Great Calva | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 690 m (2,260 ft) |
Prominence | c. 142 m (470 ft) |
Parent peak | Knott |
Listing | Wainwright, Hewitt, Nuttall |
Coordinates | 54°40′08″N3°06′07″W / 54.669°N 3.102°W |
Geography | |
Location | Cumbria, England |
Parent range | Lake District, Northern Fells |
OS grid | NY291312 |
Topo map | OS Explorer OL4 |
Name | Grid ref | Height | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Little Calva | NY282314 | 642 m (2,106 ft) | Nuttall |
Great Calva is a fell in the Lake District, England. It is in the Northern Fells, lying roughly at the centre of this region of high ground. As a result, it is distant from roads and quite remote by Lakeland standards. Great Calva stands at the head of a major geological fault running through the centre of the Lake District, and so from the summit it is possible to see all the way south over Thirlmere. The subsidiary summit of Little Calva lies to the west.
Skiddaw and Blencathra are the best known of the Northern Fells, fronting the range as they loom above Keswick and the road to Penrith. Behind this wall is a further group of fells, commonly referred to as Back o' Skiddaw. [1] [2] This group is centred upon Knott and Great Calva is its southernmost top.
To the south of Great Calva, at the centre of the Northern Fells, is Skiddaw Forest. Confusingly this Forest contains no trees, —other than the windbreak of Skiddaw House — but is a marshy upland area at around 1,300 feet (400 m) surrounded on all sides by higher fells. Three streams flow from Skiddaw Forest, dividing the Northern Fells into three sectors. Dash Beck runs north west, the River Caldew north east and the River Glenderaterra south. The three groups of fells can conveniently be thought of as the Skiddaw massif, the Blencathra group and Back O'Skiddaw. The single building in Skiddaw Forest is Skiddaw House which has variously seen service as a shepherds' bothy and a Youth Hostel.
Great Calva appears from Skiddaw Forest as a steep sided pyramid, clad predominantly in heather. The summit is a curving ridge one-half-mile (800 m) long, with Great Calva at the eastern end and Little Calva to the west. The ridge itself is extremely wet underfoot. From between the two tops, Dead Beck runs down into Candleseaves Bog, the source of both the Caldew and Dash Beck. Great Calva has a prominent southern spur, around which the Caldew flows before steering north east for the Eden Valley. In a strict topographical sense Candleseaves Bog is the connection between Great Calva and Skiddaw, but it could hardly be described as a ridge route.
Running north east from Little Calva is a ridge which drops to a col at 1,797 feet (548 m), before rising up the flanks of Knott. There are a couple of small tarns on the Great Calva side of the depression. From the col Wiley Gill runs south east to join the Caldew and Hause Gill flows westward to Dash Beck.
Little Calva sends out a further descending ridge to the north west, running alongside Dash Beck. A series of spurs named Black Nettle Hause, Little Nettle Hause and White Hause drop toward the river. Between Black Nettle Hause and Birkett Edge on Bakestall the beck reaches Whitewater Dash, a fine series of waterfalls.
A cairn stands at the top of the south ridge with another a little to the north at the highest point. The remains of an old fence runs between the two. A few yards east of the summit a stone windshelter has been constructed. There is some rock in evidence but grass and heather predominate. [1]
The view southward, particularly from the lower cairn is unexpectedly good. Looking directly down the Glenderaterra Valley and the Vale of St John, the gap gives an unimpeded view as far as Loughrigg and Steel Fell. Additionally above the flanks of Lonscale Fell Great Gable and the Scafells appear. The nearer fells by contrast turn their backs upon Great Calva, the northward vista being less inspiring. [1]
Great Calva is mainly covered in heather, which makes walking relatively difficult. Approaching from the northwest, one can take the bridleway between Great Cockup and Little Calva from Orthwaite to reach the col between Knott and the summit. Alternatively, Great Calva can be climbed up the pathless south ridge from Skiddaw Forest, which creates a number of options for starting points. The Skiddaw House supply road follows Dash Beck up from Peter House Farm, or a good track runs alongside the Caldew from the road at Mosedale. Access is also possible up the Glenderaterra valley from the south, starting either from the Gale Road car park or the vicinity of Threlkeld. [1]
Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. Its 931-metre (3,054 ft) summit is the sixth-highest in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes. It is the simplest of the Lake District mountains of this height to ascend and, as such, many walking guides recommend it to the occasional walker wishing to climb a mountain. This is the first summit of the fell running challenge known as the Bob Graham Round when undertaken in a clockwise direction.
Blencathra, also known as Saddleback, is one of the most northerly hills in the English Lake District. It has six separate fell tops, of which the highest is the Hallsfell Top at 2,848 feet.
Dale Head is a fell in the north-western sector of the Lake District, in northern England. It is 753 metres or 2,470 foot above sea level and stands immediately north of Honister Pass, the road between Borrowdale and Buttermere.
Clough Head is a fell, or hill, in the English Lake District. It marks the northern end of the main ridge of the Helvellyn range and is often walked as part of the ridge walk. The fell stands south of the village of Threlkeld and the A66 road, and it forms the steep eastern side of the tranquil valley of St John's in the Vale.
Knott is a mountain in the northern part of the English Lake District. It is the highest point of the Back o'Skiddaw region, an area of wild and unfrequented moorland to the north of Skiddaw and Blencathra. Other tops in this region include High Pike, Carrock Fell and Great Calva. The fell's slopes are mostly smooth, gentle, and covered in grass, with a few deep ravines. It stands a long way from a road and requires a long walk across the moor top get to it; this, as well as the fact that it is hidden from the rest of the Lake District by the two aforementioned giants, make it one of the most unfrequented tops in the Lakes. When it is climbed it is most often from Mungrisdale or from the north via Great Sca Fell. The word Knott is of Cumbric origin, and means simply "hill".
Blake Fell is a hill in the Western part of the English Lake District. It is the highest point of the Loweswater Fells, an area of low grassy hills with steep sides overlooking the lake of Loweswater. The fell also overlooks the village of Loweswater, from which it can be climbed. An alternative route is from the Cogra Moss reservoir on its western slopes. Because the Loweswater Fells are a separate geographical unit, Blake Fell is a Marilyn. It is located in the Parish of Lamplugh.
Carl Side is a fell in the English Lake District, forming a part of the Skiddaw "family" near the town of Keswick and prominently visible from its streets. It is listed in Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells as one of the Northern Fells.
Mungrisdale Common, pronounced mun-grize-dl, with emphasis on grize, is a fell in the English Lake District. Although Alfred Wainwright listed it as one of the 214 featured hills in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells it was his least favourite. He commented that it "has no more pretension to elegance than a pudding that has been sat on". There is some speculation that Wainwright included the fell in his guide simply as a way to fill space, but that has never been proven. Mungrisdale Common is oddly named, as it is a number of miles from the village of Mungrisdale, which lies in a different river catchment.
Latrigg is one of the lowest fells in the Lake District in North West England, but is a popular climb due to its convenient location overlooking the town of Keswick and the beautiful views down the valley of Borrowdale from the summit. It is the least mountainous of the Skiddaw fells, the summit being almost entirely devoid of rock. The slopes of Latrigg are partially wooded, and logging work is currently being undertaken. One lone tree just south of the summit is prominently viewed in silhouette when approaching Keswick from the west along the A66. It also has petrified trees on top.
Rannerdale Knotts is a fell in the Lake District of Cumbria, England. Rising from the Buttermere valley, it is one of the smaller Cumbrian hills and is overlooked by a number of surrounding fells, such as Grasmoor, Whiteless Pike and, across Crummock Water, Mellbreak and the High Stile ridge. Rannerdale Knotts is said to be the site of a battle between the native Cumbrians and Norsemen and the invading Normans in the late 11th or early 12th century.
Carrock Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated in the northern region of the national park, 8 miles north-east of Keswick.
Great Sca Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, seven kilometres southwest of the village of Caldbeck. It is the highest of the four Uldale Fells, the other three being Longlands Fell, Meal Fell and Great Cockup. It is a Wainwright, and the lowest of the lakeland ‘Sca fells’, the other two being Scafell and Scafell Pike.
Broom Fell is a small hill in the English Lake District. It lies on a ridge connecting Lord's Seat and Graystones, but is rarely climbed. Alfred Wainwright did however accord it the status of a separate fell in his influential guidebook series, the Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.
Knott Rigg is a fell at the head of the Newlands Valley in the English Lake District. It is situated some 8+1⁄2 kilometres south west of Keswick and has a modest height of 556 metres. Its name is derived from the Old English language and means “hill on a knobbly ridge”. Because of its moderate height, the fell fails to be listed on any significant hill lists but it does merit a separate chapter in Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.
Graystones is a fell in the English Lake District. It lies in the North Western Fells region and is one of the peaks on the ridge which encircles the valley of Aiken Beck.
Bannerdale Crags is a fell in the English Lake District. It stands between Blencathra and Bowscale Fell in the Northern Fells.
Bowscale Fell is a hill in the English Lake District. It rises above the village of Mungrisdale in the Northern Fells. Bowscale Fell stands at the extreme north east the Blencathra group, connected to this higher fell by the intervening Bannerdale Crags. In common with many fells the western slopes are smooth and convex while the eastern side exhibits crags.
Lonscale Fell is a hill in the English Lake District. Its pointed second top is instantly recognisable, standing at the eastern end of the Skiddaw massif. The fell is easily climbed from Keswick or from Skiddaw House to the north. Although now primarily a sheep pasture, it once saw considerable mining activity beneath the long eastern wall of crag.
Souther Fell is a fell in the English Lake District. It stands to the south of Mungrisdale village in the Northern Fells. It is most famous for the appearance of a "spectral army", said to have been seen marching along its crest on Midsummer's Day, 1745. No such force was in the District at the time.
The Northern Fells are a part of the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District of England. Including Skiddaw, they occupy a wide area to the north of Keswick. Smooth, sweeping slopes predominate, with a minimum of tarns or crags. Blencathra in the south-east of the group is the principal exception to this trend.