Little Calva
Little Calva (642 m / 2,107 ft) is a Birkett (one of the 541 tops in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells), in the Northern Fells. It also features on the Synge list.
Summit conditions on Little Calva
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 11° to 5°C, gusts to 61 mph, 15.3 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Routes up Little Calva
Both start from Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) (free); the last two rows give its parking and bus. Full maps further down.
| Compared | Birketts North of Skiddaw | Cockup at the White Hause and other Birketts |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) (free) | Orthwaite |
| Distance and climb | 23.02 km, 1,472 m of climb | 23.91 km, 1,316 m of climb |
| Time, fast to steady | ~7–9½ h | ~6¾–9½ h |
| Scrambling | Not mentioned in the route’s notes | Not mentioned in the route’s notes |
| Exposure | Not assessed | Not assessed |
| Navigation | Hard | Moderate |
| Steepest stretch | Descent of about 31% at 19.8 km (Hard) | Climb of about 27% at 17.6 km (Hard) |
| After the summit | No further tops | Over Cockup and Watches |
| Walked or planned | Planned: drawn, not yet walked | Planned: drawn, not yet walked |
| Car park at the start | Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) (free) | Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) (free) |
| Bus to the start | X4, 2.5 km walk from Bassenthwaite, opposite High Side Farm | X4, 2.5 km walk from Bassenthwaite, opposite High Side Farm |
Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.
Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →
How hard is Little Calva?
The shortest way up we hold is Birketts North of Skiddaw — 23.02 km, 1472 m of ascent, ~7–9½ h. On our scale its hardest axis is distance — Severe.
All axes: length: Severe · steepness: Hard · terrain: Hard · navigation: Hard · exposure: Not assessed.
These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →
Conditions and 7-day summit forecast
Modelled for the 642 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for Little Calva
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
Positions are approximate.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
Buses
The 553, 554 and X4 stop 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 route we rate Severe overall (hardest: distance) — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 28.1 km in all, with the walk. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Carlisle (553): Saturday and Sunday 18:24 only. Towards Wigton (554): Tuesday to Friday 18:13; Saturday 20:43; Sunday 16:23. Towards Workington (X4): Tuesday to Saturday 20:28 only. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Hazards on Little Calva
Notes from a planned route, not walked: Birketts North of Skiddaw
- 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.
If you need to get off (the leg from Frozen Fell): Retreat: No escape from this stage has been checked for this guide; the route's own line goes on over Little Calva to the start.
Quoted from the route page of a planned route, drawn from the map and not yet walked: its warnings and the note for the leg that reaches Little Calva.
We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.
If you need Mountain Rescue
Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.
Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.
Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.
If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.
From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).
Map, GPX and nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Birketts within 3 km of Little Calva
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.
Routes over Little Calva
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.
On the hill: terrain and water on Little Calva
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Birketts North of Skiddaw route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
About Little Calva
Classifications & hill data
Is Little Calva a Wainwright?
Little Calva is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list and the Synge list.
Selected lists
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →
Places to stay near this fell
- Bassenfell Manor Christian Centre (opens in new tab) hostelabout 3.1 km
- Puddleduck Cottages (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.9 km
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).