High Hartsop Dodd: Height, Walks and Views at 519m

High Hartsop Dodd is a fell whose appearance changes with your approach. From the Brothers Water side, its steep northern face gives it a definite, almost pyramidal shape; from Little Hart Crag, it is a modest shoulder on a descending ridge. At 519m, it rewards attention rather than altitude chasing, with views into the valleys around Hartsop and a strong sense of the higher fells close behind.

A distinctive fell above Brothers Water

High Hartsop Dodd forms the northern end of a ridge descending from Little Hart Crag. Dovedale lies to the west, while Caiston Glen lies to the east, separating this ridge from the neighbouring ground beneath Middle Dodd and Red Screes. Its position near the southern end of Brothers Water helps explain its visual presence: seen from the valley, the steep fell front looks more independent than the ridge behind it suggests.

The summit is grassy rather than a rocky crown. Looking north, the view opens towards Brothers Water and the Patterdale valley, with the fells around Hartsop framing the scene. Turn south and Little Hart Crag occupies the rising ground. This contrast between open valley views and the enclosing higher fellside is central to High Hartsop Dodd's character.

Its place among the Eastern Fells

High Hartsop Dodd belongs to Alfred Wainwright's The Eastern Fells, the first book of his seven-volume pictorial guide. Its recorded height is 519m, or 1,703ft, and it ranks 164th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. The summit grid reference is NY393107. These figures place it among the lower summits in the collection, but its steep valley-facing slopes give it considerably more presence than its height alone might imply.

Little Hart Crag is its immediate ridge neighbour. Middle Dodd, Red Screes and Hartsop Above How also belong to the surrounding group of Wainwrights, though they are not all linked by a single ridge. High Hartsop Dodd should not be confused with Hartsop Dodd, the separate, higher fell on the eastern side of the Kirkstone valley.

Walks and the value of the lower summit

High Hartsop Dodd is often combined with Little Hart Crag rather than treated as an isolated outing. Longer walks can include Red Screes or other nearby summits, but the valleys and intervening ridges matter when planning a circuit. Proximity on a map does not necessarily mean an easy connection, and the direct slopes above the valley are steep.

Its appeal is not a celebrated scramble or an elaborate summit formation. It is the clear shape seen from below, the outlook towards Brothers Water and the chance to understand how the ridges fit together around Hartsop. For walkers who enjoy the lower Wainwrights on their own terms, there is plenty here beyond another summit tick.

Where High Hartsop Dodd stands

Summit at grid reference NY393107 · open full map

The real High Hartsop Dodd

Walking High Hartsop Dodd

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Guide links to be curated.

Weather on High Hartsop Dodd

Conditions estimated at summit height (519 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

High Hartsop Dodd on your wall

A painting of High Hartsop Dodd brings a familiar piece of the Hartsop landscape into the home: the steep fell front, the quieter ridge behind and the changing colours of grass and bracken. It is a way to keep those valley days in view.

Own “Sunlit Fields Below High Hartsop Dodd” — our painting of High Hartsop Dodd → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Eastern Fells

• Little Hart Crag 637 m
• Middle Dodd 654 m
• Red Screes 779 m
• Hartsop Above How 586 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.