Rest Dodd

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited August 2026

Home › Fells › Rest Dodd

696 mWainwright — Far Eastern Fells+2 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Rest Dodd at 696m (2,283ft) is a summit above Patterdale and Martindale, joined to the High Street range by the ridge to The Knott, about 1 km to the south-south-east.

Summit conditions on Rest Dodd

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 55 mph, 11.1 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

54 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 45 mph times our exposure factor of 1.2. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 55 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS (opens in new tab) describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

11.1 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 0 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 32 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; 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 Rest Dodd

Choose the way up before the car park: these two routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.

Compared	Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round	Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells
Starts from	Hartsop village (donation)	Hartsop
Distance and climb	22.23 km, 1,402 m of climb	22.5 km, 1,294 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~6¾–9¼ h	~6½–9 h
Scrambling	Not mentioned in the route’s notes	Hands for a few steps: the highest rock of Angletarn Pikes' North Top (about km 11.4).
Exposure	Easy	Not assessed
Navigation	Hard	Hard
Steepest stretch	Climb of about 30% at 1.2 km (Hard)	Descent of about 31% at 4.0 km (Hard)
After the summit	Over The Nab, Brock Crags (Wainwright), Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Beda Fell (Beda Head) and Place Fell	Over The Nab, Brock Crags (Wainwright), Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Beda Fell (Beda Head) and Place Fell
Walked or planned	Walked in part; km 0.3–1.7, km 19.4–22.1 from the map	Walked by Lee, August 2026
Car park at the start	Hartsop village (donation)	Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid)
Bus to the start	508, 560 m walk from Hartsop, adjacent to road end	508 at the start

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

Is Rest Dodd a hard walk?

Not steep on top, but genuinely awkward. The top itself is fairly flat and grassy; the ridge north to The Nab is cut by deep peat hags, and picking a line through them is slow, tiring work. The map shows the ridge but not every hag, so carry it and keep a compass bearing. The flanks are steep and rough.

This is remote Martindale country and our routes over it are long: 22.2 km with 1402 m of ascent, rated Severe overall for its length, or 22.5 km and 1294 m. Add time for the hags rather than assuming the contours tell the truth here.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 696 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

10° / 4°

55 mph

11.1 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

8° / 5°

40 mph

10.5 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

8° / 7°

28 mph

0.3 mm (33%)

Fri 30 Oct

8° / 5°

29 mph

0.0 mm (23%)

Sat 31 Oct

10° / 0°

10 mph

0.0 mm (18%)

Sun 1 Nov

6° / 0°

8 mph

0.0 mm (10%)

Mon 2 Nov

7° / -2°

14 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Rest Dodd

Parking

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

Hartsop village (donation) — at the start of Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round

For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags. It asks an optional donation, not a charge (Lee, who walked past it on 14 August 2026). People also use the Cow Bridge car park, 0.9 km away, if they would rather not drive down the lane.

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) (0.9 km, 32 m up)

Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) — 0.3 km from the start of Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells (straight line)

Paid car park by Brothers Water — Hartsop above How, Dovedale, Caudale Moor. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards; RingGo ID 37323 (LDNPA, checked August 2026).

Directions When people arrive, and what it costs →Something changed here?

Gowk Hill (layby) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Gowk Hill (0.8 km), The Nab (1.1 km), Brownthwaite Crag (1.2 km). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged). Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

2 more places to park near Rest Dodd

Beda Fell (layby) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Beda Fell (Beda Head) (0.8 km), Gowk Hill (1.1 km), Brownthwaite Crag (1.2 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Grass surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Brothers Water, east shore (free) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)

On the A592 by the east shore of Brothers Water (OpenStreetMap, 26 m from the road). The nearest route starts are 'Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells', 0.8 km north on foot at Hartsop, and the two at Cow Bridge, 1.0 km north on foot. Free (OSM-tagged). Compacted surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Cow Bridge from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 34% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, in road end, a 20 m walk from the start of Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: distance). The last bus is 17:44 towards Penrith (508) and 15:50 towards Keswick (509), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”

Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)

Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)

The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

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 Rest Dodd

Hazard & Incident Information for Rest Dodd

Checked by Lee McCoy, 14 June 2026. Draws on published material from Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

A quiet, rounded fell in the remote Martindale country, with a broad, fairly flat grassy top, deep peat hags on the ridge north to The Nab, and steep, rough flanks dropping to Bannerdale and Rampsgill. It has no real crags, but the bog, the featureless top and the sheer remoteness make it a navigation fell, especially on the awkward boggy link out to The Nab. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

Deep peat hags & boggy ground: The ridge toward The Nab is cut by deep peat hags and bog, tiring and disorientating to cross and a trap in mist. Pick your line carefully, keep a compass bearing, and don't assume the easiest-looking ground is safe or quick.
Steep, rough flanks: The sides drop steeply and roughly into Bannerdale and Rampsgill. Keep to the higher ground and don't be tempted to cut down the steep flanks, particularly in poor visibility.
Remoteness (Martindale): This is out-of-the-way country a long way from any road, little visited and with no shelter. A navigation error, bog mishap or injury becomes serious here — carry full kit and navigation, and allow plenty of time and daylight.

Who should attempt this fell: Rest Dodd is gentle in outline but a genuine navigation and bog challenge in remote country — be confident with map and compass, pick careful lines through the peat hags (the boggy ridge to The Nab especially), and keep off the steep flanks. Plan for the remoteness: carry what you need, leave a wide time margin, and turn back if cloud closes in over the featureless top.

What to watch for: Navigation errors among the peat hags and on the featureless top in cloud · Floundering or tiring badly in deep bog, especially toward The Nab · Slips on the steep, rough flanks · Difficulties magnified by remoteness and few other walkers about

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information (opens in new tab)

Navigating in cloud

Care needed ∗

A broad, fairly flat grassy top with no real crags; the featureless top and the hag-cut ridge to The Nab make it a navigation fell in mist. Take care in poor visibility — carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Rest Dodd compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

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 Rest Dodd

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

2.3 km NERed Crag711 m · Far Eastern

2.4 km ELow Raise754 m · Far Eastern

Routes over Rest Dodd

Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round

Summits: Rest DoddThe Nab Brock Crags (Wainwright)Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)Beda Fell (Beda Head)Place Fell

This is the antidote to Helvellyn on an August Saturday. The Nab is one of the least-visited Wainwrights, and the reward for the boggy trudge out to it is a summit almost nobody stands on. Angletarn Pikes and its tarn are the prettiest thing in the Far Eastern fells.

Download GPX Walked in part, August 2026 · km 0.3–1.7, km 19.4–22.1 from the map

Best season: Late spring to autumn. The ground between Rest Dodd and The Nab is notoriously boggy and the navigation is committing in cloud — save this one for a clear day with dry ground underfoot. The Dalemain Estate says the deer forest may be closed between September and February, so check with the estate before an autumn or winter walk.

Picked for its light in: September

Warnings: The Nab is in the Martindale deer forest, owned by the Dalemain Estate. The estate says the area may be closed between September and February for deer management, and at other times as needed, and asks walkers to check before they visit. It asks everyone to keep away from the deer, especially at calving time. This route reaches The Nab along the ridge from Rest Dodd and comes back the same way. It does not go down into Rampsgill or Bannerdale. The top of The Nab is open access land. On open access land, dogs must be on a lead of no more than 2 m from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time (GOV.UK: use your right to roam). The ground either side of The Nab is genuinely boggy — peat hags and wet channels that swallow the path. Expect wet feet and slow going, and do not judge your timings by the distance alone. A big day: over 22 km and 1,350 m of ascent, with navigation graded hard. The high ground is broad, rolling and short of landmarks — in cloud this is a compass-and-pacing exercise. Long and remote: carry what you need to get yourself out.

Route guide: Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round →

Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells

Summits: Rest DoddThe Nab Brock Crags (Wainwright)Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)Beda Fell (Beda Head)Place Fell

Download GPX Walked by Lee, August 2026

Route guide: Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells →

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 Rest Dodd

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round route:

Road End (467 m from the start, straight line)

On the Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells route:

bus shelter (9 m off the line) shelter (mapped, not checked; 94 m off the line) Road End (44 m from the start or finish, straight line) Patterdale Hotel (E bound) (63 m from the start or finish, straight line) Patterdale Hotel (W bound) (93 m from the start or finish, straight line) Cow Bridge car park (233 m from the start or finish, straight line)

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

About Rest Dodd

Wainwright noted its excellent views across Ullswater and the fine prospect of the Hayeswater hollow below. The ascent from Patterdale or Hartsop via Hayeswater is pleasant. Most naturally combined with The Knott and Angletarn Pikes for a circuit above Patterdale.

Field notes

The trek up from Hartsop wasn't all that challenging, mostly it's a clear path. What I do like about this fell is that the decent cairn pops out suddenly as you approach the summit and the view over The Nab is glorious. You couldn't tell from the photo I took, however. Just moments after I took it, the view north opened up for a few minutes and you could see the detail of the peat hags and the way forward. The name suits it: this is a fabulous place to take a break. It's relatively flat, it's grassy and has decent views.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on 2 of our routes

My Strava hikes over Rest Dodd

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Finishing of the Far Eastern Fells (opens in new tab) — 23.1 km · 1463 m ascent · 6h 01m moving · 14 August 2026

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Rest Dodd a Wainwright?

Rest Dodd is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list, the HuMP list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

696 m

Height

2,283 ft

In feet

NY 4325 1364

Grid ref

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

The summit is also a Birkett.

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 →

The view from Rest Dodd

The 360° skyline from Rest Dodd

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys

The skyline as a list, by direction

East: High Raise (2 km)
South-east: Rampsgill Head (1 km)
South: Thornthwaite Crag (4 km), Stony Cove Pike (4 km)
South-west: Red Screes (6 km), Dove Crag (7 km), Great Carrs (21 km), Swirl How (21 km), Great How (21 km), Grey Friar (22 km), Brim Fell (22 km), The Old Man of Coniston (22 km)
West: St Sunday Crag (6 km), Hart Crag (7 km), Fairfield (8 km), Dollywaggon Pike (9 km), Catstye Cam (9 km), Nethermost Pike (9 km), High Crag (9 km), Helvellyn (9 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (10 km), White Side (10 km), Glaramara (19 km), Green Gable (22 km), Great Gable (22 km)
North-west: Green Side (10 km), Raise (10 km), Stybarrow Dodd (10 km), Great Dodd (11 km), Blencathra (18 km), Gategill Fell Top (18 km), Knowe Crags (18 km), Atkinson Pike (18 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (22 km), Skiddaw Little Man (22 km), Skiddaw South Top (23 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (23 km), Skiddaw (23 km), Skiddaw North Top (23 km), Broad End (24 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Broad Law (114 km, Scotland), Tinto (130 km, Scotland), White Coomb (105 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (97 km, Scotland), Wisp Hill (86 km, Scotland), Roan Fell (80 km, Scotland), Cauldcleuch Head (87 km, Scotland), Dun Rig (119 km, Scotland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Rest Dodd

Rest Dodd waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when the sun is up for 39 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 09:11 against an almanac sunrise of 08:32. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-east from here (139.8°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.57°.

Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.

Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
	First light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	04:37 BST ±5.0 min	04:36	+1 min
Equinox	06:42 GMT ±5.0 min	06:15	+27 min
Midwinter	09:11 GMT ±5.0 min	08:32	+39 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.29°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Rest Dodd

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 April) last light is only 10 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Rest Dodd.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:54 BST ±5.0 min	21:52	+2 min
Equinox	18:17 GMT ±5.0 min	18:25	-8 min
Midwinter	15:48 GMT ±5.0 min	15:48	—

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Rest Dodd

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

59Wainwrights in view+8 marginal

33 kmFurthest sightlineCross Fell

—Sea in viewnone from here

Far horizons

Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 33 km clear

All 59 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

The Knott (High Street), Rampsgill Head, High Raise (High Street), The Nab, Brock Crags (Wainwright), Gray Crag, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), High Street, Hartsop Dodd, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Thornthwaite Crag, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Arnison Crag, Place Fell, Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), High Hartsop Dodd, Loadpot Hill, Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), Birks, Middle Dodd, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Red Screes, Hallin Fell, St Sunday Crag, Glenridding Dodd, Dove Crag, Hart Crag, Birkhouse Moor, High Pike (Scandale), Fairfield, Sheffield Pike, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Dollywaggon Pike, Catstye Cam, Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn, Hart Side, Raise, White Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Little Mell Fell, Great Dodd, Great Mell Fell, Souther Fell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Glaramara, Wetherlam, Bowscale Fell, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Skiddaw Little Man, Grey Friar, Green Gable, Carrock Fell, Brim Fell, Great Gable, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Skiddaw, Bakestall

How the view from Rest Dodd compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Rest Dodd. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. Corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Places to stay near this fell

Greenbank Farm Bed and Breakfast (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.8 km

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).

Frequently asked questions about Rest Dodd

Is Rest Dodd a hard walk? Answered above.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Rest Dodd

Summit conditions on Rest Dodd

Wind on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Rest Dodd

Is Rest Dodd a hard walk?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Rest Dodd

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Rest Dodd

Hazard & Incident Information for Rest Dodd

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Rest Dodd

Routes over Rest Dodd

On the hill: terrain and water on Rest Dodd

Water & shelter on the way up

About Rest Dodd

Field notes

My Strava hikes over Rest Dodd

Classifications & hill data

Is Rest Dodd a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Rest Dodd

The 360° skyline from Rest Dodd

Sunrise and sunset on Rest Dodd

Last light — when the sun leaves Rest Dodd

What you can see from Rest Dodd

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Rest Dodd

Other fells near Rest Dodd