Great Cockup rising steadily beyond the sheep pass of Trusmadoor
Great Cockup
Great Cockup is an extensive, smooth-backed bulk that anchors the western edge of the Uldale Fells. Bearing an unforgettable name rooted in Old English, it translates historically to the "larger fell above the secluded valley frequented by woodcock or black grouse"—distinguishing it from its smaller sibling, Little Cockup, which rests on its northwestern shoulder. Lacking the jagged profiles of the central lakes, it offers an immense, rolling canvas of mountain grass that captures the true pastoral character of the Back o' Skiddaw.
Alfred Wainwright offered one of his famously dry, dismissive assessments of Great Cockup in his Pictorial Guides, claiming that a closer tour of exploration confirms there is absolutely nothing here calling for closer inspection. Yet for walkers who appreciate isolation, its massive, grassy ridges provide an incredibly tranquil mountain walk. For those with an eye out for ancient geology, the lower southern slopes host a massive, isolated boulder marked on large-scale ordnance maps—a prominent glacial erratic dropped here by a retreating ice sheet millennia ago.
A small, humble pile of stones marks the highest turf on Great Cockup
The high point of the fell is a broad, unassuming plateau where the true summit marker is simply a humble, small pile of loose stones set out on the open grass. What the summit lacks in dramatic rock formations, however, it more than compensates for with its spectacular, contrasting views. Standing by the cairn rewards walkers with an exceptional, close-up perspective across the massive northern scree slopes of the Skiddaw range, beautifully counterbalanced by a wide-open, glorious northern outlook reaching out toward the Solway Firth and the distant Scottish Border hills.
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