Great Dodd


Royal Hotel, Dockray 08:41 Royal Hotel, Dockray   The starting point for this walk was the Royal Hotel, Dockray and I parked in a small open space by the Aira Beck, just below the hotel at 08:40 on Tuesday, 22nd September 2015.

The hotel was originally an important coaching inn, high on the Old Coach Road to Keswick which climbed to a height of 1,430ft above sea level with Dockray being at about 1,000ft. It was apparently easier to climb to those heights rather than face the quagmire conditions that existed in the valley roads.

I turned left in front of the hotel following a narrow modern road uphill keeping Aira Beck to my left. I passed Green How on my right to reach a junction at High Row. The modern road had replaced the Old Coach Road but the stoney track ahead was still in much the same condition as it would have been all those years ago.


Approching Green How on the modern road 08:52 Approaching Green How on the modern road   Old Coach Road at Groove Beck ford 09:24 Old Coach Road at Groove Beck ford


Footbridge over Groove Beck 09:28 Footbridge over Groove Beck   A footbridge is provided to allow walkers to cross Groove Beck. The path then crosses the Old Coach Road about ten yards beyond the ford.

I left the Old Coach Road to head directly for Bruts Moss, which proved to be exceedingly wet.

The highest point on the Old Coach Road is shown as 1,434ft on the map as it passes below White Pike on Threlkeld Common. The views of Blencathra from the old road are supposed to be some of the best available.

The view of Blencathra from Bruts Moss was also quite good, although more distant. Unfortunately, Blencathra had its hat on; a sign of things to come.


Blencathra seen from Bruts Moss 10:00 Blencathra seen from Bruts Moss   You can see that the visibility was quite superb except in the cloud itself and I was hopeful that the hill fog would lift or burn away in the morning sunshine.

Blencathra was to the north of my position and Great Dodd was to the south, where things seemed considerably worse. My immediate objective should have been clearly visible but was not. Leavings Bruts Moss behind, there was some relief to discover Randerside, a rocky outcrop that was ideal for a morning coffee stop.

I found a convenient bolder to sit on and enjoyed my coffee at 10:45. It became clear that there was cloud at various levels, some below my level in the valleys to the west and cloud above me to the south.


Great Dodd hidden in cloud 09:40 Great Dodd is in there somewhere   Randerside 10:38 Randerside is my morning coffee stop


Cloud seems worse in the west 11:22 Cloud seems worse from the west   I continued on to the summit of Great Dodd (2,807ft) just before 12:00 noon. It had not involved so much climbing since Dockray itself was at about 1,000ft but the terrain was difficult and slow going.

In cloud, the visibility was not too bad and I carefully noted different features so that I could retrace my steps. Great Dodd does not have a trig point but there is a small cairn. I could see about thirty or forty yards so no distant views.

I did not linger for too long but retraced my steps back down to Randerside, where I ate an early lunch.

With the cloud fast closing in on Randerside, I decided to return to Dockray and abandon the remainder of the walk. I was back in the Royal Hotel for a pint by 14:00.


View to the north-east 11:22 View to the north-east   Randerside for lunch 11:39 Back at Randerside for lunch


Cloud now approaching Randerside; time to leave 11:40 Path from Great Dodd and cloud now approaching Randerside; time to leave


Editor: Peter J. Cosker   peter@the2coskers.com   other Lake District walks   Updated: 31/12/2016