 Great Cockup is almost always ascended from the hamlet of Orthwaite following the bridleway up Hause Gill for and then leaving it and ascending Great Cockup's steep southern slopes to the summit.A direct ascent over Little Cockup is possible but the bracken can be thick at certain times of the year.Great Cockup is separated from Meal Fell, to the east, by the pass of Trusmadoor.