Kisdon

Kisdon
Kisdon seen from the Pennine Way above Keld
Highest point
Elevation	499 m (1,637 ft)
Prominence	c.184 m
Parent peak	Great Shunner Fell
Listing	Marilyn
Coordinates	54°23′37″N2°09′31″W
Naming
Language of name	Old Norse
Geography
Kisdon Yorkshire Dales,England
Parent range	Pennines
OS grid	SD898998
Topo map	OSLandrangers92, 98 OSExplorerOutdoor Leisure 30

Kisdon,also calledKisdon Hill,is afellsituated in upperSwaledalein theYorkshire Dales National ParkinNorth Yorkshire,England.

Geography and history

Kisdon was named by early Norse settlers and it has Kisdon Farm on the southern slopes above Straw Beck. The Fell is unusual in that it is an isolated area of high ground with no ridges connecting it to other fells. This came about at the end of the lastIce agewhen themoraineleft by the retreatingglacierblocked the original course of theRiver Swaleon the west side of the fell and diverted it to its present course, forming a gorge to the east and leaving Kisdon isolated from other high ground. Kisdon's isolation gives it the status of aMarilyneven though it has only a modest height of 499 metres (1636 feet).

Another unusual feature of Kisdon is that it has no official footpath to the highest point even though it is crossed by two busy rights of way high up on the fell. One of these is thePennine Waybetween the hamlets of Thwaite andKeld,which reaches a height of 420 metres on the eastern shoulder of the fell, while thebridlewaybetween Keld andMuker,also known as the Old Corpse Road because it was formerly used as acorpse roadto transport bodies for burial in consecrated ground lower down the valley, crosses the fell on the western side at a height of 470 metres. Kisdon lies within a band of Yoredale limestone. It is on Kisdon that the band attains its maximum thickness of 40 metres.

Kisdon's 2.5-metre-high (8.2 ft) summit cairn.

Ascent and summit

The fell is crossed by many high wire-topped dry-stone walls, which can make attaining the highest point of the fell awkward. Routes to the summit start at Muker, Thwaite and Keld and the bridleway should be used to attain the summit plateau where it joins a high wall that can be followed north to the summit of the fell, which is marked by a substantialcairn,although the highest point seems to be a few metres east of it. 100 metres east of the summit is a five-metre-deepshake hole,which is marked on theOrdnance Surveymap as a pothole, so the depression may go much deeper on closer investigation.

The grass- and heather-covered summit gives a good all-round view, with the bulk ofRogan's Seatincluding the great gash of Swinner Gill dominating to the east whileGreat Shunner FellandLovely Seat,with the Buttertubs Pass in between, show well to the south-west. To conclude the day walkers can descend eastwards to the Pennine Way and see the impressive waterfalls around Keld, namelyKisdon Force,East Gill Force,Catrake ForceandWain Wath Force.

Scar Closes, Kisdon Side SSSI

The western side of Kisdon has been designated as aSite of Special Scientific Interest(SSSI) over an area of 3.7 hectares since 1988. The SSSI takes the form of four grazed enclosures with the combination ofCalcareousgrassland growing on limestone rock supporting exceptional and varied botanical species. The steepest of the enclosures has a considerable population ofJuniperus communis(common juniper), which has survived since the lastice ageand appears to be regenerating. Other species includeSesleria albicans(blue moor grass),Carex pulicaris(flea sedge),Galium sterneri(limestone bedstraw),Orchis mascula(early purple orchid) andPrimula vulgaris(primrose).