About Great Cockup

Great Cockup is a fell in the northern region of the English Lake District, one of the four Uldale Fells (the others being Longlands Fell, Great Sca Fell and Meal Fell).

The fell is known as "Great" to distinguish it from its smaller neighbour Little Cockup (height 395 metres / 1296  feet) which lies on its north western shoulder overlooking the hamlet of Orthwaite.

The fell's name originates from the Old English language, a combination of the words "cocc" and "hop" where hop means a secluded valley and cocc means a Woodcock. So the translation is probably "Larger fell above the secluded valley where Woodcock are found".

The fell's name quite often causes amusement because of its slight rudeness and reference to sexual slang. The fell's unusual name has also been adopted for a local beer brewed by the Hesket Newmarket Brewery, called "Great Cockup Porter" a dark coloured stout with an ABV of 3.3%.

The fell has a series of stone built grouse butts 500 metres west of the summit, some of which have been dismantled leaving just the foundations in the ground and can be confusing to walkers as to their original purpose.

The lower southern slope of the fell has a large, isolated boulder which is marked on large scale maps, this is thought to have been left by a retreating glacier. The fell has also yielded some rare fossils found on the slopes.

The view from the summit is dominated by a good view of Skiddaw’s northern slopes while there is an excellent open outlook towards the Scottish Borders.

Great Cockup is almost always ascended from the hamlet of Orthwaite following the bridleway up Hause Gill for two kilometres and then leaving it and ascending Great Cockup's steep southern slopes to the summit.

A direct ascent over Little Cockup is possible but the bracken can be thick at certain times of the year.

Great Cockup is linked to Meal Fell, 1.5 kilometres to the east, by the pass of Trusmadoor.