Great Dodd

North of Sticks Pass the Helvellyn range turns into a line of grassy domes, and Great Dodd, at 857 m, is the highest of them. It sits between Thirlmere and Ullswater, on the watershed between the Derwent and the Eden.

From the east, the car park at High Row above Dockray is the start. The direct line follows the north-east ridge over Low How, High Brow and Randerside, across National Trust land on Matterdale Common. Other paths follow the Old Coach Road towards Mosedale or climb beside Groove Beck. From Legburthwaite in the west, paths go up the ravine of Mill Gill to Little Dodd, or beside Ladknott Gill, and shepherds' trods lead to Calfhow Pike. Mill Gill, Beckthorns Gill and Sandbed Gill are climbers' scrambles with no walking line. Parking at the Thirlmere recreation hall on Stanah Lane (NY 318 189) or nearby at Legburthwaite suits a long round of the Dodds from Sticks Pass to Clough Head, which is about 20 km with over 1000 m of climbing.

The paths are broad and clear, and the ground is mostly grass, wet in places. Some ridge walkers take a contouring path on the west side and miss the summit altogether.

The top is a short, rounded, grassy ridge scattered with stones. A newer cairn at the north-west end marks the highest point, and the older, bigger cairn about 100 m south has a wind shelter built into it. On a clear day you can see much of the Lake District, the hills of south-west Scotland, the Eden Valley and the Pennines. The dome shape hides the valleys below, so walk a little way off for a better foreground. The beck in Deep Dale, below the east side, runs on to become Aira Force.