Little Cockup

Tucked away in the quiet Northern Fells near Uldale, this modest Birkett serves as a gentle introduction to the rolling Uldale Fells. Often overlooked in favour of its larger neighbour, Great Cockup, it offers easy, grassy walking and surprising solitude away from the busier Skiddaw massif further south.

• •The name derives from the Old English 'cocc', referring to wild birds like the woodcock or black grouse, combined with 'hop', meaning a small valley or upland place; it identifies this area as a traditional lekking ground for moorland fowl.
• •While it lacks the status of a Wainwright, Bill Birkett included this minor summit in his definitive list of Lakeland peaks, identifying it as a distinct shoulder on the western ridge of Great Cockup.
• •From the summit, the view opens northwards over the Solway Plain, where the distinctive silhouette of Criffel is often visible across the water on the Dumfries and Galloway coastline.
• •The ascent is most commonly made from the hamlet of Orthwaite, following the bridleway towards Dash Falls before striking up the trackless but soft grassy slopes of the western ridge.
• •Despite its name suggesting a minor blunder, the hill serves as a very reliable navigational handrail for walkers aiming for the more substantial summit of Great Cockup during a mist-bound crossing of the Uldale Fells.