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Watson's Dodd - the summit cairn's pile of stones on a broad grassy top in thick mist

Watson's Dodd

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789 mWainwright — Eastern Fells+9 bonus Birketts within 3 km Care needed in cloud

Watson's Dodd at 789m (2,589ft) is a smooth, grassy summit on the northern Helvellyn ridge between Stybarrow Dodd and Great Dodd, its open top giving views north towards Skiddaw and east to the Pennines. Wainwright included it as a separate fell.

Summit conditions on Watson's Dodd

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 10° to 4°C, gusts to 62 mph, 20.0 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

72 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 1.26. 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

20.0 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 −1 °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 Watson's 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.

Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Watson's Dodd and moreThree Dodds and Calfhow Pike
Starts fromHigh RowLegburthwaite (United Utilities, small) (paid)
Distance and climb21.89 km, 1,281 m of climb11.12 km, 833 m of climb
Time, fast to steady~6½–8¾ h~3½–5 h
ScramblingNot mentioned in the route’s notesNot mentioned in the route’s notes
ExposureModerateNot assessed
NavigationHardModerate
Steepest stretchDescent of about 32% at 16.6 km (Hard)Descent of about 47% at 9.0 km (Severe)
After the summitOver Great Dodd and Clough HeadOver Great Dodd and Calfhow Pike
Walked or plannedWalked by Lee, August 2023Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the startLow How (layby)Legburthwaite (United Utilities, small) (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 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 Watson’s Dodd hard to find?

Finding it is the difficulty — the walking is not. Watson’s Dodd is a broad, gently tilted grass plateau, and its only marker is a small cairn tucked at the western apex, well away from where you cross. In cloud it is entirely possible to walk over this fell without ever standing on the top of it.

So it is a compass summit. Beyond the gentle shoulder the ground steepens over rocky crags on the western side, so a bearing matters on the way off as well as on. Our round with the other Dodds and Calfhow Pike is 11.1 km with 833 m of ascent; the long Hart Side round is 21.9 km with about 1,280 m of ascent, graded severe for length. High, open and shelterless, it holds snow and becomes a whiteout navigation problem in winter.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 789 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°
62 mph
20.0 mm (100%)
Wed 28 Oct
7° / 4°
49 mph
8.4 mm (100%)
Thu 29 Oct
8° / 6°
27 mph
0.8 mm (75%)
Fri 30 Oct
7° / 5°
25 mph
0.3 mm (8%)
Sat 31 Oct
7° / 2°
6 mph
4.2 mm (6%)
Sun 1 Nov
6° / 0°
13 mph
0.6 mm (2%)
Mon 2 Nov
4° / -3°
7 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

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Watson's Dodd

Parking

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
Roadside parking for Great How (free) — 1.8 km from summit (straight line)
0.5 km from Great How. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.
Directions Something changed here?
3 more places to park near Watson's Dodd
Great How (layby) — 1.9 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) — 2.0 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) — 2.0 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 Watson's Dodd

Hazard & Incident Information for Watson's Dodd

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

Hazard: Moderate

One of the Dodds, a broad grassy triangular plateau with its only marker — a small cairn — tucked at the western apex, so the actual top is easy to walk straight past. Like its neighbours it is gentle walking but a navigation trap in cloud, and its shoulder drops more steeply over rocky crags into the valley to the west. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Featureless plateau & easily-missed summit: 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.
  • Steep western/southern slopes & crags: Beyond the gentle shoulder the ground steepens and drops over rocky crags into the valley on the western side. Keep to the broad higher ground in cloud and don't drift toward or descend the steeper, crag-broken slopes.
  • Exposure & winter: High, open and shelterless, the plateau holds snow and is fully exposed to wind; in winter the featureless ground is a whiteout navigation challenge. Carry full winter kit and the skills to navigate blind.
Who should attempt this fell: Watson's Dodd is easy walking but, like all the Dodds, a genuine navigation test — the blank plateau and edge-of-top cairn catch people out in cloud. Be confident with map and compass, set your bearing before moving between the Dodds, and keep clear of the steeper western crags. In winter treat the exposed, featureless ground with full kit and respect.

What to watch for: Navigation errors on the featureless plateau, including missing the summit, in cloud · Drifting onto or down the steep crag-broken western slopes · Exposure and disorientation in winter on the open top · 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

Care needed

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of near-level ground around the summit. 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 Watson's 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 Watson's Dodd

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

0.9 km NLittle Dodd (St John's Common)785 m · Eastern
1.4 km WCastle Rock339 m · Eastern
1.6 km NNWCalfhow Pike660 m · Eastern
1.9 km ESEGreen Side (White Stones)794 m · Eastern
2.0 km NERanderside729 m · Eastern
2.1 km WNWWren Crag311 m · Central
2.1 km SSWBrown Crag610 m · Eastern
2.3 km WSWGreat How (Thirlmere)333 m · Central
2.9 km EBirkett Fell725 m · Eastern

Routes over Watson's Dodd

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 Watson's 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 Watson's Dodd

Watson's Dodd - the summit cairn's pile of stones on a broad grassy top in thick mist
© Lee McCoy

The summit is most naturally reached as part of the northern Dodds traverse from Sticks Pass. The approach from Dockray along the broad ridge is straightforward and rewarding, with the full Helvellyn range visible to the south throughout the walk.

Field notes

This is one you could easily miss if you weren't actively trying to bag Wainwrights, as the path from Stybarrow Dodd to Great Dodd skirts around to the east and takes advantage of maintaining the lower elevation. When I was here I could see virtually nothing, so I'm not able to convey the view — but expect it to be great, as you should be able to see over Thirlmere and to Raven Crag.

— 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 Watson's Dodd

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Watson's Dodd a Wainwright?

Watson's Dodd is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
789 m
Height
2,589 ft
In feet
NY 3356 1956
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 Watson's Dodd

The 360° skyline from Watson's 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 Watson's Dodd36 labelled tops shown (8 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 17 kmSkiddaw · 12 kmBowfell · 16 kmGreat Gable · 16 kmPillar · 18 kmRaise · 2 kmBlencathra · 8 kmGrasmoor · 16 kmStybarrow Dodd · 1 kmHigh Stile · 17 kmKnowe Crags · 8 kmThe Old Man of Coniston · 23 kmGrisedale Pike · 14 kmLittle Dodd · 1 kmGrey Friar · 21 kmHigh Raise · 11 kmLong Side · 12 kmLonscale Pike · 9 kmBowscale Fell · 11 kmGrey Knotts · 14 kmLoadpot Hill · 12 kmCarrock Fell · 14 kmCross Fell · 38 km · clear daysHelvellyn · 4 kmHelvellyn Lower Man · 4 kmGreat Borne · 21 kmGreat Dodd · 1 kmGavel Fell · 22 kmHart Side · 2 kmWether Hill · 12 kmLittle Calva · 13 kmLord's Seat · 15 kmWhinlatter Top · 15 kmGowbarrow Fell · 8 kmSale Fell · 17 kmDufton Pike · 37 km · clear daysEsk Pike · 16 kmGategill Fell Top · 8 kmRed Pike · 19 kmShelter Crags · 17 kmLingmell · 17 kmSand Hill · 15 kmRed Pike · 18 kmDale Head · 12 kmDoddick Fell · 8 kmSergeant Man · 12 kmGreat Calva · 12 kmHobcarton End · 15 kmBanna Fell · 22 kmBleaberry Fell · 5 kmBirk Fell Man · 18 kmHigh Tove · 6 kmBengairn · 66 km · clear daysLittle Mell Fell · 10 kmDodd · 12 kmTarbarrel Moss · 14 kmRowling End · 11 kmRogan's Seat · 61 km · clear daysMerrick · 112 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 96 km · a rare clear daySlieve Croob · 193 km · a handful of days a yearGreen Lowther · 102 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 80 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 112 km · a rare clear dayKirkland Hill · 114 km · a rare clear dayMochrum Fell · 83 km · a rare clear day
The skyline as a list, by direction
  • North: Little Dodd (1 km), Knowe Crags (8 km), Gategill Fell Top (8 km), Blencathra (8 km), Atkinson Pike (9 km)
  • South-east: Stybarrow Dodd (1 km)
  • South: Raise (2 km), Great Carrs (20 km), Swirl How (20 km), Brim Fell (22 km), The Old Man of Coniston (23 km)
  • South-west: Great Gable (16 km), Esk Pike (16 km), Bowfell (16 km), Pike de Bield (16 km), Kirk Fell East Top (16 km), Ill Crag (17 km), Shelter Crags (17 km), Kirk Fell (17 km), Broad Crag (17 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Lingmell (17 km), Crinkle Crags (17 km), Scafell Pike (17 km), Crinkle Crags South Top (17 km), Pillar (18 km), Red Pike (19 km)
  • West: Grisedale Pike (14 km), Crag Hill (14 km), Eel Crag (15 km), Grasmoor (16 km), High Stile (17 km), High Stile (18 km)
  • North-west: Skiddaw South Top (12 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (12 km), Skiddaw (12 km), Skiddaw North Top (12 km), Broad End (13 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Merrick (112 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Fleet (96 km, Scotland), Corserine (108 km, Scotland), Lamachan Hill (107 km, Scotland), Slieve Croob (193 km, Ireland), Green Lowther (102 km, Scotland), Queensberry (87 km, Scotland), Cairn Table (121 km, Scotland).

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 Watson's Dodd

Watson's Dodd waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 December, when the sun is up for 29 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 08:40 against an almanac sunrise of 08:11. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-east from here (134.4°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.85°.

0°30°40°50°60°70°04:49
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
Midsummer04:49 BST ±5.0 min04:36+13 min
Equinox06:13 GMT ±5.0 min06:15-2 min
Midwinter09:01 GMT ±5.9 min08:33+28 min

The northern horizon stands at about 0.53° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Watson's Dodd

The evening here runs close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its earliest evening of the modelled year (on 1 November) last light is only 1 minute before almanac sunset, so the published sunset time is a fair guide on Watson's 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
Midsummer21:57 BST ±5.0 min21:53+4 min
Equinox18:28 GMT ±5.0 min18:26+2 min
Midwinter15:49 GMT ±5.0 min15:48+1 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 Watson's Dodd

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
93Wainwrights in view+10 marginal
113 kmFurthest sightlineMerrick · possible under favourable refraction
—Sea in viewnone from here

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland.

Far horizons
  • Merrick ScotlandNW · 113 km clear
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 40 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 38 km clear
All 93 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Stybarrow Dodd, Great Dodd, Raise, Hart Side, White Side, Clough Head, Raven Crag, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Helvellyn, Bleaberry Fell, High Seat, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), High Tove, Walla Crag, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Latrigg, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Lonscale Fell, Cat Bells (Catbells), Bannerdale Crags, Calf Crag, Little Mell Fell, Maiden Moor, Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Skiddaw Little Man, High Spy, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Bowscale Fell, Barrow, High Raise (High White Stones), Carl Side, Sergeant Man, Causey Pike, Dale Head, Dodd (Skiddaw), Skiddaw, Loadpot Hill, Blea Rigg, Long Side, Hindscarth, Wether Hill, Great Calva, Outerside, Scar Crags, Ard Crags, Bakestall, Harrison Stickle, Robinson, Base Brown, Sail, Knott Rigg, Grisedale Pike, Carrock Fell, Barf, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Wandope, Allen Crags, Rossett Pike, Lord's Seat, Green Gable, Hopegill Head, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Great Gable, Great End, Esk Pike, Whiteless Pike, Haystacks (Buttermere), Bowfell, Grasmoor, High Crag (Buttermere), Kirk Fell, Whiteside (Whiteside West Top), Pike of Blisco, Lingmell, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Scafell Pike, Sale Fell, High Stile, Cold Pike, Red Pike (Buttermere), Pillar, Wetherlam, Red Pike (Wasdale), Great Carrs, Swirl How, Hen Comb, Great Borne, Gavel Fell, Brim Fell, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)

How the view from Watson's 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 Watson's 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

Other places nearby

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 Watson's Dodd

Is Watson’s Dodd hard to find? Answered above.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Watson's Dodd