Height: 502 metres / 1647 feet Grid reference: NY 24420 27353 Category: The Northern Fells

Dodd summit

Bassenthwaite Lake from Dodd
Height: 502 metres / 1647 feet Grid reference: NY 24420 27353 Category: The Northern Fells
Dodd summit
Bassenthwaite Lake from Dodd
Walked on
Start point: Millbeck (NY 255 262)
Millbeck – Doups – White Stones – Carl Side – Long Side – Ullock Pike – Longside Wood – Long Doors – Dodd – Lyzzick Wood – Millbeck
Distance: 5.5 miles Total Ascent: 842 metres Time Taken: 3 hours Start Time: 08:15
Weather: Sunny. 18C
I didn’t really know where I was going to end up when I set off this morning and this was very much a dynamic walk. I intended going up to Skiddaw but I ended up going in the opposite direction and just making my mind up as I walked. The unusual descent is not really recommended unless you are in a rush and I could not resist squeezing Dodd in at the end of the walk. How I found my way through the woods below Dodd I’ll never know but as it turned out the navigation was spot on!
Carlside Tarn - I was going to climb Skiddaw on the path beyond but changed my mind and decided to head west instead.
Looking across Bassenthwaite Lake to Barf, Grisedale Pike up to the left. From here I took the direct route back down into Longside Wood - the quick way down!
Walked on
Start point: The Old Sawmill tearooms. (NY 234 281)
Dodd from The Old Sawmill tearooms
Distance: 2.4 miles Total Ascent: 382 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 15 minutes
Weather: Hazy sunrise. 9C.
I was out and about early this morning for a quick climb to Dodd from The Old Sawmill tearooms. Prior to climbing the fell, I had a look down at Derwent Water for a calm lake shot (2011 calendar?!) and managed to elbow my way in with all the other photographers down there! It was a lovely morning but I was a bit too early for those blue skies today.
Catbells and Maiden Moor beyond Swinside, little Castle Crag is to the left of them - the jaws of Borrowdale.
The golden glow of sunrise over the Coledale Fells from the descent. It was such a nice morning and the paths had such an easy gradient and surface that I ran all the way down. I had some time to kill before some business in Keswick, so it was back to Derwent Water to se if I could nail a decent shot of the calm lake.
Walked on
Start point: Hopebeck (NY 169 241)
Hopebeck – Dodd (Lorton) (523)– Gasgale Crag – East Top of Whiteside – Hopegill Head – Ladyside Pike (524) – Swinside (525) – High Swinside Farm – Hopebeck
Distance: 4.6 miles Total Ascent: 677 metres Time Taken: 2 hours 30 minutes
Weather: Gale force winds and snow. 3°C
It was really rough weather today with a strong, freezing wind making the going tough for much of the route. The calmest part was surprisingly the high level ridge to Hopegill Head between the outward leg of Dodd and the homeward leg of Ladyside Pike. Coupled with the really strong wind was treacherous ice covered which had a thin veneer of snow on top – that meant we certainly had to watch our step today.
As we climbed above the snowline it became much stronger making walking quite difficult. Two steps forward, one step back.
Again from further along the ridge. It was a toss up as to whether I would get blown off by the gale force wind or slip and fall on the ice along here.
Skiddaw from Hopegill Head. The descent from here to the Ladyside Pike ridge was unbelievably treacherous as it was all ice for the initial section, meaning there was lots of zig-zagging and shuffling around.
The top of Swinside was a vague one, somewhere around here. The route of descent from Ladyside Pike to here was along the line of the wall.
Walked on
Start point: The Old Sawmill tearooms. (NY 234 281)
Dodd (483) from The Old Sawmill tearooms
Distance: 2.5 miles Total Ascent: 400 metres Time Taken: 3 hours
Weather: Generally dull with the odd sunny spell and a heavy shower. 19oC
Today’s mission was to see the Osprey’s from the viewpoint in Dodd Wood, make it to the top of Dodd and have some nice cake in the tearoom at the end – all accomplished! There was a brief spell of sunshine on the way up to the summit, but later we could see the rain quickly advancing across the Derwent Valley and we got a good soaking during lunch – not to worry, we didn’t let it dampen our enthusiasm much!
Walked on
Start point: The Old Sawmill tearooms. (NY 234 281)
Dodd (207) from The Old Sawmill tearooms.
Weather: Dull and cool.