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633 m · Wainwright — Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Western FellsAlso a Birkett

Starling Dodd

Starling Dodd at 633m (2,077ft) is a broad, grassy summit above Ennerdale between Red Pike and Great Borne, giving fine views of Ennerdale Water and the remote Ennerdale valley.

633 m
Height
~4.5–5.5 h
Typical time
+10
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

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633 mWainwright — Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 633 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 14° to 13°C, gusts to 34 mph, 2.2 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
14° / 13°
💨 34 mph
🌧 2.2 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
14° / 11°
💨 27 mph
🌧 12.8 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
12° / 4°
💨 28 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
14° / 2°
💨 22 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 15 mph
🌧 1.2 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
🌤️
15° / 4°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
15° / 4°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 633 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Starling Dodd

Starling Dodd, a Lake District fell
Photo: Stirzy at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Starling Dodd at 633m (2,077ft) is a broad, grassy summit above Ennerdale between Red Pike and Great Borne, giving fine views of Ennerdale Water and the remote Ennerdale valley. Wainwright described it as an unfrequented summit with good views. The ascent from Ennerdale or from Great Borne via the ridge is across open fell. Most naturally combined with Great Borne and Red Pike for a circuit of the northern Buttermere-Ennerdale fells.

Routes up Starling Dodd

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

Great Bourne & Starling Dodd
16 km · ~5 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
633 m
Height
2,077 ft
In feet
NY 1420 1574
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Bowness Knott, Ennerdale (Forestry, paid), about 3.2 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Starling Dodd (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

0.7 km ESELittle Dodd (Ennerdale)590 m · Western
1.0 km NWGale Fell518 m · Western
2.2 km NNEScale Knott338 m · Western
2.2 km EDodd (Buttermere)641 m · North Western
2.5 km WNWHerdus562 m · Western
2.6 km NWFloutern Cop451 m · Western
2.6 km SLingmell (Ennerdale)427 m · Western
2.7 km WBrown How (Ennerdale)330 m · Western
2.9 km ESEHigh Stile (Grey Crag - High Stile)806 m · Western
3.0 km WBowness Knott333 m · Western

Routes over Starling Dodd

Great Bourne & Starling DoddLive
15.97 km · ~1100 m ascent · loop · ~5–6.5 h
Summits: Red Pike (Buttermere)Starling DoddGreat Borne

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View from Starling 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
Computed 360-degree skyline from Starling Dodd36 labelled tops shown (16 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHelvellyn · 20 kmIll Crag · 12 kmGreat Gable · 9 kmPillar · 5 kmRaise · 20 kmBlencathra · 22 kmGrasmoor · 6 kmScoat Fell · 5 kmCrag Hill · 7 kmBlack Crag · 5 kmHigh Stile · 3 kmHaycock · 5 kmRed Pike · 2 kmRobinson · 6 kmLittle Gowder Crag · 5 kmClough Head · 20 kmRed Beck Top · 12 kmWhiteside East Top · 7 kmCaw Fell · 5 kmIron Crag · 4 kmGreat Borne · 2 kmLank Rigg · 6 kmCriffel · 50 km · clear daysBlake Fell · 5 kmCarling Knott · 5 kmCrag Fell · 5 kmGale Fell · 1 kmMellbreak · 3 kmMellbreak North Top · 4 kmHigh Pen · 4 kmGraystones · 11 kmLow Fell · 7 kmDarling Fell · 7 kmGodworth · 5 kmLittle Dodd · 4 kmSkelgill Bank · 11 kmGreat End · 11 kmEel Crag · 7 kmGreen Gable · 9 kmSail · 7 kmWhiteside · 7 kmCalfhow Pike · 20 kmKnott Rigg · 6 kmGavel Fell · 4 kmWhoap · 5 kmGavel Fell · 4 kmKirk Fell · 11 kmLow Pen · 5 kmLad Hows · 5 kmWalla Crag · 15 kmSwarth Fell · 9 kmBowness Knott · 3 kmBrown How · 3 kmClints Crags · 20 kmGrange Fell · 67 km · clear daysSlieve Donard · 173 km · a handful of days a yearMerrick · 100 km · a rare clear dayBroad Law · 108 km · a rare clear daySnaefell · 79 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 99 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 82 km · a rare clear daySlieve Croob · 173 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 99 km · a rare clear dayDivis · 174 km · a handful of days a yearCulter Fell · 114 km · a rare clear dayCairn Table · 116 km · a rare clear dayBeneraird · 119 km · a rare clear dayAgnew's Hill · 172 km · a handful of days a yearWisp Hill · 87 km · a rare clear dayColt Hill · 94 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 116 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Starling Dodd, by direction
  • North-east: Grasmoor (6 km), Crag Hill (7 km), Whiteside (7 km), Eel Crag (7 km), Sail (7 km), Whiteside East Top (7 km), Scar Crags (8 km), Knowe Crags (20 km), Gategill Fell Top (21 km), Blencathra (22 km), Atkinson Pike (22 km)
  • East: Red Pike (2 km), High Stile (3 km), High Stile (3 km), Robinson (6 km), Hindscarth (7 km), Dale Head (8 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (20 km), White Side (20 km), Calfhow Pike (20 km), Helvellyn (20 km), Raise (20 km), Nethermost Pike (20 km), Clough Head (20 km), Catstye Cam (21 km)
  • South-east: Pillar (5 km), Black Crag (5 km), Kirk Fell (8 km), Great Gable (9 km), Green Gable (9 km), Great End (11 km), Ill Crag (12 km), Red Beck Top (12 km)
  • South: Steeple (4 km), Scoat Fell (5 km), Little Gowder Crag (5 km), Caw Fell (5 km), Haycock (5 km)
  • South-west: Iron Crag (4 km)
  • West: Great Borne (2 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (173 km, Ireland), Merrick (100 km, Scotland), Broad Law (108 km, Scotland), Snaefell (79 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (99 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Fleet (82 km, Scotland), Corserine (96 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (94 km, Scotland).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

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

What you can see from Starling Dodd

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
43Wainwrights in view+4 marginal
101 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick · possible under favourable refraction
2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Far horizons
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 101 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 80 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 59 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 51 km clear
  • Solway Firth bay/estuaryNNW · 39 km in view
  • Irish Sea open waterW · 32 km in view
All 43 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Red Pike (Buttermere), Great Borne, Hen Comb, High Stile, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Rannerdale Knotts, Steeple, Pillar, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Crag Fell, Caw Fell, Haycock, Whiteless Pike, Blake Fell, Grasmoor, Wandope, Robinson, Lank Rigg, Knott Rigg, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Low Fell, Sail, Hindscarth, Kirk Fell, Ard Crags, Dale Head, Scar Crags, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Great Gable, Green Gable, Causey Pike, Cat Bells (Catbells), Great End, Graystones (Graystones North Top), Walla Crag, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), White Side, Helvellyn, Raise, Clough Head, Catstye Cam, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top

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

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), 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.

Best parking to hike Starling Dodd

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Bowness Knott, Ennerdale (Forestry, paid) — 3.2 km from summit (straight line)
Forestry England car park at the end of the Ennerdale valley road, on the lake's north shore (OS NY 110 154; parking charges apply since 2023) — Great Borne, Starling Dodd, and the long walk-ins to Pillar and Steeple.
Directions
Buttermere village (NT, paid) — 3.5 km from summit (straight line)
For Red Pike, High Stile, Robinson, Rannerdale Knotts.
Directions
🚺 Buttermere village (132m) — Accessible☕ Syke Farm Tea Room☕ Croft House Farm Café🍺 The Buttermere Court Hotel

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Great Bourne & Starling Dodd route:

🚌 Bridge Hotel (10 m)🚌 The Fish Hotel (53 m)🚌 Mountain Road junction (142 m)🚌 Buttermere Youth Hostel (N bound) (301 m)⛺ Syke Farm Campsite (227 m)

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

Buses to Starling Dodd from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse 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 (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Navigating Starling Dodd in cloud

Straightforward

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Starling Dodd compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Starling Dodd

Maps & guidebooks for Starling Dodd

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