691 m · Wainwright — Northern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.
Wainwright — Northern FellsAlso a Birkett
Great Calva
Great Calva at 690m (2,264ft) is an isolated summit in the heart of the Back o' Skiddaw country, its rounded top giving wide, spacious views across a landscape that feels genuinely remote.
691 mWainwright — Northern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+7 bonus Birketts within 3 km🌫️ Straightforward in cloud
Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast
Modelled guidance for the 691 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 13° to 7°C, gusts to 40 mph, 14.3 mm of rain forecast.
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
13° / 7°
💨 40 mph
🌧 14.3 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
13° / 8°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.1 mm (10%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
15° / 10°
💨 36 mph
🌧 3.7 mm (94%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌦️
14° / 8°
💨 34 mph
🌧 4.2 mm (94%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
10° / 7°
💨 28 mph
🌧 4.2 mm (39%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌧️
10° / 7°
💨 38 mph
🌧 15.9 mm (84%)
Fri 18 Sep
🌧️
10° / 7°
💨 38 mph
🌧 12.3 mm (75%)
Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 20:59 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 691 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.
Photo: Mick Knapton, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Great Calva at 690m (2,264ft) is an isolated summit in the heart of the Back o' Skiddaw country, its rounded top giving wide, spacious views across a landscape that feels genuinely remote. Wainwright described the Back o' Skiddaw as Lakeland at its most lonely and spacious — the very antithesis of the crowded tourist paths to the south. The ascent from Caldbeck or Orthwaite crosses open moorland. Combined naturally with Knott for a Back o' Skiddaw circuit. The views north towards the Solway are distinctive.
Routes up Great Calva
Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.
Great Calva is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list and the HuMP list.
Where do you park for Great Calva?
We hold no car park within 2.5 km of the summit, so there is no short walk-in to recommend here. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.
Parking & buses for Great Calva
Best parking to hike Great Calva
Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).
Round Knott (verge) — 3.8 km from summit (straight line)
Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Getting to Great Calva by bus
The X4 stops at Bassenthwaite, opposite High Side Farm. From there it is 2.5 km and 142 m of ascent to the start of Birketts North of Skiddaw — a walk in before the walk. Last bus: Monday to Friday 20:28 towards Workington (X4) and 18:13 towards Wigton (554) and 09:09 towards Carlisle (553); Saturday 20:43 towards Wigton (554) and 20:28 towards Workington (X4) and 18:24 towards Carlisle (553); Sunday 18:24 towards Carlisle (553) and 16:23 towards Wigton (554). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Year-round, every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday between Penrith and Keswick and hourly on Sundays, from outside Penrith station. One ticket from any station on the West Coast Main Line to Keswick includes this bus: search for ‘Keswick Bus (KWK)’ when you book the train. From Penrith this is your way into Keswick and the Northern fells — Threlkeld/Scales stops serve Blencathra directly, Braithwaite serves the Coledale fells.
No hazard card for this fell. The usual open-fell rules apply: check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected.
Navigating Great Calva in cloud
Straightforward
A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.
In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.
How Great Calva compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.
Nearest parking: Round Knott (verge), about 3.8 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.
Birketts near Great Calva (within 3 km)
These Birkett tops are notWainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.
⚠️ Warnings: The middle third (Hare Crag to Little Calva and beyond) is trackless deep heather — some of the roughest going in the Northern Fells. Budget far more time than the distance suggests.
A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.
drag to pan · arrow keys
What you can see from Great Calva, by direction
South-east: Atkinson Pike (4 km), Gategill Fell Top (5 km), Knowe Crags (5 km), Blencathra (5 km)
South: Raise (15 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (16 km), Helvellyn (17 km), Ullscarf (19 km), Glaramara (21 km), Low White Stones (21 km), Looking Steads (22 km), High Raise (22 km), Green Gable (22 km), Codale Head (22 km), Great Gable (22 km), Sergeant Man (22 km), Allen Crags (23 km), Great End (24 km), Esk Pike (24 km), Lingmell (24 km), Broad Crag (25 km), Ill Crag (25 km), Scafell Pike (25 km), Bowfell (25 km), Scafell (26 km), Crinkle Crags (26 km), Crinkle Crags (27 km), Wetherlam (30 km), Great Carrs (30 km), Swirl How (31 km), Great How (31 km), The Old Man of Coniston (33 km)
South-west: Broad End (3 km), Skiddaw North Top (4 km), Skiddaw (4 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (4 km), Skiddaw South Top (4 km), Jenkin Hill (4 km), Skiddaw Little Man (4 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (4 km)
On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Merrick (102 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (96 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (109 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (87 km, Scotland), Corserine (97 km, Scotland), Windlestraw Law (112 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (97 km, Scotland), Tinto (109 km, Scotland).
Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.
Great Calva waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when the sun is up for 21 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 08:55 against an almanac sunrise of 08:34. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-east from here (136.3°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.0°.
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First light
Almanac sunrise
Difference
Midsummer
04:30 BST ±5.0 min
04:36
-6 min
Equinox
06:15 GMT ±5.0 min
06:15
—
Midwinter
08:55 GMT ±5.0 min
08:34
+21 min
A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.32°).
Last light — when the sun leaves Great Calva
Great Calva loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 February, when last light is 31 minutes before almanac sunset — 16:20 against 16:51. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (234.7°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.46°.
The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last light
Almanac sunset
Difference
Midsummer
21:58 BST ±5.0 min
21:54
+4 min
Equinox
18:32 GMT ±5.0 min
18:26
+6 min
Midwinter
15:25 GMT ±5.0 min
15:48
-23 min
Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Great Calva. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes. These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.
What you can see from Great Calva
On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
37Wainwrights in view+12 marginal
103 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick · possible under favourable refraction
1Sea in viewSolway Firth
🌐 On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland.
How Great Calva’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.
Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.
Both routes off this start are ~23 km loops of 6.7-7 hours whose own warnings say the middle is trackless deep heather and pathless rough grazing. That makes wet boots the certainty, and Bassenfell is the ONLY property in the whole 4.83 km radius whose page names a drying room. It also parks 21 cars, has a ground-floor en-suite bedroom, and runs its own walking weeks - the September Walking Week 2026 blocks 14-19 September on its own availability calendar.
It is an outdoor-activity centre run by a charity, and its dining room seats seventy-five people looking straight out over Bassenthwaite Lake.
Drying room“Drying Room and Laundry Space to dry wet coats and shoes.”
Family rooms“Accommodation 68 Bed spaces in 19 Bedrooms on 3 floors. Rooms range from twin/double up to 6 people each with en-suite or a private bathroom.”
Evening meal“Friendly relaxed atmosphere, comfy accommodation, great food, and quality leadership are the hallmarks of our holiday weeks.”
Parking“Parking Car park space for up to 21 cars.”
Children“A wonderful venue for residential groups whether adults, children, youth or mixed ages.”
The check-in window runs to ten at night, which is the single most useful arrival fact in this cluster: both routes off this start are seven-hour days over trackless heather and finishing late is the norm, not the exception. Free cots and high chairs, and a note that early arrivals can dump the car and wander, cover the other end of the day.
Worth knowing: “One dog is allowed provided all doggy rules are followed. All dog hairs should be removed before the cottage is vacated. Dogs are not allowed in bedrooms or on furniture and must not be left unattended in the cottage. Dogs MUST be on a lead in the communal courtyard”
Guests are invited to let the ducks out of their shed in the morning and keep the eggs, and the cottages were called Loft Holiday Cottages before they were named after the ducks.
Dogs“One dog is allowed provided all doggy rules are followed. All dog hairs should be removed before the cottage is vacated. Dogs are not allowed in bedrooms or on furniture and must not be left unattended in the cottage. Dogs MUST be on a lead in the communal courtyard”
Family rooms“Jemima's Cottage sleeps up to 5 in 2 bedrooms and Rebecca's Cottage sleeps up to 2 in 1 bedroom.”
Parking“Early arrivals can always leave their car and go for a wander or take their car and go and explore the local area.”
Children“Cots and high chairs are available free of charge but must be requested in advance of arrival.”
The only property in this cluster with a fetchable page, and it answers most of what a family arriving off Carrock Fell needs: a child-capable room with its own capacity stated, its own parking yard, an EV charger, picnic food on site and a breakfast that does not tie you to a sitting. It is also 260 m from the start and names the exact fells these two routes climb. The two things it will not do - dogs, and any child outside The Grainery Suite - are both stated in its own words.
Worth knowing: “Sorry we do not take DOGS or offer help the farmer or work experience days”
The farm runs a set of free extras aimed squarely at children, and they are seasonal in a way that clashes: the lambing shed opens to guests mid-March to April with a live camera into it, while the sheepdog demonstration stops for exactly those two months. Year-round there is a bag of corn for the hens and egg collecting with JoAnne Fell, a walks leaflet with a sheep identification quiz, and cameras on the farm's own badger sett, nest boxes and cow shed viewable on a borrowed guest tablet.
Family rooms“Sleeps 2 adults + 2 children.”
Packed lunch“Picnics available.”
Parking“Mosedale End Farm is a traditional Lake District white farm house and is set back off the road, behind its own private yard where you may park your car.”
Recorded so nobody mistakes it for accommodation and nobody misses that it exists. It is an unlocked, unbookable, unstaffed shelter at around 600m with a sleeping platform, no stove, no water mentioned and no toilet mentioned - useless to a family arriving by car, and the only roof on the high ground between the fells these two routes cross. Its page also fixes it precisely: 'Grid Ref: LR89: NY 311 335'.
The hut is a mine building twice repurposed. It was put up for miners at Carrock Mine - the tungsten mine below - then moved uphill after the mine closed to serve as a shooting box; in the 1960s the Friends' Quaker boarding school at Wigton leased it as an outdoor base and fitted the sleeping platform, and after the school closed the Lake District National Park maintained it until the Mountain Bothies Association took it on and refurbished it in 2017.
What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).
Frequently asked questions about Great Calva
Is Great Calva a hard walk?
The climb is short and steep and the summit is easy, but the ground around it is the slowest kind of walking: deep heather, peat and few paths, out in the empty back country behind Skiddaw.
Our round with Knott is 17.6 km with 656 m of ascent — note how little climbing that is for the distance, which tells you where the effort actually goes. Taken with Carrock Fell and High Pike it is 21.0 km and 826 m. Come here for solitude, and allow longer than the numbers imply.
