Great Borne & Starling Dodd

The walk, stage by stage

1. 1

   Buttermere village → Red Pike (Buttermere) (3.2 km, 661 m)

   Climb of about 661 m over 3.2 km (around 21% average).

   Leave the valley floor and ascend steeply through the woodland, following the pitched stone path alongside the cascades of Sour Milk Gill. Emerge from the trees to skirt the edge of Bleaberry Tarn, before confronting the brutally steep, direct pull up the deeply eroded red scar on the fellside to arrive at the summit of Red Pike.

   Waypoints

   Buttermere lakeshore, Burtness Wood, Sour Milk Gill, Bleaberry Tarn (460m), The Saddle, Red Pike summit (755m).

   Decision point

   The pitched path up through the woods is clear. Once at Bleaberry Tarn, the route up Red Pike is visually obvious—aim directly for the massive, eroded red scar rising straight up the fellside ahead of you.

   Easy to get wrong

   This is one of the most punishing ascents in the north-western fells. The final 300 meters of elevation from Bleaberry Tarn is a gruelling slog up loose, shifting red syenite scree. It is physically exhausting, requiring a "two steps up, one step sliding back" effort, and is particularly treacherous in descent or after heavy rain.

   If you need to get off

   If the legs are failing or the weather turns, the easiest bail point is at Bleaberry Tarn. Simply turn around here and follow the secure, pitched path back down through Burtness Wood to Buttermere.

2. 2

   Red Pike (Buttermere) → Starling Dodd (2.0 km, 73 m)

   Descent of about 190 m, then a climb of about 73 m, over 2.0 km.

   Depart the rocky summit of Red Pike and head generally west, enjoying a welcome reprieve as the terrain transitions from harsh rock to sweeping grass. Descend gently into a wide, undulating saddle before taking on the modest, steady grassy pull up to the summit of Starling Dodd.

   Waypoints

   Red Pike western ridge, grassy saddle, Starling Dodd summit (633m).

   Decision point

   An old, intermittent wire fence line runs along this broad ridge. Use it as a reliable handrail to guide you across the saddle. The summit of Starling Dodd is uniquely identifiable by its cairn made entirely of twisted, rusted iron and metal posts.

   Easy to get wrong

   A stark contrast to the brutal ascent of Red Pike, this section offers fast, easy walking. However, the broad, grassy depression between the fells holds water and can become a squelchy, boggy trudge after prolonged Lake District rain.

   If you need to get off

   Bailing directly off the flanks of this broad ridge is not recommended as it leads to pathless, steep terrain. In an emergency, retrace your steps to Red Pike and descend carefully to Bleaberry Tarn, the way you came. We have not checked a line down into Ennerdale from the ridge, so none is offered here.

3. 3

   Starling Dodd → Great Borne (2.2 km, 135 m)

   Descent of about 145 m, then a climb of about 135 m, over 2.2 km.

   Leave the rusted summit of Starling Dodd and drop westwards into a deep, grassy col. Navigate the often wet ground of the depression before tackling the steady, sometimes pathless drag up the eastern flank of Great Borne to reach its broad summit plateau and trig point.

   Waypoints

   Starling Dodd western descent, grassy col (approx 500m), Great Borne eastern flank, Great Borne summit (616m).

   Decision point

   Continue to use the boundary fence line as your primary handrail; it traverses the col and leads faithfully up the slope of Great Borne towards the summit shelter and the concrete trig pillar.

   Easy to get wrong

   The path frequently braids and disappears in the boggy col between these two fells. The terrain up Great Borne is largely grassy but highly tussocky, which can quickly sap energy from tired legs if you lose the main trod.

   If you need to get off

   From the col between Starling Dodd and Great Borne, the way back is the way you came, over Starling Dodd; it is also the way this walk returns. We have not checked a line down into Ennerdale from the col, so none is offered here.

4. Great Borne → Finish (8.6 km, 253 m)

   Descent of about 505 m, with about 253 m of climbing, over 8.6 km.

   Leave Great Borne the way you came: back east-south-east across the wet col and over Starling Dodd, about 2.2 km. Keep east along the ridge towards Red Pike for about 1 km more. Short of Red Pike, about 3 km from Great Borne, leave the ridge and bear north-north-east over a low shoulder. From there the line drops north-west, then north, steeply, into the ravine of Scale Force. At the foot, head east across the flat valley floor between the two lakes, back to Buttermere village.

   Waypoints

   Great Borne summit (616m), the col west of Starling Dodd, Starling Dodd summit (633m), the turn off the ridge short of Red Pike, Scale Force, the valley floor between Crummock Water and Buttermere, Buttermere village.

   Decision point

   The turn off the ridge is the place to get right: about 1 km east of Starling Dodd, before the ground starts to rise to Red Pike. Walk past it and you are on your way up Red Pike instead. In poor visibility, check where you are on the map before you leave the ridge; below, the ravine of Scale Force leads you down to the valley floor.

   Easy to get wrong

   The descent to Scale Force is the steepest ground on the walk: the track loses about 360 m in 1.5 km, and near the bottom it runs at about 34%. It is rough and often wet, and the rock around the ravine can be slippery. The col west of Starling Dodd is as wet on the way back as on the way out, and the valley floor at the foot is often boggy.

   If you need to get off

   This stage is the way off: from Great Borne it heads back towards Buttermere. Until the turn off the ridge, the ridge you walked out on is the known way back. We have not checked a line down into Ennerdale from the ridge, so none is offered here. If you cannot move safely, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.