High Hartsop Dodd is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier
of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells and stands above Kirkstone
Pass on the road from Ullswater to Ambleside.
There are three
Dodds when viewed from Hartsop, the others being (Low) Hartsop Dodd and
Middle Dodd. The names refer to their position in the valley rather than
All three present an imposing pyramidal profile
when seen from below, totally obscuring their parent fells. Similarly,
all three appear entirely derivative when viewed from other angles.
From the rocky summit of Little Hart Crag a narrowing ridge descends
north eastward on grass. The ground is quite wet and there are areas of
peat and sedge.
After half a mile of steady fall, the ridge
throws up the barely perceptible summit of High Hartsop Dodd. Beyond
this the character of the fell changes completely and a steep slope
plunges straight down to the valley floor.
The fell is bounded on
either side by valleys of the Ullswater catchment. To the east is the
narrow Caiston Glen, falling from the summit of Scandale Pass. This
separates the fell from Middle Dodd and its parent Red Screes.
the west is Hogget Gill, a sidestream of picturesque Dovedale. Across
here is Stangs, a subsidiary top of Dove Crag.
Caiston Glen are both tributaries of Kirkstone Beck, the main feeder of
The summit of High Hartsop Dodd bears a small
cairn at the point where the ridge briefly levels out. The view is not
extensive given the high ring of surrounding fells, but many of these
are seen in close detail, particularly Dove Crag.
Dodd is rarely climbed for its own sake, being merely a stop on the road
to Little Hart Crag and Dove Crag.
From here either Caiston Glen
or Dovedale can be circumnavigated along fine high level ridges.
The nose of the fell provides the only practicable route, starting from
either Kirkstonefoot or Cow Bridge. This is grassy but ferociously
routes near High Hartsop Dodd