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A low cairn of stones on Stybarrow Dodd's broad, wet grassy top, with puddles around it and mist hiding everything beyond.

Stybarrow Dodd

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844 mWainwright — Eastern Fells+9 bonus Birketts within 3 km Fewer traps in Clag

Stybarrow Dodd at 844m (2,768ft) is the middlemost of the Helvellyn Dodds, a broad plateau summit above Sticks Pass giving good views in all directions but most notably east across Ullswater to the distant Pennines.

Summit conditions on Stybarrow Dodd

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 3°C, gusts to 62 mph, 19.5 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

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

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 57 mph times our exposure factor of 1.3. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 62 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 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.

Cloud on the top

Past the line

19 out of 100, the clear-top reading

Averaged over the daylight hours, from the forecast’s humidity and low cloud.

The line Our line: a clear-top reading under 20 out of 100, where our scorer says “summit likely clagged in”. There is no outside threshold to cite; it is our estimate. What cloud does to finding the way: navigating in cloud.

Not an observation: cloud lifts and drops within the hour.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

19.5 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 −2 °C, no ice or snow forecast. 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

Routes up Stybarrow Dodd

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

Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Watson's Dodd and moreThree Dodds and Calfhow PikeBirketts above Ullswater
Starts fromHigh RowLegburthwaite (United Utilities, small) (paid)High Cascades (NT, paid)
Distance and climb21.89 km, 1,281 m of climb11.12 km, 833 m of climb16.45 km, 766 m of climb
Time, fast to steady~6½–8¾ h~3½–5 h~4½–6¼ h
ScramblingNot mentioned in the route’s notesNot mentioned in the route’s notesNot mentioned in the route’s notes
ExposureModerateNot assessedNot assessed
NavigationHardModerateHard
Steepest stretchDescent of about 32% at 16.6 km (Hard)Descent of about 47% at 9.0 km (Severe)Descent of about 21% at 16.3 km (Moderate)
After the summitOver Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd and Clough HeadOver Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd and Calfhow PikeOver Hart Side, Birkett Fell, Brown Hills, Round How and Bracken How
Walked or plannedWalked by Lee, August 2023Planned: drawn, not yet walkedPlanned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the startLow How (layby)Legburthwaite (United Utilities, small) (paid)High Cascades (NT, paid)
Bus to the start509, 1.6 km walk from Dockray, outside The Royal Hotel. The UB1 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season.555 at the start509, 750 m walk from Dockray, outside The Royal Hotel. The UB1 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season.

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 Stybarrow Dodd hard?

On its own, no — it's one of the gentlest Wainwrights of its height. At 844 m (2,768 ft) it's a big fell on paper, but the standard way up from Legburthwaite via Sticks Pass is a steady pull on a good path with no scrambling, and our three Dodds round from there is 11.1 km with 833 m of ascent, about 3½–5 hours. The effort really depends on what you chain it with: almost nobody climbs Stybarrow Dodd alone, and the full Dodds ridge is a long day — our walked round from High Row over Hart Side to Raise and back north over Stybarrow Dodd, Watson's Dodd, Great Dodd and Clough Head is 21.9 km with about 1,280 m of climbing, about 6½–8¾ hours.

The difficulty isn't the climbing, it's navigation in cloud. The summit is a broad, featureless grass plateau — when we bagged it the clag was down, the GPS wandered, and there was genuinely nothing to aim for. In clear weather it's a straightforward walk; in mist, this is a fell where you need to trust your compass more than your eyes. Expect soft, wet ground off the main paths.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 844 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast
Tue 27 Oct
10° / 3°
62 mph
19.5 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
7° / 4°
49 mph
8.0 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
7° / 6°
28 mph
0.0 mm (33%)
Fri 30 Oct
7° / 5°
28 mph
0.0 mm (23%)
Sat 31 Oct
8° / 2°
14 mph
0.3 mm (18%)
Sun 1 Nov
6° / 1°
11 mph
0.0 mm (10%)
Mon 2 Nov
5° / -3°
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

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Stybarrow Dodd

Parking

Where do you park for Stybarrow Dodd?

For the Sticks Pass approach, Legburthwaite car park (United Utilities) off the A591 is the usual start — it's small, so arrive early on a fine day. From the east, the Dodds are usually taken from the Dockray side.

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

Low How (layby) — at the start of Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Watson's Dodd and more
0.7 km from Low How. Seen full by about 08:00 on a Saturday - Lee's own visit; a single sighting rather than a pattern.
Gravel parking area at Low How on an August afternoon, full of cars, with woodland behind
Gravel parking area at Low How on an August afternoon, full of cars, with woodland behind Taken August 2023
Directions Something changed here?
Legburthwaite (United Utilities, small) — 0.1 km from the start of Three Dodds and Calfhow Pike (straight line)
St John's in the Vale — Sticks Pass side, High Rigg, Raven Crag. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked August 2026). Pay and display (visitlakedistrict.com) (United Utilities, checked August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
If it is full: Roadside parking for Great How (free) (0.7 km) a few spaces only; Dam Triangle, Thirlmere (paid) (1.4 km, 70 m up); Roadside parking for Raven Crag (free) (1.5 km, 70 m up) a few spaces only
Legburthwaite Car Park (~8 m straight line) — Free
High Cascades (NT, paid) — at the start of Birketts above Ullswater
Walking base for Low How, High Brow, Randerside and Great Dodd — the 'Birketts above Ullswater' route starts 21 m away. Fees: £6 for 2 hours; £8 for 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Compacted surface (OSM-tagged). Free for NT members (checked August 2026).
Directions Something changed here?
4 more places to park near Stybarrow Dodd
Roadside parking for Great How (free) — 2.5 km from summit (straight line)
0.5 km from Great How. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
Great How (layby) — 2.5 km from summit (straight line)
Community walk pages start here for 'The Dodds and Clough Head, via Sticks Pass and St John's in the Vale' (community walk listings). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
High Bridge End, St John's in the Vale (lane, free) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Brown Crag, White Side, Raise and Stybarrow Dodd — the 'Brown Crag and Raise' route starts 212 m away. Also serves 'Three Dodds and Calfhow Pike'. Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Castle Rock (layby) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Brown Crag, White Side, Raise and Stybarrow Dodd — the 'Brown Crag and Raise' route starts 213 m away. Also serves 'Three Dodds and Calfhow Pike'. Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions 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 555 stops at Stanah Dam road end (near), a 270 m walk from the start of Three Dodds and Calfhow Pike — a route we rate Severe overall (hardest: steepness). As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Kendal (555): Tuesday to Friday 21:35 to Ambleside, 20:35 to Windermere, 17:42 to Kendal; Saturday 21:35 to Ambleside, 20:35 to Windermere, 18:12 to Kendal; Sunday 19:42 to Windermere, 18:12 to Kendal. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 24 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 555
Kendal – Staveley – Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal – Grasmere – Thirlmere (Wythburn & Swirls) – Keswick
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Year-round, roughly hourly. The backbone bus of the A591 — ideal for Helvellyn (Wythburn/Swirls), Fairfield, the Central fells and anything around Grasmere/Rydal. From Penrith, take the X4/X5 to Keswick and change.

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

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

Hazards on Stybarrow Dodd

Hazard & Incident Information for Stybarrow Dodd

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

Hazard: Moderate

The first of the Dodds north of Sticks Pass, a smooth rounded grassy dome that sets the pattern for the whole group: sweeping, easy grass with almost no landmarks. The walking is gentle, so the hazard is navigational — in cloud or snow this featureless ground is a classic place to lose your bearings — with only the small outcrop of Deepdale Crag and the steep eastern slopes to Deepdale breaking the grass. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Featureless grassy plateau (navigation): Almost all grass with few features, the Dodds are a notorious place to go wrong in mist or whiteout — easy to drift off a vague bearing into the wrong valley. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit; don't navigate by the feel of the slope.
  • Steep eastern slopes / Deepdale Crag: The eastern side drops steeply into Deepdale, with the small outcrop of Deepdale Crag. Keep to the broad higher ground in cloud and don't drift toward the steeper eastern edge.
  • Exposure & winter on the open dome: High, open and shelterless, the dome holds snow and is fully exposed to wind. In winter the lack of features makes navigation harder still and the slopes can be icy — carry full winter kit and the skills to navigate blind.
Who should attempt this fell: Stybarrow Dodd is gentle underfoot but a real navigation test — the smooth, featureless grass defeats people in cloud who'd manage far rougher ground. Be confident with map, compass and bearings, set your line before moving between the Dodds, and keep clear of the steeper eastern edge. In winter the exposure and blank slopes raise the stakes; carry full kit.

What to watch for: Navigation errors on the featureless grassy plateau in cloud or whiteout · Drifting toward the steep eastern slopes into Deepdale · Exposure and disorientation in winter on the open dome · Underestimating an 'easy' fell that is hard to navigate in poor visibility

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team

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

Navigating in cloud

Fewer traps in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of walkable ground near the summit that lies close to steep ground or crag. This top is in the lowest of the index’s four bands, and a low band never means “safe”: 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 Stybarrow 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 (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 Stybarrow Dodd

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

1.0 km EGreen Side (White Stones)794 m · Eastern
1.6 km NNWLittle Dodd (St John's Common)785 m · Eastern
2.0 km SWBrown Crag610 m · Eastern
2.2 km NNERanderside729 m · Eastern
2.3 km WNWCastle Rock339 m · Eastern
2.3 km ENEBirkett Fell725 m · Eastern
2.5 km NNWCalfhow Pike660 m · Eastern
2.9 km WGreat How (Thirlmere)333 m · Central
3.0 km WNWWren Crag311 m · Central

Routes over Stybarrow Dodd

Birketts above Ullswater
Summits: Low HowHigh BrowRandersideGreat DoddStybarrow DoddHart SideBirkett FellBrown HillsRound HowBracken How

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Picked for its light in: May

Warnings: Great Dodd: The wide grassy dome has almost nothing to fix on, and in thick cloud you may not see the cairn until you're on it. This is a notorious place to wander off line. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the top; don't navigate by the lie of the slope. Almost all grass with few features, the Dodds are a notorious place to go wrong in mist or whiteout — easy to drift off a vague bearing into the wrong valley. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit; don't navigate by the feel of the slope.

From the hazard notes for Great Dodd, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Watson's Dodd and more
Summits: Birkett FellHart SideRaiseStybarrow DoddWatson's DoddGreat DoddClough Head

Download GPX Walked by Lee, August 2023

Warnings: Watson's Dodd: The flat grassy top has almost no features and only a small cairn at its western edge — in mist it's easy to cross the plateau without finding the summit, or to leave on the wrong bearing. Navigate by compass and don't rely on spotting the cairn. Raise catches and keeps snow, and its slopes can be hard enough that step-kicking alone won't get you up or down safely. When there's snow or ice you need an ice axe, crampons and the skills to use them; the steep flanks toward Keppel Cove and Sticks Gill are unforgiving of a slip. Almost all grass with few features, the Dodds are a notorious place to go wrong in mist or whiteout — easy to drift off a vague bearing into the wrong valley. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit; don't navigate by the feel of the slope. Great Dodd: The wide grassy dome has almost nothing to fix on, and in thick cloud you may not see the cairn until you're on it. This is a notorious place to wander off line. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the top; don't navigate by the lie of the slope.

From the hazard notes for Watson's Dodd · Great Dodd, each with its sources.

Route guide →

Three Dodds and Calfhow Pike
Summits: Stybarrow DoddWatson's DoddGreat DoddCalfhow Pike

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: Almost all grass with few features, the Dodds are a notorious place to go wrong in mist or whiteout — easy to drift off a vague bearing into the wrong valley. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit; don't navigate by the feel of the slope. Watson's Dodd: The flat grassy top has almost no features and only a small cairn at its western edge — in mist it's easy to cross the plateau without finding the summit, or to leave on the wrong bearing. Navigate by compass and don't rely on spotting the cairn. Great Dodd: The wide grassy dome has almost nothing to fix on, and in thick cloud you may not see the cairn until you're on it. This is a notorious place to wander off line. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the top; don't navigate by the lie of the slope.

From the hazard notes for Watson's Dodd · Great Dodd, each with its sources.

Route guide →

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 Stybarrow Dodd

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Three Dodds and Calfhow Pike route:

bus shelter (78 m off the line) toilets (110 m off the line) Thirlmere Dam Road End (250 m from the start, straight line)

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

About Stybarrow Dodd

A low cairn of stones on Stybarrow Dodd's broad, wet grassy top, with puddles around it and mist hiding everything beyond.
© Lee McCoy

It is part of the northern ridge walk that links Helvellyn to Clough Head. The summit is easily reached from the Sticks Pass path. Combined naturally with Watson's Dodd and Great Dodd for the full northern Dodds traverse.

Field notes

The main feature of this summit is that that there's pretty much no feature. As you can see from the map below my track the day I bagged this one I came over from Hart Side and made my way over to Stybarrow Dodd, my GPS was all over the place and I wasn't sure if I bagged it or not. As the weather wasn't great and I was determined to get to Raise as it's a fell that stood out on its own I just put my head down, bagged that and returned. I walked around aimlessly for a while at what was the flat, dull "summit" of Stybarrow Dodd. In the clag I couldn't see much eventually, as you can see I found the Wainwright summit, didn't hang around - as there was definitely no view and the ground was sodden, so I continued on to Watson's Dodd - and a touch more sodden ground as I went.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on our Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Watson's Dodd and more route in August 2023

My Strava hikes over Stybarrow Dodd

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Selected lists

Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
Hewitt
844 m
Height
2,768 ft
In feet
NY 3430 1891
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 Stybarrow Dodd

The 360° skyline from Stybarrow 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 Stybarrow Dodd36 labelled tops shown (15 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 17 kmSkiddaw · 13 kmBowfell · 16 kmGreat Gable · 16 kmPillar · 18 kmRaise · 2 kmFairfield · 7 kmBlencathra · 9 kmWhite Side · 2 kmGreat Dodd · 2 kmGrasmoor · 17 kmSt Sunday Crag · 6 kmCrinkle Crags South Top · 17 kmHigh Street · 12 kmHart Crag · 8 kmHigh Stile · 18 kmHigh Raise · 12 kmKnowe Crags · 9 kmGrisedale Pike · 15 kmGreat Carrs · 19 kmThornthwaite Crag · 12 kmCaudale Moor · 11 kmLong Side · 13 kmCold Pike · 17 kmSeatallan · 23 kmBakestall · 14 kmCross Fell · 38 km · clear daysGreen Side · 1 kmGavel Fell · 23 kmRanderside · 2 kmRed Crag · 11 kmSt Raven's Edge · 12 kmHigh Brow · 4 kmLord's Seat · 16 kmSwarth Fell · 11 kmArthur's Pike · 12 kmEsk Pike · 16 kmGategill Fell Top · 9 kmLingmell · 17 kmRampsgill Head · 12 kmSand Hill · 16 kmRed Pike · 19 kmLow Raise · 12 kmDale Head · 12 kmFroswick · 14 kmHobcarton End · 16 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 3 kmCatstye Cam · 3 kmWatson's Dodd · 1 kmHart Side · 2 kmBirkhouse Moor · 4 kmSheffield Pike · 3 kmLoadpot Hill · 11 kmLittle Calva · 14 kmLooking Stead · 17 kmMaiden Moor · 11 kmThe Calf · 39 km · clear daysThornythwaite Fell · 12 kmGreat Mell Fell · 8 kmWhinlatter Top · 16 kmBengairn · 67 km · clear daysLittle Mell Fell · 10 kmLow How · 4 kmTarbarrel Moss · 15 kmGowk Hill · 10 kmGreat Crag · 8 kmSighty Crag · 67 km · clear daysHeughscar Hill · 15 kmSale Fell · 18 kmCold Fell · 45 km · clear daysDufton Pike · 36 km · clear daysMerrick · 113 km · a rare clear daySnaefell · 99 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 109 km · a rare clear dayThe Cheviot · 116 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 97 km · a rare clear daySlieve Croob · 193 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 103 km · a rare clear dayPendle Hill · 90 km · a rare clear dayEttrick Pen · 90 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 81 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 75 km · a rare clear dayBuckden Pike · 74 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 86 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 80 km · a rare clear dayCairnkinna Hill · 100 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Great Dodd (2 km), Knowe Crags (9 km), Gategill Fell Top (9 km), Blencathra (9 km), Atkinson Pike (10 km)
  • South-east: St Sunday Crag (6 km), High Raise (12 km), High Street (12 km)
  • South: Raise (2 km), White Side (2 km), Fairfield (7 km), Hart Crag (8 km)
  • South-west: Esk Pike (16 km), Great End (16 km), Great Gable (16 km), Bowfell (16 km), Pike de Bield (16 km), Shelter Crags (16 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Ill Crag (17 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Broad Crag (17 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (17 km), Lingmell (17 km), Scafell Pike (17 km), Red Pike (20 km)
  • West: Crag Hill (15 km), Eel Crag (15 km), Grasmoor (17 km), High Stile (18 km), High Stile (18 km), Pillar (18 km), Scoat Fell (20 km)
  • North-west: Skiddaw South Top (13 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (13 km), Skiddaw (13 km), Skiddaw North Top (13 km), Broad End (14 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Merrick (113 km, Scotland), Snaefell (99 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (109 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (116 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (97 km, Scotland), Corserine (109 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (108 km, Scotland), Slieve Croob (193 km, Ireland).

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

Sunrise and sunset on Stybarrow Dodd

Stybarrow Dodd catches the sun before the valley does. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does this summit wait for first light — the eastern horizon falls away rather than standing over you, and at midsummer the light reaches it 5 minutes before almanac sunrise.

0°30°40°50°60°04:31
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 lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:31 BST ±5.0 min04:36-5 min
Equinox06:12 GMT ±5.0 min06:15-3 min
Midwinter08:30 GMT ±5.0 min08:33-3 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.39°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Stybarrow Dodd

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (at midwinter) last light is only 3 minutes before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Stybarrow Dodd.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:58 BST ±5.0 min21:53+5 min
Equinox18:30 GMT ±5.0 min18:26+4 min
Midwinter15:45 GMT ±5.0 min15:48-3 min

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 Stybarrow Dodd

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
102Wainwrights in view+28 marginal
114 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick · possible under favourable refraction
—Sea in viewnone from here

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

Far horizons
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 114 km clear
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 100 km clear
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 60 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesSE · 54 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 39 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 37 km clear
All 102 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Watson's Dodd, Raise, Great Dodd, Hart Side, White Side, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor, Helvellyn, Raven Crag, High Seat, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Bleaberry Fell, Birks, High Tove, St Sunday Crag, Arnison Crag, Place Fell, Walla Crag, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Fairfield, Hart Crag, Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Great Mell Fell, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Latrigg, Beda Fell (Beda Head), Brock Crags (Wainwright), Hallin Fell, Calf Crag, Little Mell Fell, Hartsop Dodd, The Nab, Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa - Steel Knotts), Cat Bells (Catbells), Lonscale Fell, Rest Dodd, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Maiden Moor, Middle Dodd, Bonscale Pike, High Spy, High Raise (High White Stones), The Knott (High Street), Loadpot Hill, Red Screes, Sergeant Man, Wether Hill, Rampsgill Head, High Raise (High Street), Arthur's Pike, Barrow, Dale Head, Pavey Ark, Causey Pike, Carl Side, Harrison Stickle, Hindscarth, Dodd (Skiddaw), Long Side, Outerside, Scar Crags, Ard Crags, Froswick, Base Brown, Bakestall, Robinson, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Ill Bell, Fleetwith Pike, Sail, Brandreth, Knott Rigg, Rossett Pike, Grisedale Pike, Allen Crags, Barf, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Green Gable, Wandope, Great Gable, Lord's Seat, Haystacks (Buttermere), Hopegill Head, Whiteless Pike, Pike of Blisco, Grasmoor, Kirk Fell, High Crag (Buttermere), Lingmell, Cold Pike, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Sale Fell, Pillar, Red Pike (Buttermere), Great Carrs, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Red Pike (Wasdale), Hen Comb, Gavel Fell, Seatallan

How the view from Stybarrow 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 Stybarrow 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

From the Aira Force National Trust car park start

Other places nearby

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.

Frequently asked questions about Stybarrow Dodd

Is Stybarrow Dodd hard? Answered above.

Is Stybarrow Dodd a Wainwright?

Yes — it has its own chapter in the Eastern Fells as the middlemost of the Dodds, the high grassy ridge running north from Helvellyn to Clough Head. It's also a Birkett, a Nuttall and a Fellranger top, so it counts for most of the major lists in one visit.

What do you combine Stybarrow Dodd with?

This is really a ridge fell. The natural neighbours are Watson's Dodd and Great Dodd for the northern Dodds traverse — some of the easiest sustained high-level walking in the Eastern Fells — or Raise via Sticks Pass heading south towards Helvellyn. Two of our routes over it are the Hart Side–Stybarrow Dodd–Raise round and Birketts above Ullswater (16.5 km, 694 m). The Dodds are almost all grass with few features, a notorious place to go wrong in mist or whiteout, where it is easy to drift off a vague bearing into the wrong valley.

Where do you park for Stybarrow Dodd? Answered above: Parking for Stybarrow Dodd.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-07 · Suggest a question or correction

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