Home / Routes / Cockup at the White Hause and other Birketts

Written by Lee McCoy · Route guide updated 13 October 2026: ascent, time and summary changed · 171 of 214 Wainwrights with a Strava-matched summit

Severe distanceLoopPlanned

Cockup at the White Hause and other Birketts

23.91 km

Distance

~6¾–9½ h

Estimated time

~1316 m

Ascent

Summits

A long round on the northern fells over Great Cockup, Great Sca Fell, Knott and Little Calva — 23.9 km and 1,316 m, with a steepest sustained pull of about 27% on the short climb to Cockup. The distance is what makes it a full day: roughly 6¾–9½ hours of walking.

Start Orthwaite

Getting here Parking: Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: 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 this start. And the same back: about 28.9 km in all, with the walk. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓

Hardest part Severe distance: 23.91 km — a long day out.

Before you choose

The Cockup–White Hause–Little Cockup ground is pathless rough grazing and heather edge — expect fences and gates to dictate the line low down, and no trail underfoot higher up.

Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A route line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Download GPX →Planned route · not yet walked

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 3 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.

Steepest climb27% at km 17.6

Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →

Daylight & turnaround

Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.

Route map

OpenTopoMap

Elevation profile, shaded by steepness

1 Little Cockup2 Great Cockup3 Great Sca Fell4 Knott5 Burn Tod6 Little Calva7 Cockup8 Watches

Easy 86%Moderate 14%Hard <1%Severe

708 m

High point

214 m

Start height

Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.

The walk, stage by stage

1
Orthwaite → Little Cockup (4.8 km, 302 m)
Climb of about 302 m over 4.8 km (around 6% average).
Starting from the quiet, hedge-lined lanes near Orthwaite or Uldale, the route begins with a long, steady approach. You transition from agricultural tracks onto the open, grassy fellside. The 6% average gradient over nearly 5 km makes for a long, grinding warm-up rather than a steep shock. The path is often faint, relying on sheep trods through deep fell grass as you make your way onto the western nose of the ridge toward Little Cockup.
Waypoints
Start Point: Orthwaite / Uldale valley lanes (approx. NY 255 338). Intake Boundary: The transition from farmed pasture to open moorland. Little Cockup Summit (399 m): A modest, grassy Birkett marking the true start of the high ridge.
Decision point
Handrails: Boundary fencelines separating the fell from the valley enclosures act as a reliable guide during the lower sections. Visuals: Over Water (the small lake to the north-west) is a brilliant orientation marker over your left shoulder as you climb.
Easy to get wrong
Seasonal Hazards: The lower slopes are infested with deep bracken from late June to September, which completely obscures the faint tracks and makes early progress frustratingly slow. Terrain Fatigue: The sheer distance of this initial pull means you expend significant energy before even hitting the main peaks. The tussock grass is heavy and wet. Do not drift east into the deep ravine of Dead Beck; it is steep, pathless, and choked with vegetation.
If you need to get off
Retreat: Reverse your bearing west/north-west directly back down the grassy slopes to the valley road.
2
Little Cockup → Great Cockup (1.4 km, 133 m)
Climb of about 133 m over 1.4 km (around 10% average).
A superb, straightforward ridge walk. From Little Cockup, you head south-east along the broad, grassy spine. The 10% average gradient offers a healthy but manageable pull. The terrain here is much firmer and drier than the lower slopes, making for rapid, enjoyable progress.
Waypoints
The Connecting Ridge: The wide, sweeping saddle linking the two tops. Great Cockup Summit (526 m): A Wainwright summit, often marked by a modest pile of stones, offering expansive views north towards the Solway Firth.
Decision point
Handrails: The crest of the ridge is incredibly wide but obvious. Simply follow the highest ground south-east.
Easy to get wrong
Wind Exposure: These northern ridges act as a barrier to weather blowing in from the coast. Expect sudden, biting wind chill as you crest the ridge line. False Horizons: The broad, rounded nature of the fell means the summit frequently appears closer than it is. Do NOT bail directly east down the steep, pathless flanks towards the Trusmadoor pass unless you are highly experienced; the grass is incredibly slick and deposits you in a remote, marshy cleft.
If you need to get off
Retreat: Retrace your steps over Little Cockup to the Orthwaite road.
3
Great Cockup → Great Sca Fell (2.0 km, 214 m)
Descent of about 90 m, then a climb of about 214 m, over 2.0 km.
You now plunge into the wilder interior of the Northern Fells. Leaving Great Cockup, you must descend slightly to cross the high, remote col area (near White Hause) before launching into a steady 10% pull up the vast, featureless slopes of Great Sca Fell. The terrain transitions into a sprawling, often sodden expanse of peat, moss, and coarse grass.
Waypoints
The Col (White Hause vicinity): The damp depression separating the Cockup ridge from the central massif. Great Sca Fell Summit (651 m): A bleak, incredibly flat Wainwright summit.
Decision point
Fence Line: A dilapidated wire fence runs across the summit plateau of Great Sca Fell. Intercepting this is vital for orientation in poor visibility. Compass Bearings: Absolute discipline is required here. Shoot a strict bearing from the col to the summit.
Easy to get wrong
Bogs: The saddle crossing is notoriously wet. Expect black peat hidden under bright green sphagnum moss. Featureless Topography: Great Sca Fell is a massive, domed plateau. In thick clag, it is impossible to visually determine the highest point or your direction of travel. Bailing north from Great Sca Fell plunges you into the remote, boggy wilderness of the upper Whelpo Brook catchment, stranding you miles from your start point.
If you need to get off
Retreat: Reversing back to Great Cockup is the most logical exit.
4
Great Sca Fell → Knott (1.1 km, 71 m)
Climb of about 71 m over 1.1 km (around 6% average).
A high-level, desolate traverse between the two highest points in this sector. The gradient is a gentle 7%, but the ground is heavily scarred with peat hags. You are walking across the roof of the Back o' Skiddaw area—a vast, sky-dominated landscape.
Waypoints
The High Plateau: The connecting high ground between the peaks. Knott Summit (710 m): The highest point of the route, a Wainwright summit marked by a small cairn on a sprawling grassy plain.
Decision point
Handrails: Keep to the remnants of the old fence line, which generally guides you between the high points of this plateau.
Easy to get wrong
Peat Trenches: You will be forced to detour around or climb in and out of deep, eroded peat channels. This drastically slows your pace. Whiteout Disorientation: In fog, the ground drops away so gradually in every direction that you can easily walk a full circle without realizing it.
If you need to get off
Retreat: You are now deep in the interior. We have not checked a line down from here for this guide, so none is offered here. The way back is the way you came, over Great Sca Fell.
5
Knott → Burn Tod (1.4 km, 8 m)
Descent of about 110 m over 1.4 km.
Leaving the high Wainwrights, the route descends west into utter wilderness. You drop off Knott towards the remote Birkett of Burn Tod. OSM maps a path for most of this stage (not the last 0.15 km to Burn Tod), though on the ground it may be faint; the terrain is dominated by deep heather, underlying rocks, and significant bogs as you enter the upper catchments of the Caldew system.
Waypoints
Knott's western flank: The descent line, on a path OSM maps (it may be faint on the ground). Burn Tod Summit (approx. 595 m): A lonely, isolated Birkett rising slightly out of the surrounding marsh.
Decision point
Compass & Pacing: Burn Tod is a subtle bump. In clag, you must pace your descent from Knott, or you will walk straight past it into the valley.
Easy to get wrong
Rough Wilderness: OSM maps a path here, but on the ground it may be faint. You are high-stepping through deep, energy-draining vegetation. Hidden Hazards: The heather completely conceals deep holes, loose rocks, and drainage channels. Watch your ankles. Do NOT continue descending east or south-east into the River Caldew gorge. It is an agonizingly long, wet, pathless trap that cuts you off completely from your transport.
If you need to get off
Retreat: Re-ascend Knott. It is exhausting, but keeps you on the high ground.
6
Burn Tod → Little Calva (2.6 km, 262 m)
Climb of about 262 m over 2.6 km (around 10% average).
A brutal, grueling traverse across the most notorious bogs in the Northern Fells. You must cross the marshy headwaters of Wiley Gill/Burntod and execute a steep, 10% average pull up the northern flanks of Little Calva. This section will test your resolve.
Waypoints
Wiley Gill Catchment: The heavily bogged valley floor. Little Calva North Flank: The steep pull out of the bogs. Little Calva Summit (642 m): A flat, wet plateau marked by a small pile of stones.
Decision point
Fence Line: A fence line crosses the Little Calva plateau, acting as a superb catch feature once you reach the top.
Easy to get wrong
The Black Bogs: The crossing between Burn Tod and Little Calva is infamous. You will sink. Exhaustion: Hauling yourself out of the bogs and immediately up a 262 m climb is the physical crux of the route.
If you need to get off
Retreat: There are no good bails here. Pushing up to Little Calva sets you up for an easier return via the western edges than trying to retreat back over the Knott massif.
7
Little Calva → Cockup (4.5 km, 237 m)
Descent of about 380 m, then a climb of about 237 m, over 4.5 km.
A long stage that leaves the high ground, drops to the floor of the Dash valley and climbs out again to Cockup. From Little Calva, head west-north-west down pathless slopes, passing close to White Hause, then west and south-west down towards Whitehause Gill to meet a track near Dash Farm at about 310 m. Follow the track west to the lowest point of the stage, about 270 m, where it crosses Halls Beck. Join the Cumbria Way bridleway for a short way, crossing Dead Beck, then climb west and south-west on a path, with a wall close by for the last part, to about 380 m. From there the route makes a short out-and-back to the top of Cockup.
Waypoints
White Hause: Passed about 80 m away on the pathless descent from Little Calva. Dash Farm: Where the descent meets the valley track. Halls Beck: The low point of the stage, about 270 m, where the track crosses the beck. Dead Beck: Crossed on the Cumbria Way bridleway, and again about 150 m further on. Cockup Summit: A short out-and-back from the path.
Decision point
Handrails: From Dash Farm, the valley track, then the Cumbria Way bridleway, then a path with a wall close by for the last 400 m or so before the turn up to Cockup.
Easy to get wrong
Distance Fatigue: A 4.5 km stage that loses about 380 m and then climbs back out, on tired legs, will feel endless. The first 2 km, down from Little Calva, are pathless.
If you need to get off
Retreat: We have not checked a way out along the Dash valley for this guide, so none is offered here.
8
Cockup → Watches (3.1 km, 52 m)
Descent of about 218 m, then a climb of about 52 m, over 3.1 km.
The route now begins to wind down. Leaving the main grassy mass of Cockup, you drop and contour across relatively easy, rolling fellside toward the minor Birkett of Watches. The 40 m of ascent is barely noticeable spread over 3.1 km.
Waypoints
The Lower Moorland: The transition from the high fells back toward the agricultural boundary. Watches Summit (333 m): A highly distinct Birkett. Unlike the rounded grassy domes behind you, Watches features uncharacteristically sharp, exposed rocky outcrops.
Decision point
Visual Target: The sharp rocky prow of Watches stands out clearly against the lower grassy slopes in good visibility.
Easy to get wrong
Ankle-Breaker Terrain: As you drop lower, the bracken returns. Hidden amongst it around Watches are sharp, loose scree rocks—a nasty surprise on tired legs.
If you need to get off
Retreat: You are now adjacent to the valley floor. We have not checked a line down from here for this guide, so none is offered here; the route itself continues to the valley lanes.
Watches → Finish (3.0 km, 38 m)
Descent of about 123 m over 3.0 km.
The final descent off the fells. You leave the rocky outcrops of Watches and drop down through deep bracken and fell grass to reach the intake walls. The route then merges onto agricultural tracks and quiet country lanes, delivering a flat, easy walk back to your vehicle.
Waypoints
Watches Descent Spur: The grassy line dropping to the valley. Intake Wall / Farm Gates: The return to enclosed land. Valley Lanes: The tarmac finish back to Orthwaite/Uldale. Finish Point: Starting parking area.
Decision point
Handrails: Once you hit the intake wall, simply keep it on your right (or left, depending on your exit gate) until it funnels you onto the farm tracks. Visuals: The valley road network is entirely visible from Watches.
Easy to get wrong
Deep Mud: The farm tracks immediately after leaving the open fell are heavily churned by tractors and livestock. Expect deep, unavoidable mud pits. Road Walking: Be cautious of fast-moving local farm traffic on the narrow, blind bends of the valley lanes.
If you need to get off
Retreat: This is the final walk-out. Simply follow the tracks and lanes back to the start.

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked

Summits bagged (8)

1Little Cockup399 mNorthern · Birkett
2Great Cockup526 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
3Great Sca Fell651 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
4Knott710 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn, Hewitt
5Burn Tod595 mNorthern · Birkett
6Little Calva642 mNorthern · Birkett, Synge
7Cockup505 mNorthern · Birkett, Synge
8Watches333 mNorthern · Birkett, Synge

In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.

Keep to the built line. The notes on this route mention eroded or braided ground. Where it is mud or standing water, walk through the puddle rather than round it, stay on the pitched stone even where it is a staircase you would rather not use, take the zig-zags the long way, leave loose stones and cross-drains where they lie, and build no cairns. Deep or moving water is a different question — turn back or take the safest way past rather than wade for the sake of a path. Fix the Fells’ volunteers keep these paths: what a metre costs, and how to give a day or a few pounds.

Conditions and timing

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.

When the sun reaches the tops

Not sunrise — the moment the sun clears the skyline from that summit, which on a fell with high ground to its east can be a good deal later.

Great Cockup — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late March — about half an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 09:00.
Great Sca Fell — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Knott — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.

How to read these times

The two equinoxes are shown because they fall in the walking season, and late December too wherever a top keeps you waiting then; the clock gap between the equinoxes is British Summer Time, not the hill. Rounded to the nearest quarter hour and meant as a general idea, not a schedule.

Modelled from a 30 m elevation model against each summit’s own skyline — the same figures the fell pages carry, never observed. Cloud is not in it.

Getting there and back

Parking

Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)

Dash Falls track — Bakestall, Great Calva, Skiddaw the quiet way.

Directions Something changed here?

Orthwaite Bank (layby) — 0.8 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Orthwaite Bank (0.7 km), Little Cockup (1.2 km), Cockup (1.8 km). Free (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Watches (layby) — 1.9 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Watches (0.7 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

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.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

If the parking is full

There is a fallback here, but it is a weak one. Some of the 3 below tend to fill for the same reasons at the same time. Treat the list as one-and-a-bit options rather than 3.

Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) — at the start
Watches (layby) — joins the loop at about km 21.9 of 23.9: a 230 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
Orthwaite Bank (layby) — joins the loop at about km 0.9 of 23.9: a 40 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there

We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.

No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.

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 this start — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 28.9 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.

The 554 passes this route at 21.6 km (Bassenthwaite, at High Side, 440 m off the line).

Stagecoach X4 / X5

Penrith – Rheged – Threlkeld – Keswick – Braithwaite – Cockermouth – Workington

Catch it from: Penrith

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.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.

Toilets and refreshments

The essentials

Arrival Roadside parking at Peter House Farm, beside the start: free, with room for about five cars, as mapped. 5 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (our parking map, from OpenStreetMap, checked 2 August 2026)
Toilets No toilets are mapped within 250 m of the start. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
Refreshments No café or pub is mapped within 250 m of the start: bring what you need. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
Limitation A full day of 23.9 km and about 1,280 m. The ground round Cockup and White Hause is pathless rough grazing and heather, with no trail underfoot higher up. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 2 October 2026)

No mapped drinking water or shelter on this route — that doesn’t mean there is none, and never drink untreated from a beck. (Facilities data © OpenStreetMap contributors.)

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Planning detail

How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.

Difficulty profile

Severe overall — hardest: Length; terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground

LengthSevere23.91 km — a long day out.

SteepnessHardSteepest sustained climb about 27% around the 17.6 km mark.

TerrainNot assessedThe map holds no grading for what is underfoot on this line, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the ground is assessed.

NavigationModerateNo large featureless ground on the map; carry a map and compass for cloud. Moderate – estimated from the map, not checked on the ground

ExposureNot assessedNot assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. Graded from slope only (~45% max); treat exposure as unverified. Exposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) needs the ground, so a map estimate is not given a grade here and does not count towards the overall grade.

Five independent axes, not one score. None of them was set on the ground: they are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.

How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.

Pacing

Summit	Cumulative	Ascent	Time (fast–steady)
1Little Cockup	4.8 km	302 m	1:28–1:57
2Great Cockup	6.2 km	435 m	1:58–2:37
3Great Sca Fell	8.2 km	649 m	2:43–3:37
4Knott	9.3 km	719 m	3:03–4:04
5Burn Tod	10.7 km	728 m	3:21–4:28
6Little Calva	13.3 km	989 m	4:19–5:44
7Cockup	17.8 km	1226 m	5:37–7:28
8Watches	20.9 km	1278 m	6:19–8:23
Finish	23.9 km	1316 m	6:59–9:17

A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?

Dog

Mostly gates

Buggy

Not buggy-able

Knees

Tough descent

Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
Knees: A long, steep ~45% drop over 250 m around the 17.8 km mark — hard on the knees.

With a dog

Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground (estimated from the map). The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 27% around the 17.6 km mark.

Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. Graded from slope only (~45% max); treat exposure as unverified.
Stiles and gates: A stile of unmapped type at 13.0 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 26 July 2026)
Rock and scrambling: Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.

On the line: 10 gates · 1 step-over stile · 1 stile (type unmapped)

Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 26 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Places to stay near this start

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 the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

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