Middle Dodd: 654m Height, Walks and Eastern Fells Views

Middle Dodd is the northern shoulder of Red Screes, but seen from the Brothers Water valley it has the presence of a separate fell: steep-sided, clearly defined and rising sharply above the dale. At 654m, it offers a different perspective from its higher neighbour, with the valley drawing the eye northwards. Its modest summit is easy to underrate when approached along the ridge, rather than admired from below.

A fell defined by its northern ridge

Middle Dodd stands at the northern end of the ridge descending from Red Screes towards Brothers Water. Its summit reaches 654m, or 2,146ft, at grid reference NY397095. The height makes it a substantial fell in its own right, although its connection to the higher ground behind is central to understanding its shape.

From the north, the steep nose of the ridge gives Middle Dodd a much stronger outline than its small rise above the connecting ridge might suggest. From Red Screes, it reads more as a shoulder. That contrast is part of its interest: the same summit can look commanding from the valley and comparatively slight from above. Caiston Glen lies to the west, separating this ridge from the ground around Little Hart Crag, while the Kirkstone valley lies to the east.

Views towards Brothers Water and Hartsop

The outlook north is one of Middle Dodd’s defining features. Brothers Water and the Hartsop valley provide a clear sense of the landscape below, with the surrounding fells enclosing the dale. It is a view shaped as much by the valley floor as by distant summits: water, fields and steep fell sides give it depth and scale.

Looking south, Red Screes dominates. Its higher summit limits the panorama in that direction, so Middle Dodd should not be thought of as a smaller version of the same viewpoint. Its appeal is the closer relationship with the northern valleys and the chance to see the ridge itself in context. Walkers including both fells in an outing encounter two quite different outlooks despite their close connection.

Middle Dodd among the Eastern Fells

Middle Dodd appears in The Eastern Fells, the first book of Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume pictorial guide. It ranks 111th by height among the 214 Wainwrights. Nearby Wainwright summits include Red Screes, High Hartsop Dodd, Little Hart Crag and Hartsop Above How, placing it within the compact group of ridges and valleys south of Hartsop.

Its close link with Red Screes makes the two a natural pairing in walking plans. The modest separation between their summits should not obscure the steepness of the ground rising from the valley. Middle Dodd’s place in a day’s walk depends on the wider route chosen; dedicated walking guides and a suitable map are the right sources for assessing that choice.

Where Middle Dodd stands

Summit at grid reference NY397095 · open full map

The real Middle Dodd

Walking Middle Dodd

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

• An easy walk up Red Screes (sallyscottages.co.uk)
• Red Screes and Middle Dodd (walklakes.co.uk)
• Middle Dodd, Red Screes, Caudale Moor, Stony Cove Pike ... (getlostmountaineering.co.uk)

Weather on Middle Dodd

Conditions estimated at summit height (654 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Middle Dodd on your wall

A painting of Middle Dodd can bring back the view from the dale: the steep northern ridge, the higher ground behind and the changing colours of the fell sides. As a print or canvas, it offers a familiar Lakeland shape to live with beyond the walking day.

Own “Sunlit Ridge on Middle Dodd” — our painting of Middle Dodd → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Eastern Fells

• Red Screes 779 m
• High Hartsop Dodd 519 m
• Little Hart Crag 637 m
• Hartsop Above How 586 m

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