Great Cockup | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 526 m (1,726 ft) |
Prominence | c. 85 m (280 ft) |
Parent peak | Knott |
Listing | Wainwright |
Coordinates | 54°41′22″N3°07′46″W / 54.68947°N 3.12931°W |
Geography | |
Location in the Lake District National Park | |
Location | Cumbria, England |
Parent range | Lake District, Northern Fells |
OS grid | NY273333 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 89, 90 OS Explorer 4 |
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).
Great Cockup reaches a height of 526 metres (1,726 ft) and merits a chapter in Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells . Wainwright describes the fell as functional rather than ornamental, writing:
"Viewed from a distance Great Cockup appears as a modest but extensive eminence with no obvious summit and nothing calling for closer inspection. First impressions are confirmed by a tour of exploration, the fell underfoot proving no more attractive than the fell at a distance." [1]
The fell's name may mean "blind valley frequented by wild birds", from Old English cocc hop. If this is the case, it would originally have referred to a valley below before being transferred to the hill. [2] The prefix "great" distinguishes the fell from its smaller neighbour Little Cockup, which lies on its north-western shoulder overlooking the hamlet of Orthwaite, with a height of 395 metres (1,296 ft).
The word "cockup" denotes a blunder in colloquial English; this prompted Denis Norden to visit the fell in an edition of It'll be Alright on the Night , a programme featuring outtakes from film and television. The fell's name has also been adopted for a local beer brewed by the Hesket Newmarket Brewery, "Great Cockup Porter".
The fell has a series of stone-built grouse butts 500 metres (1,600 ft) west of the summit, some of which have been dismantled leaving just the foundations in the ground; they can confuse 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 be an erratic left by a retreating glacier. The fell has also yielded some rare fossils with unusual forms of dendroid graptolites being found on the slopes.
Great Cockup is almost always ascended from the hamlet of Orthwaite following the bridleway up Hause Gill for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) 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 separated from Meal Fell, 1.5 kilometres (0.9 mi) to the east, by the pass of Trusmadoor.
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.
On 12 October 1996 Denis Norden presented the TV show It'll Be Alright on the Night in episode 15 Alright on the Night's Cockup Trip. This decision was made as the name of the hill references the theme and content of It'll Be Alright on the Night, which is mistakes made in TV shows. [3]
On 21 December 2020, YouTuber Tom Scott posted a video where he hiked Great Cockup whilst he gave a monologue to camera, in homage to the aforementioned TV show's title sequence which took place on the hill. [4]
Harter Fell is a fell in the western part of the English Lake District, located between the Eskdale and Duddon valleys. Its height is 653 metres (2,142 ft) There are several walking routes to the summit.
Hallin Fell is a hill in the English Lake District surrounded on three sides by Ullswater.
Kirk Fell is a fell in the Western part of the English Lake District. It is situated between Great Gable and Pillar on the long ring of fells surrounding the valley of Ennerdale, and also stands over Wasdale to the south. However, it is separated from its two higher neighbours by the low passes of Black Sail and Beck Head, giving it a high relative height and making it a Marilyn, the thirteenth highest in the Lake District.
Binsey is a hill on the northern edge of the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It is detached from the rest of the Lakeland hills, and thus provides a good spot to look out at the Northern and North Western Fells of the Lake District, as well as the coastal plain and, across the Solway Firth, Scotland. Snaefell on the Isle of Man is also visible on a clear day. It is the northernmost of the Wainwrights.
Causey Pike is a fell in the English Lake District. It is situated in the Newlands Valley, 5 kilometres south-west of the town of Keswick. Even though it has a modest height of 637 metres (2,090 ft) it is one of the most distinctive fells when viewed from the Derwent Water and Keswick area due to its distinguishing summit "knobble" which catches the eye. The fell is one of 214 fells described by Alfred Wainwright in his series of Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells: Causey Pike features in Book Six, The North Western Fells.
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".
Great Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, located near the hamlets of Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite in Borrowdale.
Whiteside is a fell in the north-western area of the English Lake District. It stands at the western end of the Grisedale Pike- Hopegill Head ridge overlooking Crummock Water.
It'll be Alright on the Night is a British television bloopers programme broadcast on ITV and produced by ITV Studios. It was one of the first series created with the specific purpose of showing behind the scenes bloopers from film and TV.
Bakestall is a fell in the English Lake District, it is situated seven kilometres north of Keswick in the quieter, even secluded northern sector of the national park known as ‘Back o’ Skiddaw’.
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.
Longlands Fell is a small fell in the northern part of the English Lake District. It is situated in the high ground known as the Uldale Fells, 5.5 kilometres south west of the village of Caldbeck. It reaches a height of 483 m (1,585 ft) and it is the most northerly fell in the Lake District.
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.
Meal Fell is a small fell in the northern region of the English Lake District, it is situated seven kilometres south-west of the village of Caldbeck and is one of the four main Uldale Fells.
Ullock Pike is a fell situated in northern part of the English Lake District. It is located seven kilometres north west of Keswick and achieves a height of 691 metres (2,267 ft). The fell sits on Skiddaw’s south western ridge along with two other fells, this ridge is regarded as the finest way to ascend Skiddaw, with Alfred Wainwright commenting:
Brae Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated 12 kilometres north of Keswick it reaches a height of 586 m (1,923 ft) and is regarded as part of the Caldbeck Fells along with High Pike and Carrock Fell even though it has ridge links to the Uldale Fells. The fell's name has Scottish overtones and translates from the Scots language as a hillside or slope. Its northern flanks face the Scottish Borders country across the Eden Valley and Solway Firth.
Rosthwaite Fell is a fell in the English Lake District. It is situated some 12 kilometres due south of Keswick and 2 kilometres south of the village of Rosthwaite in Borrowdale.
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.
Little Cockup is a fell in the Northern Fells area of the Lake District, Cumbria, England. It is located in the Uldale Fells, about 5 kilometres (3 mi) north of Skiddaw, near the larger fell of Great Cockup 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the east, and has an elevation of 395 metres (1,296 ft). Another hill called plain Cockup is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the south.