Ard Crags & Knott Rigg

The walk, stage by stage

1. 1

   Start → Ard Crags (6.8 km, 550 m)

   Climb of about 550 m over 6.8 km (around 8% average).

   After a long valley approach to position yourself at the eastern foot of the ridge, begin the steep and unrelenting pull up the spine of Aikin Knott. The path threads up through heather and rough fell grass, gaining altitude rapidly as the ridge narrows. Keep driving upwards along the crest, where the gradient eventually eases as you approach the rocky summit area of Ard Crags, rewarding the effort with sudden, sweeping views into the deep trough of Sail Beck.

   Waypoints

   Aikin Knott ridge, Rigg Beck (approach valley), Birkrigg, Ard Crags summit.

   Decision point

   The topographical line of the ridge itself serves as a handrail; once you are on the "nose" of Aikin Knott, you simply follow the highest ground directly to the summit, making route-finding straightforward even in thick clag.

   Easy to get wrong

   The lower slopes of Aikin Knott are notoriously plagued by dense summer bracken, which can obscure the trod and soak your trousers after heavy rain. The ascent is punishingly steep on slick grass, demanding strong calves and good tread, while the exposed nature of the final ridge makes it a brutal wind-tunnel in cross-breezes flowing over the Newlands divide.

   If you need to get off

   The way off the ascent is to turn round and retrace the ridge to the valley floor. No line down the steep northern or southern flanks into Keskadale or Sail Beck has been checked: do not bail off them.

2. 2

   Ard Crags → Ill Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top) (1.0 km, 35 m)

   Undulating section of about 1.0 km.

   Leave the summit of Ard Crags heading south-west, enjoying a relatively relaxed and highly scenic ridge-walk. The path drops gently into a shallow, grassy depression on the ridge before rising slightly again over a series of minor rocky bumps to reach the summit of Ill Crag, which forms the north top of the Knott Rigg massif.

   Waypoints

   Ard Crags summit, the unnamed ridge depression (col), Ill Crag (Knott Rigg North Top).

   Decision point

   A clear, well-worn path runs exactly along the spine of the ridge connecting the two tops, providing excellent visual guidance; in poor visibility, maintaining a south-westerly bearing will keep you cleanly on the crest.

   Easy to get wrong

   The walking here is generally superb and grassy, but the depression between the peaks holds a few peaty, boggy patches that expand significantly after heavy rain. In winter conditions, cornices can build slightly on the eastern lip, so keep a sensible margin from the very edge if snow is banked up.

   If you need to get off

   Do not try to bail off the sides of this ridge: the terrain drops steeply into the adjacent valleys; if the weather turns aggressively foul, either push on to Knott Rigg, where the route's own path leaves the crest beside the cairn and drops east-north-east to Keskadale Farm, or retreat immediately back over Ard Crags to your ascent route.

3. 3

   Ill Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top) → Knott Rigg (0.4 km, 27 m)

   Undulating section of about 0.4 km.

   Continue south-west from Ill Crag on the obvious trod, navigating a very short, minor dip before tackling the brief but distinct final pull up to the main summit of Knott Rigg. The crest narrows slightly here, weaving through a few outcrops before arriving at the modest summit cairn.

   Waypoints

   Ill Crag, Knott Rigg summit cairn.

   Decision point

   The ridge continues to serve as a natural handrail, with the path remaining prominent; the small summit cairn on Knott Rigg marks the distinctive high point of the fell.

   Easy to get wrong

   While technically straightforward, the final approach to Knott Rigg features a few polished rocky steps that can become treacherous in wet conditions or under a sheen of winter ice. The summit itself is exposed and offers no shelter from prevailing south-westerly weather fronts rushing up the Keskadale valley.

   If you need to get off

   Do not attempt to descend directly off the flanks here; the way down is the route's own, the path that leaves the crest beside the Knott Rigg cairn and runs east-north-east down to Keskadale Farm and the Newlands Pass road.

4. Knott Rigg → Finish (11.2 km, 96 m)

   Descent of about 470 m, with about 96 m of climbing, over 11.2 km.

   From the Knott Rigg cairn, take the path that drops off the eastern side of the crest and follow it east-north-east down the fellside to Keskadale Farm, losing about 300 m in 1.3 km. At the farm join the Newlands Pass road for a short way, then take the track and field path east, over Keskadale Beck, to the lane at Chapel Bridge and on to Little Town. From Little Town the long walk-out heads north-north-east on tracks and minor lanes below Cat Bells, through Skelgill and past Hawes End to Portinscale, then crosses the Derwent by the footbridge to the finish in Keswick. This is a one-way walk: it ends about 3 km from the start in Braithwaite. The Honister Rambler (77/77A) stops at Braithwaite, so the usual plan is the bus out from Keswick and the walk back.

   Waypoints

   Knott Rigg summit cairn, the path off the eastern side, Keskadale Farm, Newlands Pass road, Keskadale Beck, Chapel Bridge, Little Town, Skelgill, Portinscale, the Derwent footbridge, Keswick.

   Decision point

   Knott Rigg's top is the turning point: the path down leaves the eastern side of the crest beside the cairn, while the ridge path carrying on towards Newlands Hause is not this route. On the descent, Keskadale Farm and the road below it are a clear target, and once in the valley the lanes through Chapel Bridge, Little Town and Skelgill are a linear handrail to Portinscale and Keswick.

   Easy to get wrong

   The initial descent off Knott Rigg to Keskadale is steep, about 300 m in 1.3 km with the steepest pitch low down, and it can turn slick and loose in wet weather, which heavily taxes tired knees and requires careful foot placement. The long 11.2 km valley walk-out features minor undulations (accounting for the 96m accumulated climb) and requires spatial awareness on narrow country lanes where farm traffic operates, as well as navigating deeply rutted and boggy pastoral paths through the valley bottom.

   If you need to get off

   Reaching the Newlands Pass road at Keskadale Farm places you on a road, serving as an immediate extraction point if a taxi or lift can be summoned; once you are on the valley walk-out, the route is non-committing. The farms along the road are not shelters to plan around.