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Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

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341 mOutlying Fell — Around Penrith

Knipescar Common at 341m (1,119ft) is an Outlying Fell on the limestone escarpment above the Lowther valley near Shap, giving views across the Haweswater fells and over the pastoral Lowther valley.

Summit conditions on Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 7°C, gusts to 45 mph, 10.8 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Routes up Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

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

Knipe Scar - Birkett Planned, not yet walked
5.74 km · ~166 m ascent · ~1¼–2 h · loop · 1 summit
Easy effort Hard: navigation
Park: Knipescar Common (verge)

A short limestone walk on Knipescar Common east of Haweswater — 5.7 km and 166 m, with one 19% pull over 250 m, and easy for length.

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

How hard is Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)?

The shortest way up we hold is Knipe Scar - Birkett — 5.74 km, 166 m of ascent, ~1¼–2 h. On our scale its hardest axis is navigation — Hard.

All axes: navigation: Hard · steepness: Moderate · length: Easy · terrain: Not assessed · exposure: Not assessed.

These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 341 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
13° / 7°
45 mph
10.8 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
12° / 8°
30 mph
4.2 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
12° / 7°
19 mph
0.7 mm (41%)
Fri 30 Oct
11° / 6°
18 mph
0.0 mm (3%)
Sat 31 Oct
10° / 3°
8 mph
0.0 mm (6%)
Sun 1 Nov
10° / 3°
10 mph
0.3 mm (6%)
Mon 2 Nov
8° / -1°
12 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Parking & buses for Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

Parking

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

Knipescar Common (verge) — 0.6 km from the start of Knipe Scar - Birkett (straight line)
0.7 km from Knipescar Common.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Knipescar Common, south-west (layby) — 1.5 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar) (1.5 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Thrimby (layby) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest published walking: 4.0 km from the 'Knipe Scar - Birkett' route start; 2.9 km from Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
2 more places to park near Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)
Little Strickland (layby) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest published walking: 3.6 km from the 'Knipe Scar - Birkett' route start; 3.0 km from Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Scalebarrow Knott (layby) — 3.4 km from summit (straight line)
0.9 km from Scalebarrow Knott.
Directions (opens in new tab)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 nearest bus stop we hold is the UB2 at Askham, outside Stores, 6.1 km of walking from the start — no bus route we hold serves it. It is a seasonal service too: 1 November 2026 is its last day of the year (confirmed with the operator, 9 October 2026); it returns on 22 March 2027.

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

Hazards on Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

Notes from a planned route, not walked: Knipe Scar - Birkett

If you need to get off (the leg from the start): The map shows the line on a lane from about 0.4 to 0.7 km; above it, at about 1.2 km, a permissive path leads about 190 m west to a road; otherwise the way off is back the way you came, never more than about 1.5 km; not walked for this guide.

Quoted from the route page of a planned route, drawn from the map and not yet walked: the note for the leg that reaches Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar).

We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.

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 (opens in new tab) (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 Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

No bonus Birketts within 3 km.

Routes over Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

5.74 km · ~166 m ascent · loop · ~1¼–2 h
Easy effort Hard: navigation
Summits: Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Route guide: Knipe Scar - Birkett →

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.

About Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)

Wainwright included it in his Outlying Fells guide as part of the Around Penrith group. The limestone pavement and scar give the fell its distinctive character.

Classifications & hill data

Is Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar) a Wainwright?

Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar) is one of Wainwright's Outlying Fells, not one of the 214 in the Pictorial Guides. It is also on the Birkett list and the Synge list.

Selected lists

341 m
Height
1,119 ft
In feet
NY 5266 1912
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 →

Places to stay near this fell

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Other fells near Knipescar Common (Knipe Scar)