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This was my first trip of the year to add to my 100 Hewitt total, so on a bright March morning I decided to rebuild my enthusiasm for the goal of climbing all 170+ English summits by tackling a single hill which dominates the ridge above the Barbondale Valley.
The little bit of context, above, is really to provide an excuse for the very direct route which I chose to climb Calf Head. In truth, this was a fast peak bagging approach which nevertheless included an excellent 360 degree landscape from the top, and a very pleasant ridge walk across to Castle Knott.
I parked off the narrow road halfway up the valley, just before the cattle grid. There is a small footbridge at this point which crosses the Beck leading over to the steep sides of Calf Top. I picked a route directly up the hill paralleling the dry stone wall to my right, and always favouring the easier grass hillside rather than the loose shale or heather sections. It is a tough unrelenting direct approach to the ridge which becomes even harder after the midpoint of the climb. However, after about 25 minutes I reached an excellent ridge path and turned north for about 400 metres towards the trig point at Calf Top. From here there is good view of Baugh Fell and the Howgills (north), and a fine distant aspect of the eastern Lake District peaks. To the east lies Gragareth and Crag Hill with Bullpot Farm clearly visible on the low fell to the south. Calf Top on a fine day is a very pleasant place to be.
Now I reckon that a good walk from this point would be the gradual descent to Castle Knott on a mostly dry path, continuing south to drop into Barbon, before returning on the footpath via Pencil Brow and finishing the walk on the minor road up the dale. However, as this was primarily a Hewitt bagging journey, I chose to turn north west from Castle Knott, carefully down the steep slope, heading towards one of the two footbridges across the Beck which would return me to the road, just 400 metres from my starting point.
A short walk, but very rewarding.
