Bush Howe

About Bush Howe

Sitting on the high, grassy spine of the Howgill Fells between Calders and The Calf, this Nuttall offers the classic 'sleeping elephant' terrain the range is famous for. It overlooks the dramatic plunge of Cautley Crag, providing an exceptional vantage point for the Lakeland fells across the Lune Valley.

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Did You Know?

• •The name 'Howe' derives from the Old Norse haugr, meaning a hill or mound. While 'Bush' suggests shrubbery, the modern summit is a stark, wind-scoured grassy plateau characteristic of the smooth 'velvet' Howgill landscape.
• •Although Alfred Wainwright focused on the primary summits in his guides, he championed the ridge walk containing Bush Howe as the 'classic high-level walk' of the range, praising the springy turf that makes for exceptionally soft underfoot conditions.
• •It occupies a strategic position directly above Cautley Crag. From the summit area, you can look down into the glacial cirque of Cautley Holme Beck, which sits below England's highest cascading waterfall, Cautley Spout.
• •The view to the west offers a spectacular cross-section of the Lake District, where you can clearly identify the distinctive profile of the Langdale Pikes and the bulky silhouette of the Scafell massif across the M6 corridor.
• •Due to the lack of walls and the uniform green appearance of the steep slopes, the Howgills are one of the few places in the Dales where a map is less for finding the path and more for confirming which identical-looking valley you are currently staring into.