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Dodd (Lorton)

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454 mBirkett — North Western (not a Wainwright summit)+7 bonus Birketts within 3 km

Dodd at 454m (1,490ft) is a Birkett top above the Lorton Vale between Loweswater and Cockermouth, its rounded summit giving views across the fertile valley and towards the higher North Western Fells. Part of the low fell country north of Crummock Water.

Summit conditions on Dodd (Lorton)

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 13° to 7°C, gusts to 59 mph, 7.1 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Routes up Dodd (Lorton)

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Dodd & Whiteside Planned, not yet walked
7.91 km · ~682 m ascent · ~2½–3¾ h · loop · 2 summits
Moderate effort Severe: steepness
Park: Lanthwaite Green (paid) · Bus: 77 at the start

Two tops, 7.9 km and 682 m — and a stage averaging 29%, which is what a short walk with that much ascent in it means. Easy for length, severe for steepness. About 2½–3¾ hours.

Distance and climb are measured from the route’s GPX track, and the time from them by Naismith’s rule; the route page says what each grade rests on. How we check →

How hard is Dodd (Lorton)?

The shortest way up we hold is Dodd & Whiteside — 7.91 km, 682 m of ascent, ~2½–3¾ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.

All axes: steepness: Severe · navigation: Moderate · length: Easy · terrain: Not assessed · exposure: Not assessed.

These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 454 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
13° / 7°
59 mph
7.1 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
10° / 7°
45 mph
6.3 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
11° / 8°
21 mph
0.8 mm (67%)
Fri 30 Oct
10° / 7°
19 mph
0.0 mm (12%)
Sat 31 Oct
9° / 4°
5 mph
0.0 mm (8%)
Sun 1 Nov
9° / 2°
13 mph
1.5 mm (2%)
Mon 2 Nov
7° / 0°
8 mph
0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Parking & buses for Dodd (Lorton)

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Lanthwaite Green — 0.1 km from the start of Dodd & Whiteside (straight line)
At the foot of Grasmoor and Whiteside, Crummock Water. Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8 up to 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Free for National Trust members (National Trust, read 28 September 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Swinside (layby) — 1.1 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Swinside (0.8 km), Dodd (Lorton) (1.1 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Dodd Lorton (layby) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
2.3 km from Dodd Lorton.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
2 more places to park near Dodd (Lorton)
Littlethwaite (layby) — 2.3 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest published walking: 2.2 km from the 'Whinlatter Loop' route start; 2.3 km from Hatteringill Head - Whin Fell. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Lanthwaite Wood, Crummock Water (NT, paid) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
By Crummock Water, distinct from Lanthwaite Green further up the valley. Fees: pay and display (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked August 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

Buses

The 77 stops at Lanthwaite Green Farm (opposite), a 110 m walk from the start of Dodd & Whiteside — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (77): Tuesday to Sunday 18:03. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawes End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (Summer 2026 timetable: 23 March to 1 November 2026). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Dodd (Lorton)

Notes from a planned route, not walked: Dodd & Whiteside

If you need to get off (the leg from Whiteside): Pushing forward to Dodd and continuing the descent to the valley is your most efficient escape route. Do not attempt to re-ascend Whiteside unless you specifically need to return to the Lanthwaite Green start point via Whin Ben.

Quoted from the route page of a planned route, drawn from the map and not yet walked: the note for the leg that reaches Dodd (Lorton).

We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Dodd (Lorton)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

1.1 km SEWhiteside East Top (Whiteside) (Gasgale Crags)719 m · North Western
1.1 km NESwinside509 m · North Western
1.3 km SEGasgale Crags703 m · North Western
1.6 km ELadyside Pike704 m · North Western
2.2 km ESESand Hill756 m · North Western
2.6 km EHobcarton End634 m · North Western
2.7 km ESEHobcarton Crag (Hobcarton Head)738 m · North Western

Routes over Dodd (Lorton)

7.91 km · ~682 m ascent · loop · ~2½–3¾ h
Moderate effort Severe: steepness
Summits: Whiteside (Whiteside West Top)Dodd (Lorton)

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: Whiteside (Whiteside West Top): The ridge towers above Gasgale Gill on a wall of crag. Keep back from the southern edge, particularly in cloud or wind where the drop comes with little warning.

From the hazard notes for Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), each with its sources.

Route guide: Dodd & Whiteside →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Dodd (Lorton)

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Dodd & Whiteside route:

Lanthwaite Green Farm (opens in new tab) (105 m from the start, straight line)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

About Dodd (Lorton)

Our Dodd & Whiteside route takes it with Whiteside in a 7.9 km loop from Lanthwaite Green.

Classifications & hill data

Is Dodd (Lorton) a Wainwright?

Dodd (Lorton) is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list and the Synge list.

Selected lists

454 m
Height
1,490 ft
In feet
NY 1690 2306
Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

Places to stay near this fell

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Other fells near Dodd (Lorton)