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587 m · Wainwright — Far Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Shipman Knotts - grassy fellsides above a green valley of fields and walls, rolling fells under big clouds
Wainwright — Far Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Shipman Knotts

Shipman Knotts at 587m (1,926ft) is a neat, rocky summit above the Kentmere valley, the southernmost point of the Kentmere Horseshoe.

587 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Shipman Knotts

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

587 mWainwright — Far Eastern 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 587 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, 12.7 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 14°
💨 35 mph
🌧 12.7 mm (98%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌦️
15° / 12°
💨 28 mph
🌧 1.6 mm (98%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 28 mph
🌧 0.6 mm (63%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 26 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (82%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.3 mm (31%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 4°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (25%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 6°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (24%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 587 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

Shipman Knotts

Shipman Knotts - grassy fellsides above a green valley of fields and walls, rolling fells under big clouds
© Lee McCoy

Shipman Knotts at 587m (1,926ft) is a neat, rocky summit above the Kentmere valley, the southernmost point of the Kentmere Horseshoe. Wainwright described it as giving the first fine views of the Kentmere valley on the approach from Sadgill, and noted its pleasant, craggy character. The ascent from Kentmere or Sadgill is short and rewarding. Most naturally the starting point for the Kentmere Horseshoe when approaching from the south, with fine views of the Ill Bell ridge ahead.

Routes up Shipman Knotts

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

Birketts by Kentmere Horseshoe
17.6 km · ~4.8 hr
Kentmere Horseshoe
20.1 km · ~5.7 hr
The classic round of the Kentmere valley — a 20 km, ~1,030 m horseshoe over eight Wainwrights: up over Yoke and the shapely Ill Bell ridge to Thornthwaite Crag, then back over Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts. A long, high, broad-ridged day in the Far Eastern fells.
Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)
17.7 km · ~5.3 hr
A long ~18 km round from Sadgill in quiet Longsleddale over five Wainwrights — Grey Crag, Tarn Crag, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell and Shipman Knotts — across some of the loneliest, broadest grass tops in the Far Eastern fells. Real navigation in cloud.
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Far Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
587 m
Height
1,926 ft
In feet
NY 4726 0621
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited), about 1.3 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Shipman 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.

0.7 km NGoat Scar626 m · Far Eastern
1.7 km EGreat Howe (Longsleddale)494 m · Far Eastern
2.5 km SSECocklaw Fell365 m · Far Eastern
2.9 km NAdam Seat666 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Shipman Knotts

Birketts by Kentmere HorseshoePlanned
17.58 km · ~754 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6.5 h
Summits: Cocklaw Fellnameless (Green Quarter) (Hollow Moor East Top)Hollow Moor (Green Quarter Fell)Shipman KnottsGoat ScarKentmere PikeHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellAdam Seat

⬇️ Download GPX

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.

Kentmere HorseshoeRevised
20.14 km · ~1029 m ascent · loop · ~5.5–7.5 h
Summits: YokeIll BellFroswickThornthwaite CragMardale Ill BellHarter Fell (Mardale)Kentmere PikeShipman Knotts

✎️ Walked and described first-hand by Lee — a big mountain day (≈13 miles / ~3,700 ft, 6–8 hours). Start early, carry OS Explorer OL7 and a compass (the eastern ridge walls and fences are vital handrails in mist), and know the escape options.

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: The left-hand ladder stile between Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts has a big, almost-vertical drop on the far side — take care, and lift or handle dogs, which often refuse it.; Wray Crag on the final descent has a grooved sloping slab: an easy step in the dry, slippery when wet.; The initial drop off Ill Bell toward Froswick is steep and rough — you may need hands; it eases quickly.; Keep clear of Ill Bell's craggy eastern edge above Kentmere Reservoir — stay on the broad ridge by the cairns.; Parking at Kentmere (village hall / St Cuthbert's church) is very limited — only a handful of spaces — so arrive early.

Full route guide ↗

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

Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts)Revised
17.69 km · ~1043 m ascent · loop · ~5–7 h
Summits: Shipman KnottsKentmere PikeHarter Fell (Mardale)Little Harter FellTarn Crag (Sleddale)Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell)Great Howe (Longsleddale)

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: Boggy ground: the Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass) are peat-hagged and frequently very wet — expect bog and use the wall/fence lines as handrails.; Faint paths + serious navigation: trods are indistinct across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau. Best saved for good visibility — avoid the Tarn Crag/Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog.; A long, quiet day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent, with far fewer people than the Kentmere side — be self-reliant.

Full route guide ↗

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

The View from Shipman 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 Shipman Knotts36 labelled tops shown (6 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWFairfield · 13 kmCrinkle Crags · 22 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 22 kmSwirl How · 21 kmThornthwaite Crag · 6 kmRed Screes · 8 kmStony Cove Pike · 7 kmYoke · 4 kmBranstree NE Top · 4 kmTarn Crag · 2 kmGrey Crag · 3 kmHarrop Pike · 3 kmBlack Combe · 40 km · clear daysGreat Yarlside · 5 kmBorder End · 25 kmIngleborough · 42 km · clear daysGoat Scar · 1 kmWhernside · 36 km · clear daysWard's Stone · 49 km · clear daysThe Calf · 22 kmnameless · 3 kmWild Boar Fell · 30 kmLord's Seat · 5 kmCapplebarrow · 4 kmTop o' Selside · 22 kmWhatshaw Common · 7 kmHollow Moor · 2 kmnameless · 2 kmnameless · 6 kmGreat Knoutberry Hill · 37 km · clear daysUlgraves · 8 kmGummer's How · 20 kmYarlside · 23 kmHigh Knott · 6 kmOrrest Head · 9 kmBrant Fell · 12 kmDollywaggon Pike · 14 kmIll Bell · 4 kmLittle Stand · 22 kmLittle Carrs · 21 kmWhite Maiden · 24 kmFroswick · 4 kmHigh House Bank · 7 kmCalf Top · 28 kmBurney · 29 kmBaugh Fell · 30 km · clear daysBeacon Fell · 25 kmCocklaw Fell · 2 kmHigh Pike Haw · 24 kmHolme Fell · 17 kmNewton Fell North · 23 kmScout Scar · 14 kmSchool Knott · 10 kmCunswick Scar · 12 kmNewton Fell South · 25 kmSnowdon · 175 km · a handful of days a yearAran Fawddwy · 194 km · a handful of days a yearPendle Hill · 73 km · a rare clear dayMoel y Gamelin · 162 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 84 km · a rare clear dayBillinge Hill · 105 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Shipman Knotts, by direction
  • North: Branstree NE Top (4 km)
  • North-east: Tarn Crag (2 km), Harrop Pike (3 km)
  • East: Grey Crag (3 km), Great Yarlside (5 km)
  • South-east: Ingleborough (42 km)
  • South-west: The Old Man of Coniston (22 km), Brown Pike (23 km), White Maiden (24 km), Stoupdale Head (37 km), Black Combe (40 km), Black Combe South Top (40 km)
  • West: Yoke (4 km), Red Screes (8 km), Wetherlam (19 km), Black Sails (20 km), Pike of Blisco (20 km), Swirl How (21 km), Little Carrs (21 km), Great Carrs (21 km), Great How (21 km), Cold Pike (21 km), Great Knott (21 km), Brim Fell (22 km), Crinkle Crags (22 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (22 km), Crinkle Crags (22 km), Crinkle Crags (22 km), Shelter Crags (22 km), Crinkle Crags (22 km), Little Stand (22 km), Border End (25 km)
  • North-west: Ill Bell (4 km), Froswick (4 km), Thornthwaite Crag (6 km), Stony Cove Pike (7 km), Caudale Moor (7 km), Hart Crag (12 km), Fairfield (13 km), Dollywaggon Pike (14 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snowdon (175 km, Wales), Carnedd Llewelyn (162 km, Wales), Aran Fawddwy (194 km, Wales), Moel Siabod (170 km, Wales), Arenig Fawr (181 km, Wales), Craig Cwm Silyn (182 km, Wales), Pendle Hill (73 km, England), Moel y Gamelin (162 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 Shipman Knotts

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
19Wainwrights in view+5 marginal
175 kmFurthest sightlineSnowdon (Yr Wyddfa) · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Morecambe Bay

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Wales.

Far horizons
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) WalesSSW · 175 km distant
  • Carnedd Llewelyn WalesSSW · 159 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterSW · 69 km in view
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 42 km clear
  • Morecambe Bay bay/estuarySSW · 37 km in view
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 36 km clear
All 19 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Tarn Crag (Sleddale), Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell), Yoke, Ill Bell, Sallows, Froswick, Thornthwaite Crag, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Hart Crag, Fairfield, Holme Fell, Wetherlam, Pike of Blisco, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Cold Pike, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle)

How Shipman 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.

Best parking to hike Shipman Knotts

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

Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) — 1.3 km from summit (straight line)
Head of Longsleddale — Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Grey Crag, Tarn Crag.
Directions
Kentmere Institute (donation, very limited) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
Tiny — arrive by 8am or use the verges lower down. Kentmere Horseshoe: Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Kentmere Pike.
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 Shipman Knotts 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.

My hikes over Shipman Knotts (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Navigating Shipman Knotts 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 Shipman Knotts 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 Shipman Knotts

Maps & guidebooks for Shipman Knotts

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