Great Cockup

About Great Cockup

Standing as an outlier of the Uldale group, this grassy Wainwright offers a quieter experience than the nearby Skiddaw massif. Its broad, gentle slopes provide a straightforward ascent from Orthwaite, rewarding walkers with an unobstructed northern perspective across the Solway Firth towards the distant hills of Galloway.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is likely derived from the Old English 'cocc' (woodcock) and 'hop' (a secluded valley). It originally referred to the hollow between this fell and its neighbour, Meal Fell, where these birds were once common, before the name was eventually applied to the summit itself.
• •Alfred Wainwright, who included this in his Northern Fells guide, described the hill as a place of 'peace and quietness.' He noted that it is rarely visited, meaning the only company a walker is likely to encounter is a few grazing sheep.
• •The summit offers a specific, close-up perspective of the massive northern scree slopes of Bakestall and the deep-cut valley of Dash Beck, a view of the Skiddaw range that remains unseen by most tourists.
• •To the southwest of the main summit lies a minor subsidiary top known as Little Cockup, which provides an even better vantage point for looking down into the valley of Orthwaite.
• •While its name often prompts a smirk from first-time visitors, the fell’s gentle, heathery terrain and lack of technical ground mean that a literal 'cock-up' is statistically less likely here than on almost any other Lakeland peak.