Low Kop from Cawdale

 Tuesday 8th April 2025

My previous post covered my discovery of, and delight in Cawdale. So much so that I had a compulsive desire to go beyond that tempting peek round the corner looking up to the head of the dale. From the previous visit I knew I could park at the end of the Tarmac and walk directly into Cawdale, but could I climb out of the end of the dale to summit Low Kop and return by The Hause making for a desirable circular? That would be only just over four miles, but the ascent to Low Kop would be a challenge for my breathlessness affliction. There is a very rude quip originating from a medieval version about "...winning a fair lady" I can't repeat my version here but it borrows the same starting words, "faint heart never..."

We are in thé midst of an exceptional weather window and blue skies and warm sunshine prevailed.  One has to be ruthless and dismiss other pressing matters: putting on the washing, mowing the lawn grass, attending to the recycling et al, and seize the opportunity.

I launched into the now familiar march up Cawdale, I was now thinking of this as my own private and secret dale. All was tranquil and a tonic to the soul. After an hour or so I was back at my last furthest point.  From there the gorge steepened and the stream down below was more active with mini waterfalls gurgling, glinting and splashing as it tackles the steeper drops. At the head of the dale there are remains of old sheep enclosures. Here I sat and soaked up the atmosphere and supped a coffee from my flask. That flask is a good old friend of over twenty years. It visited  most of my Munros and cheered me on  countless other day outings. I was perhaps procrastinating about the now steep ascent to Low Kop, but in a pleasant kind of way.

That climb was particularly demanding in view of my, breathlessness but the medics have encouraged me to continue with my walking and I still have the urge to take on more serious fell walking with its remoteness and challenge rather than plod round the edge of farmers' fields. There was no path but the tussocky grass terrain made for reasonably easy going, but with the steepness I was stopping to catch breath every twenty steps or so. I took a long time.

Eventually the slope eased leading to a more gentle approach to the summit. I had looked st Hill Bagging and noted that Low Kop is a "Birkett," not that I am ticking them off and I have no recollection of other hills I have climbed having that distinction. The summit was marked by a white quartz rock nestling in the grass about the size of a teapot.

The three kilometres return followed a wide grassy path with an uninterrupted descent of  330m, as much as one would likely encounter on a good Munro. Not far from that track a wooden sign post lay flat on the ground, thus eliminating its intended purpose to direct, but informing me that one of the two path options ahead was a diversion to "avoid a deep ford." My iPhone Memory Map has both OS 1:25 and 1:50 but I was using the 1:50 and the ford was not marked and I hadn't thought to  look at the 1:25 where it is clearly marked. So It was fifty-fifty. I chose the wrong one. However the stream was easily crossed a few metres upstream from the ford and I was back at my car looking up at that long distinctive descent. It had taken me five hours to cover four miles. My achievement of climbing a reasonably respectable Lakeland  summit with according to Memory Map, 930 ft. of ascent, in no way indicates that my physical ability has improved, but I was well heartened to have done so and thankful that it is till possible at my advanced years. What a good day.

Note the long line of Pennines on the horizon. That is only a small part of the exceptional length of our Pennine hills seen from many parts of this and my previous walk here. 

Welcoming committee? They were quite docile

Path goes past end of second white cottage, then skirts hillside above to enter and descend into Cawdale at the top of the stand of trees top left of photo

Looking back down to that second white cottage

Cawdale. My route and track skirt below the lefthand trees round the corner of the spur

Looking back down the dale. My entry into the dale is from the top of the distant trees

Cawdale Beck. Now more lively in the steeper gorge

Old sheep folds. Here I rested with a coffee before ascending steeply above out of left of photo

Looking back down to the sheepfolds. By no means anywhere near the top of my climb!

The modest but proud marker of Low Kop summit

A small section of the long descent of The Hause. The track provided excellent walking

The non-doing signpost

Looking back at the ford. I easily crossed the stream just to the right

Back at the car. A little weary and looking back at that long descent of the Hause.