The Howgills are a distinctive range of rounded grassy hills which lie between Sedbergh and Ravenstonedale.
- Highest point is The Calf - 676m (2218ft)
- Cautley Spout is a spectacular waterfall tumbling down the side of the hills
- Fell ponies are often seen
- Unusually for the Dales there are no drystone walls once you are on the fells
The Calf, at 676m (2218ft), is the highest top in the Howgill Fells, but there are other peaks such as Calders and Arant Haw to explore. It can be climbed from the town of Sedbergh to the south, by way of Cautley Spout from the east, or up the long valley of Bowderdale 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.
The Howgills were famously described by A.Wainwright - the famous walker and guidebook writer - as a "herd of sleeping elephants". An apt description of their steep rounded flanks.
