The Calf

About The Calf

Rising above Sedbergh as the highest point of the velvety Howgill Fells, this massive, grassy plateau offers a sharp contrast to the nearby Lakeland peaks. The ascent via Cautley Spout provides sudden drama, leading to a summit where vast, rolling ridges stretch away like a huddle of sleeping giants.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is likely derived from the Old Norse 'kalfr', a term often used in Northern England to describe a smaller hill sitting alongside a larger mass, though here it ironically designates the highest point in the range.
• •Alfred Wainwright was particularly fond of these hills, describing the ridge walk from Sedbergh to The Calf as the 'classic' high-level route of the Howgills and famously likening the landscape to a 'huddle of sleeping giants'.
• •The summit panorama is extensive; a clear day reveals a twenty-mile skyline of the Lake District fells to the west and the distinct silhouettes of the Yorkshire Three Peaks—Ingleborough, Whernside, and Pen-y-ghent—to the south-east.
• •Many walkers combine the summit with a visit to Cautley Spout on the eastern flank, which is England’s highest above-ground waterfall, dropping nearly 200 metres down a dramatic glacial cliff.
• •The Howgills are unique in the Pennines for their almost total lack of stone walls, fences, and scree, offering miles of uninterrupted, springy turf that is exceptionally kind to the knees but offers nowhere to hide from the wind.