The Calf
The Calf at 677m (2,220ft) is a Nuttall, Marilyn and Hewitt in the Howgill Fells, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with Calders 1.1 km to the south-south-east and Bush Howe 1.3 km to the north-west.
Summit conditions on The Calf
On the summit on Saturday 24 October: 8° to 1°C, gusts to 61 mph, 25.2 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 The Calf
Choose the way up before the car park: these three routes start from three places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.
| Compared | Cautley Horseshoe | Western Howgills from Fairmile Road | Sedbergh to The Calf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts from | Cross Keys, Cautley (A683 layby) | Fairmile Road | Sedbergh, Joss Lane car park |
| Distance and climb | 14.65 km, 1,115 m of climb | 17.11 km, 1,045 m of climb | 18.34 km, 920 m of climb |
| Time, fast to steady | ~4¾–6½ h | ~5–7 h | ~5–7 h |
| Scrambling | Not mentioned in the route’s notes | Not mentioned in the route’s notes | Not mentioned in the route’s notes |
| Exposure | Not assessed | Not assessed | Not assessed |
| Navigation | Hard | Hard | Hard |
| Steepest stretch | Climb of about 47% at 2.2 km (Severe) | Descent of about 36% at 16.5 km (Severe) | Climb of about 35% at 1.4 km (Hard) |
| After the summit | Over Randygill Top, Kensgriff and Yarlside | Over Simon's Seat and Uldale Head | Over Bush Howe and Fell Head |
| Walked or planned | Planned: drawn, not yet walked | Planned: drawn, not yet walked | Planned: drawn, not yet walked |
| Car park at the start | Cross Keys, Cautley (A683 layby) | Unnamed roadside parking at 54.3762,-2.5720 (layby) | Sedbergh (paid) |
| Bus to the start | Not measured | Not measured | Not measured |
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 The Calf?
The shortest way up we hold is Cautley Horseshoe — 14.65 km, 1115 m of ascent, ~4¾–6½ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.
All axes: steepness: Severe · length: 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 677 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 24 Oct 2026, 20:18 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for The Calf
Parking for The Calf
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
1 more place to park near The Calf
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.
Getting to The Calf by bus
We don’t know yet. We don’t have a measured bus answer for this fell: the bus stops we hold are the Lake District’s, and this hill is outside it. That’s a gap in our data, not a sign that no bus comes here.
Hazards on The Calf
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 Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Take care while you’re here (opens in new tab) page covers walking in the Dales; AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.
Map and GPX
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Routes over The Calf
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
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 The Calf
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Sedbergh to The Calf route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
About The Calf
Classifications & hill data
Is The Calf a Wainwright?
No. The Wainwrights are the 214 fells of his seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, and The Calf is not one of them. It is on the Nuttall, Marilyn and Hewitt lists.
Selected lists
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 →