Untitled Document

Great Knoutberry Hill via Galloway Gate.

Start. Dent Station.

Route. Dent Station - Coal Road - Galloway Gate - Green Bank - Cross Wold - Arten Gill Moss - Great Knoutberry Hill - Pikes Moss - Green Bank - Galloway Gate - Coal Road - Dent Station.

Notes. At 2204ft Great Knoutberry Hill is the sixteenth highest hill in the Yorkshire Dales, a squat trig point marks the summit, fearlessly protected by boggy ground. For the rambler willing to brave the mires the views are stunning and, just to make things a little easier we used Dent Station as a steppingstone, at 1,150ft above sea level it can lay claim to being the highest main line station in England.

Things have changed at Dent Station since my last visit in 2016, the car park’s been tarmaced, a sign reads “for use of train passengers only, park between the lines”, as it was Sunday and hardly any trains run on Sundays I guessed it would be ok. The next time we tread these hills we’ll be parking at the junction of the Coal Road and Galloway Gate.

After parking between the lines we ascended the Coal Road as far as it’s junction with Galloway Gate, the Coal Road and Galloway Gate (track) were built to service 25 coal pits on the hillside above Dent Station, it makes for easy walking hugging the 1,650ft contour before descending to Arten Gill. Once at Arton Gill an old drove road we turned left, ascended to a stile that allowed access to bleak moorland slopes of Great Knoutberry Hill.

With a dry stone wall for company we climbed the hill, the going was slow, the ground soft under foot, a number of diversions were needed to avoid the really wet stuff. After what seemed ages we reached the summit, a squat trig point sitting in a deep puddle greeted us, to every point of the compass stunning vistas.

A boundary fence crosses the summit, our intended route was to follow the fence line, which we did until it guided us into a mire. With no way forward we left the fence, a compass bearing guided us over rough ground, across tussock grass, through peat hags and sphagnum moss eventually reaching a stone man (cairn) with stunning views over Dentdale. From this fine cairn we re-joined the fence line which in turn guided us down the hill depositing us on Galloway Gate, all that remained to re-trace our steps back to Dent Station.

view route map.

home.

Ascending the tarmac surface of the Coal Road looking over the slopes of Rise Hill to Castle Knott, Calf Top and Barkin Top.

Above Dent Station viewing the shadowed slopes of the Great Coum face of Crag Hill.

Stunning views over the mosses above Dentdale and Garsdale, the friendly hills of the Howgill Fells backed by a saw tooth skyline of Lakeland giants.

Sue strides out over the surface of Galloway Gate, to the right Whernside.

One of many magical views to be had down Dentdale on this walk.

Dentdale viewed from Galloway Gate, on the far horizon Calf Top with Rise Hill in sunlight to the right.

From the Green Bank section of Galloway Gate views to the vast desolation of Baugh Fell.

Seen over a pathless tract of wild moorland Aye Gill Pike and Rise Hill.

Cutting through the wilderness the reassuring green ribbon of Galloway Gate.

The broad grassy saddle of Wether Fell above Dodd Fell Hill, as seen on the descent to Arten Gill.

A ragged mattress of wild moorland, the ascent of Great Knoutberry Hill.

Looking back down our ascent route enjoying wonderful views over bleak moorland.

Rising above Widdale Wether Hill.

Ascending a reassuring path, guided by a dry stone wall, not far from the summit.

Breathtaking vistas from the summit of Great Knoutberry Hill, over the green fields of Wold Fell the plane of the Ribble Valley with Pen-y-ghent to the left and Ingleborough the right.