High Hartsop Dodd
Encyclopedia
High Hartsop Dodd is a fell
in the English
Lake District
, an outlier of the Fairfield
group in the Eastern Fells
. It stands above Kirkstone Pass
on the road from Ullswater
to Ambleside
.
, but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
and that convention is followed here. His decision was based on it having "the appearance of an isolated mountain with a peaked summit and steep sides, a very shapely pyramid rising from the green fields."
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 their height. 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 Harsop 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 defile
of Caiston Glen, falling from the summit of Scandale Pass. This separates the fell from Middle Dodd and its parent Red Screes
. On the west is Hogget Gill, a sidestream of picturesque Dovedale. Across here is Stangs, a subsidiary top of Dove Crag
. Dovedale and Caiston Glen are both tributaries of Kirkstone Beck, the main feeder of Brothers Water
.
forms the crest of the ridge with the volcaniclastic sandstone
of the Esk Pike Formation beneath.
There is evidence of mining in Caiston Glen, with the mouth of a level opening about halfway up the beck. This was an unsuccessful trial for lead
and extends about 80 ft into the fellside. There is a further small working nearby. According to Wainwright High Hartsop Dodd was briefly in the news in 1948 owing to efforts to save two terriers trapped in a hole on the Caiston flank.
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.
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, an outlier of the Fairfield
Fairfield (Lake District)
Fairfield is a fell in the English Lake District. It is the highest of a group of hills in the Eastern Fells, standing to the south of the Helvellyn range.-Topography:...
group in the Eastern Fells
Eastern Fells
The Eastern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Helvellyn they primarily comprise a north south ridge running between Ullswater and Lakeland's Central Valley.-Partition of the Lakeland Fells:...
. It stands above Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It is at an altitude of .This is the Lake District's highest pass that is open to motor traffic and it connects Ambleside in the Rothay Valley to Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley - the A592 road. In places,...
on the road from Ullswater
Ullswater
Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles long and 0.75 miles wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than ....
to Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
.
Topography
High Hartsop Dodd is properly the north eastern ridge of Little Hart CragLittle Hart Crag
Little Hart Crag is a fell in the Lake District area of England. It stands at the head of Scandale, six kilometres north of Ambleside, at a height of 637 metres . It is an eastern outlier of Dove Crag in the Eastern Fells, although it does have 34 metres of prominence from that fell making it both...
, but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells of the Lake District in northwest England...
and that convention is followed here. His decision was based on it having "the appearance of an isolated mountain with a peaked summit and steep sides, a very shapely pyramid rising from the green fields."
There are three Dodds when viewed from Hartsop, the others being (Low) Hartsop Dodd
Hartsop Dodd
Hartsop Dodd is a fell in the English Lake District, standing to the south east of Brothers Water. It is a subsidiary top on the north ridge of Caudale Moor, but was given separate fell status by Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells...
and Middle Dodd
Middle Dodd
Middle Dodd is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Helvellyn range in the Eastern Fells. It stands above Kirkstone Pass on the road from Ullswater to Ambleside.-Topography:...
. The names refer to their position in the valley rather than their height. 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 Harsop 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 defile
Defile (geography)
Defile is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front...
of Caiston Glen, falling from the summit of Scandale Pass. This separates the fell from Middle Dodd and its parent Red Screes
Red Screes
Red Screes is a fell in the English Lake District, situated between the villages of Patterdale and Ambleside. It is an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells, but is separated from its neighbours by low cols...
. On the west is Hogget Gill, a sidestream of picturesque Dovedale. Across here is Stangs, a subsidiary top of Dove Crag
Dove Crag
Dove Crag is a fell in the English Lake District. Situated in the Eastern Fells of the national park, seven kilometres south-south-west of Glenridding, it reaches a height of 792 metres...
. Dovedale and Caiston Glen are both tributaries of Kirkstone Beck, the main feeder of Brothers Water
Brothers Water
Brothers Water is in the Hartsop valley and is a small lake in the eastern region of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. Once called Broad Water, it lies at the northern end of Kirkstone Pass, affording picturesque views on the descent towards Patterdale.Dorothy Wordsworth, having...
.
Geology and Mining
Middle Dodd daciteDacite
Dacite is an igneous, volcanic rock. It has an aphanitic to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. The relative proportions of feldspars and quartz in dacite, and in many other volcanic rocks, are illustrated in the QAPF diagram...
forms the crest of the ridge with the volcaniclastic sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
of the Esk Pike Formation beneath.
There is evidence of mining in Caiston Glen, with the mouth of a level opening about halfway up the beck. This was an unsuccessful trial for lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and extends about 80 ft into the fellside. There is a further small working nearby. According to Wainwright High Hartsop Dodd was briefly in the news in 1948 owing to efforts to save two terriers trapped in a hole on the Caiston flank.
Summit and view
The summit of High Hartsop Dodd bears a small cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
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.