The Calf Howgill Fells
On the 15th October I set off to Howgill Fells to hike up to the summit of The Calf and Wild Camp the night myself. Good weather is forcast I am looking forward to a possible view of a sunset and a starry night.
My 4 mile Route to The Calf
I planned to do this trip a few weeks ago but just got around to it, in fact this is a hill I wanted to do way back when I done Fell Head lets face it you’re not a keen Howgills hiker unless you have done the daddy The Calf right!
I set off in plenty time this time in fact I got there a bit to early 12 o’clock I started the satmap at 12.16pm the hike over to The Calf was easy till I started the ascent and quickly released my fitness wasnt as good as when I done Grasmoor, Grasmoor was steeper and harder on foot this was all grass-covered like all the Howgill hills not like the rugged lakeland hills.
It took me 3 hours and 30 mins to reach the top this is pathetic lol total moving time of 1 hour 52 as seen on the satmap screenshots means I had nearly 1 and a half hours resting haha but hey I told you I had loads of time.
It was now nearly 5pm still loads of time to pitch and prepare for the sunset, I seen plenty of hikers this time around usually don’t see many in the Howgills.
There is a 360 view on the summit but only a small band of horizon as the hill-top is wide in places not my favorite type of hill I prefer the small top hills imagine a pyramid type summit that way your 360 angle of view is great.
This view was hampered mostly by low cloud and haze yet no cloud at all above me which ment a starry night not my best but ok I stood around looking at the stars for a good few hours and a few brews of yorkshire tea later I decided to retire to my sleeping bag and read the paper I continued to sit with the door open a future few hours admiring the moon a few bright stars I could see from my bed and enjoying a bit of banter on my live blog.
I awoke around 3am winds had increased which probs what awakened me, I immediately opened the vent in the top of my door to check on the sky and was disappointed in the blanket of fog that surrounded my tent I had hoped the clear skies would have carried on till morning which would have guaranteed me the sunrise I so wished to see, I had my alarm set for 7am just incase but it wasnt to be I turned over and went back to sleep till around 8.30 I crawled from my sleeping bag packed a few things away fired up the msr dragonfly stove and rashers of Danish bacon was on the menu washed down with a brew.
It was time just to sit around for a bit to see if the rain would halt and it did eventually I packed up and headed off 10.27am on the 4 miles back to the car as you can see from the satmap screens it only took me 2hrs 5 mins total time and 1 hour 30 mins moving time.
Thanks for reading, your comments are very welcome.
On Route to Summit
The Calf Trig Point
Akto on The Calf Summit
My Sunset Just before it disappeared into the cloud
Tarn on The Calf Summit
Another shot of the Tarn
I like this one of the Tarn
Really Cold Out here
Looking Fed up for some reason lol
Now Happy haha
Danish Bacon Breakfast
Route Up left and Route Back on right here you can see the time differences.
| The Calf | |
|---|---|
 The trig point at the summit, looking towards the distant Pennines. |
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| Elevation | 676 m (2,218 ft) |
| Prominence | 383 m (1,257 ft) |
| Parent peak | Cross Fell |
| Listing | Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall |
| Location | |
 The Calf
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| OS grid | SD667970 |
| Coordinates | 54°22′03″N 2°30′51″W / 54.36742°N 2.51403°W / 54.36742; -2.51403Coordinates: 54°22′03″N 2°30′51″W / 54.36742°N 2.51403°W / 54.36742; -2.51403 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 98 |
The Calf, at 676 m, is the highest top in the Howgill Fells, an area of high ground in the north-west of the Yorkshire Dales in the county of Cumbria. It can be ascended from the town of Sedbergh to the south, by way of Cautley Spout from the east, or up the long valley of Langdale from the north. The Sedbergh ascent is the most popular, and has the distinction of being on good paths all the way.
The summit commands an extensive panorama, although foreground detail is obscured by the extreme flatness of the plateau. A twenty-mile skyline of the Lakeland peaks can be seen, as well as the Yorkshire Three Peaks and many of the nearer Howgill Fells.
Calders at 674 m is about 1 km SSE of the summit of The Calf. It is classified as a Hewitt.
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This Cumbria location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Looks good weather for a wild camp tonight Dave hope you have taken the Asda fleece Jacket with you to keep you warm as its going to be cold tonight with all them stars.
I hope it is cold mate, cold means clear skies and that means stars, I have got my cheap fleece , cheap boots cheap body warmer cheap pan set the whole lot comes to around 20 quid.
Starry night it is
waahheyyyyyy I’m on
me too
What sleeping bag you using Dave? Must be freezing up there tonight !!
looks good up there think this hill is defo on the cards for a winter camp was it easy to get up? nice pics hope you get a inversion in the morning, nice clear night for star gazing sweet stuff man
I tell ya what lykkee, I’m so happy the Mitchell brothers have re-united On DWC.com
chris you sniffing too much oil on that rig lol I should have been out camping/star gazing grrr
Dave didn’t tell ya and went on a solo mission
I see you have managed lol
He wanted good weather thats why lol
Just a cheap alpkit chris but am hard not like you windgers crying over what down jacket to buy Haha
Haha, right I’m off on my own next time as well
#curseofthemuss
Yeah its clear apart from the band of cloud low to the horizon probs few thousand feet high blocked off all the distant views of the lake distrct fuked up my sunset too, yet its clear as out above me heed.
@Dave howwaayy man, it was god dam cold on Eel crag and made it even colder with the wind chill
You should add to your production line of you nose bags to the DWC down jacket !
Mitchell brothers your not far away mate, few years of marrage and you’ll see.
It’s cold mate just retired to my tent, not even in my bag yet that’s how hard I am total rock hard.
I love it on my own too lads I love my own company the solitude is mint
and am not frightened of goalies lol.
I will do my first solo wild camp this winter as well looking forward
Can I join the Mitchell brother gang in 12 months !!! MIght even be sooner
If waarrr lass has got anything to do with it !!
The nose bag still needs some tinkering fuken spent days cleaning up skittles :’(
Haha, anyway you cannot do a solo and leave dwc and themuss behind.
I dont mind solo but prefer to share my experience on wild camps chris what u on about 12 months u always welcome to wild camp with me
He justs hates the mank weather you attract Paul the whole internet is talking about it
Don’t worry Muss when they have all abandon you I will still rough out the storms with you pmsl whernside kidsty pike lol
@muss 12 months til I go bald!!!
I heard your next secret wild camp Dave is with Killy ??
Both squeezing into your akto !
He’s is on about his hair mate he be like us in 12 months Haha you mental git
Right off to bed, we are an hour ahead here
Night all
Hope you get a mahooosive inversion crazy Murphy !!
Killy ? Is he still alive haven’t herd nowt from him.
I look pissed off on that last photo lol
His hair lol what hair lol he might as well shave them strands off and become the 3 baldies lol was the walk up easy enough thinking of doing the calf in winter
jealous… i’m in bed watching merlin. . rather be on a hill
See ya later Chris Paul has promised me a cloud inversion, is he just hot air or not ?
Looks like you’ve been treated to some nice weather. still clear skies?
It’s not to bad mate easy on the feet as all Howgill hills but my fitness isn’t as good as grasmoor.
U heard it first on daveswildcamping themuss hits 23years old on monday please send me cash money so I can buy myself a motorbike
23 bollocks you must have had a hard paper round.
Thanks for commenting David H. It’s bloody cold up here like.
Still clear Dean , yeah this good weather isn’t no accident been planning this for a while waiting for the window of clear skies
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If I got a steak for everytime I commented on here, I wouldn’t have to buy any wild camping food for the next 50 years !!!
Morning Dave, how was it last night bud
My sunrise has been cursed by a jelous Muss lol its shite Pissing down and fog.
Oh well better luck next time..at least you got some clear weather at the top
Yeah the big differnce mate is pulling dry clothes and on in the morning felt good.
It’s been two hours since I awoke normally on bad weather mornings I packaway straight away no breakfast or even a brew of tea, but this morning I have lazed around in the tent frying bacon drinking tea and reading the paper , maybe its because terrybnd promised me the weather was going to clear up :S
no cloud inversion damn lol I missed the fog I got a cloud inverson when I woke up called hung over from last nights beer eeeeeeewww
I did that on Skiddaw dave, weather was crap so laid in my bag for another hour, got up slowly, cooked some food ETC, its nice to do that sometimes instead of rushing around packing everything away
I will listen to your nonsense no more Muss
Usually Chris I can hardly wait to packaway get off the mountain get home take my soaking clothes off and dive into a hot shower.
you looked fed up in that shot why because you realised your missing me your wild camping buddy. Nice to know I was missed lol good write up mate and as I said on my last wild camp the more breaks you have the more you see whats the point in running up, getting to the summit and seeing fook all better to take the views in as they come after all it aint a race
Yeah sometimes it would be nice to get up quicker whens its raining or when were go late like my last wildcamp pitch black by i got my tent down, but will have to get used to pitching in the dark if we are doing anymore together the rest of the year mate.
Nice write up Dave, sounds like it was nice and peacefull when you was looking at the stars and the moon Etc
It was definately no snoring from Paul
hi dave i came across your vid on you tube i live in sedbergh and do wild campin in at the howgills i wen on saturday.
Good mate I dont go enough, I wish I could get away more often.