetherlam (6 km), Sallows (20 km), Swinklebank Crag (27 km), nameless (27 km), Capplebarrow (28 km), White Howe (29 km), The Forest (30 km)
  • South-east: Grey Friar (4 km), Swirl How (4 km), Brim Fell (6 km), Dow Crag (6 km), Buck Pike (6 km), The Old Man of Coniston (6 km), Brown Pike (6 km), Walna Scar (7 km)
  • South: White Maiden (7 km), White Pike (7 km), Caw (8 km)
  • South-west: Whitfell (12 km), Burn Moor (13 km), Kinmont Buck Barrow (14 km)
  • West: Illgill Head (7 km), Whin Rigg (8 km)
  • North-west: Scafell (5 km), Seatallan (11 km), Haycock (12 km), Caw Fell (13 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Aran Fawddwy (184 km, Wales), Snaefell (85 km, Isle of Man), Arenig Fawr (170 km, Wales), South Barrule (101 km, Isle of Man), Cadair Berwyn (171 km, Wales), Carnedd y Filiast (162 km, Wales), Arenig Fach (166 km, Wales), Moel Famau (140 km, Wales).

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 Hard Knott

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
23Wainwrights in view 
85 kmFurthest sightlineSnaefell
1Sea in viewIrish Sea

On the clearest days the view reaches across to the Isle of Man.

Far horizons
  • Snaefell Isle of ManW · 85 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterW · 41 km in view
All 23 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Harter Fell (Eskdale), Slight Side, Grey Friar, Great Carrs, Bowfell, Swirl How, Scafell, Scafell Pike, Esk Pike, Brim Fell, Dow Crag, Wetherlam, Great End, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Illgill Head, Whin Rigg (Wasdale), Middle Fell, Seatallan, Haycock, Caw Fell, Sour Howes, Sallows

How Hard 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 Hard Knott

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

Hardknott Pass (roadside pull-ins) — 1.2 km from summit (straight line)
Limited pull-ins near the pass summit for Hard Knott and Harter Fell. Don't block passing places.
Directions
Three Shire Stone, Wrynose Pass (verge) — 4.6 km from summit (straight line)
High-level start for Pike o' Blisco, Cold Pike, Wet Side Edge and the Greenburn fells.
Directions

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.

Buses to Hard Knott from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

No regular bus serves the start points for this fell — this is one for the car (or a long approach from the nearest served valley). The nearest hubs are Penrith (X4/X5 & 508), Ambleside and Windermere (555, 505, 516).

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

Navigating Hard Knott in cloud

Straightforward

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Hard 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 Hard Knott

Maps & guidebooks for Hard Knott

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →