Steel Knotts is a

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle o ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

, near to

Ullswater Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being about long and wide, with a maximum depth a little over . It was scooped out by a glacier in the Last Ice Age. Geography It is a typical Lake District "ribbon lake", ...

in the

Far Eastern Fells The Far Eastern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Reaching their highest point at High Street (828 metres or 2.718 ft.), they occupy a broad area to the east of Ullswater and Kirkstone Pass. Much quieter than the ...

. It stands between the valleys of Fusedale and Martindale on a ridge running north–south.

Topography

At Wether Hill on the spine of the Far Eastern Fells, a subsidiary spur branches off west to Gowk Hill, before turning north to run parallel to the main ridge. This passes over Brownthwaite Crag () and the rockier top of Steel Knotts before swinging a little to the east and making a brisk descent to Howtown and Ullswater. The Steel Knotts ridge, also termed Martindale Edge, runs for about two miles in total. To the east is the steep sided valley of Fusedale, its beck forming the boundary of the fell. This flows north to the Lake at

Howtown Howtown is a hamlet in Cumbria, England, situated at a small harbour on the east shore of Ullswater in the Lake District. It lies within the civil parish of Martindale. Howtown is about three and a half miles from Pooley Bridge and is best re ...

, below the nose of the ridge. There are some crags on this side, particularly at the northern end. The western flank of the fell has shallower gradients at the top before dropping over rough ground to Martindale. The boundary here is made by Howegrain Beck which carries the waters of Bannerdale and Rampsgill Dale to the lake at Sandwick. Running off north west from the top of Steel Knotts is a truncated ridge which falls quickly over Birkies Knott to valley level. Here the Martindale road is crossed at The Coombes before the land rises again to

Hallin Fell Hallin Fell is a hill in the English Lake District surrounded on three sides by Ullswater. Topography The fell is a continuation of the ridge leading down from Steel Knotts, but the depression at The Hause is so profound that Hallin Fell appea ...

, overlooking Ullswater from its fine position between Sandwick and Howtown. Topographically Hallin Fell is the true continuation of Steel Knotts, although the eye naturally gives this distinction to the narrow ridge descending to Howtown.

Summit

Steel Knotts has a fine summit pinnacle which is named Pikeawassa. This provides a pleasant little scramble to finish a walk. The view of Martindale is very good with the

Helvellyn Helvellyn (; possible meaning: ''pale yellow moorland'') is a mountain in the English Lake District, the highest point of the Helvellyn range, a north–south line of mountains to the north of Ambleside, between the lakes of Thirlmere and Ulls ...

range also on display.

Alfred Wainwright Alfred Wainwright MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'', published ...

:''

A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells ''A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'' is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells (the local word for hills and mountains) of the Lake District in northwest England. Written over a period of 13 years from 1952, they ...

'', Book 2:

Ascents

The fell can be climbed from Howtown or from The Coombes and St Peter's church at the top of the horseshoes on the Martindale road. The ridge can also be reached just south of the summit from Martindale Old Church, or at Gowk Hill via Fusedale.

References

{{Far Eastern Fells Fells of the Lake District Martindale, Cumbria