Home / Routes / Skiddaw via Ullock Pike and Dodd

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed 15 June 2025

Severe steepnessLoop

Skiddaw via Ullock Pike and Dodd

12.41 km

Distance

~4–5.5 h

Typical time

~1081 m

Ascent

Summits

Photo: © Lee McCoy

Download GPX →Walked by Lee, June 2025

Key facts

Distance 12.41 km

Ascent ~1081 m

Descent ~1068 m

Time ~4–5.5 h

Difficulty Severe overall — hardest: Steepness

Direction Loop

Best season A popular route walkable in most seasons. Save Longside Edge for a day without a gale, and expect the loose scree onto Skiddaw to be the one real effort. In winter the scree and the high, open ridge need proper care and kit.

Type Loop

Start Dodd Wood / Mirehouse forestry car park

A grand horseshoe of the northern Skiddaw group from the forest at Dodd Wood. The walk climbs the clean, shapely ridge over Ullock Pike and along airy Longside Edge to Long Side, then drops to the col by Carl Side before the stiff, loose scree pull onto Skiddaw itself — and one of the great Lakeland summit views, out across the Solway Firth to Scotland. The return crosses back over Carl Side and takes a careful, GPS-checked line down to the wooded little top of Dodd before the drop home through the trees. Five Skiddaw-group Wainwrights — Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side, Skiddaw and Dodd — on a satisfying, varied loop: clean ridge, real summit, quiet forest to finish.

✎️ Start from the pay-and-display forestry car park at Dodd Wood (Mirehouse), on the A591 by the east shore of Bassenthwaite Lake — the path heads up through the trees, over a brook, and north past Sand Beds.

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

Difficulty profile

LengthModerate12.41 km round.

SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained pull about 37% around the 8.3 km mark.

TerrainModerateMostly clear, popular tracks, with the odd bit of easy semi-scrambling on the Ullock Pike ridge and a loose scree pull onto Skiddaw.

NavigationHardBroad or featureless ground where navigation is serious in cloud — map and compass needed.

ExposureModerateLongside Edge is an airy ridge — broad and nothing like Striding Edge, but daunting in a high wind — plus the loose scree onto Skiddaw.

Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 5 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.

Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →

Daylight & turnaround

Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.

Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.

OpenTopoMap

Elevation profile, shaded by steepness

1 Ullock Pike2 Long Side3 Skiddaw Middle Top4 Skiddaw5 Carl Side6 Dodd (Skiddaw)

⚑ escape route

Easy 50%Moderate 29%Hard 21%Severe 1%

~1081 m

Total ascent

951 m

High point

131 m

Start height

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).

This walk covers about 12.41 km with around 1081 m of ascent, taking in 6 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.

Dog

Gates only

Buggy

Not buggy-able

Knees

Tough descent

Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
Knees: A long, steep ~37% drop around the 8.2 km mark — hard on the knees.

On the line: 1 gate · 1 step-over stile

These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Pacing

Summit	Cumulative	Ascent	Time (fast–steady)
1Ullock Pike	3.7 km	564 m	1:41–2:14
2Long Side	4.2 km	601 m	1:51–2:28
3Skiddaw Middle Top	5.8 km	821 m	2:31–3:21
4Skiddaw	6.0 km	854 m	2:38–3:30
5Carl Side	7.3 km	904 m	2:58–3:56
6Dodd (Skiddaw)	9.7 km	1028 m	3:39–4:51
Finish	12.4 km	1081 m	4:17–5:42

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.

The walk, stage by stage

1
Dodd Wood / Mirehouse forestry car park → Ullock Pike (3.7 km, 564 m)
Climb of about 564 m over 3.7 km (around 15% average).
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
2
Ullock Pike → Long Side (0.6 km, 37 m)
Undulating section of about 0.6 km.
Decision point
Continue along Longside Edge towards Long Side. Despite the name it's nothing like Striding Edge — a clean, airy ridge with a fine sense of height. Long Side's summit is barren and featureless, more a breather than a stop.
Easy to get wrong
The ridge is open to the wind — in a gale it can feel daunting even though it's broad enough underfoot.
© Lee McCoy
3
Long Side → Skiddaw Middle Top (1.5 km, 221 m)
Climb of about 221 m over 1.5 km (around 15% average).
Decision point
Drop off Long Side towards Carl Side. This is the first bail point — branch right for the short Carl Side / Dodd loop if you want to skip Skiddaw (see Escape routes). To continue, carry on (essentially straight on) down into the col beside Carl Side, where a small tarn sits — the last bail before the climb — then up the loose scree, over Skiddaw's broad Middle Top on the summit ridge.
Easy to get wrong
The crux navigation trap: aim straight up the scree. Bear left too soon and you'll pass under Skiddaw and miss the summit, then have to turn back. Don't miss the scree.
© Lee McCoy
4
Skiddaw Middle Top → Skiddaw (0.3 km, 32 m)
Undulating section of about 0.3 km.
Decision point
A short step along the summit ridge from the Middle Top to Skiddaw's main summit — the famous cairn and shelter, and the view stretching out to the Solway Firth and Scotland beyond.
Easy to get wrong
In cloud the broad summit plateau is disorientating — keep to the line of cairns along the ridge.
© Lee McCoy
5
Skiddaw → Carl Side (1.2 km, 50 m)
About 1.2 km with 50 m of ascent.
Decision point
To return, backtrack down the scree to the small tarn and climb back up to Carl Side — not difficult in clear or claggy weather.
Easy to get wrong
Re-ascending Carl Side is short but comes after the Skiddaw pull — pace it.
© Lee McCoy
6
Carl Side → Dodd (Skiddaw) (2.4 km, 124 m)
Climb of about 124 m over 2.4 km (around 5% average).
Decision point
From Carl Side keep a close eye on the GPS. There are two ways down; the 'direct' line is too challenging, so take the steadier back-and-forth on the right (some significant steps down). Turn right and head down towards the road — do NOT take the direct line straight up to the left, which is almost impassable — then immediately take the left, back-tracking on yourself, onto the clear path that climbs to Dodd's wooded summit.
Easy to get wrong
The route's real navigation test: right (not left) down to the road, then left to double back. The 'direct' left line off Carl Side is almost impassable — trust the GPS, not the apparent shortcut.
© Lee McCoy
Dodd (Skiddaw) → Finish (2.7 km, 53 m)
About 2.7 km with 53 m of ascent.
Decision point
From Dodd, turn around and head back down to the road — the safest line — then follow the track home through the forest to the car park.
Easy to get wrong
A clearing to the left on the way down looks like a short-cut but isn't: it leads through branches and moss to a sharp drop. Stick to the road and the GPX.

Summits bagged (6)

1Ullock Pike690 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
2Long Side734 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
3Skiddaw Middle Top929 mNorthern · Birkett
4Skiddaw930 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn
5Carl Side747 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
6Dodd (Skiddaw)502 mNorthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, HuMP

In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.

Getting there & parking

Dodd Wood (paid) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)

Forestry car park for Dodd, Carl Side and the Ullock Pike ridge onto Skiddaw. Fees: First 20 min free; first hour £2.10; then £0.55 per 15 min; all-day max £13. ANPR pay-on-exit, one pay station beside the toilet block; blue badge holders not exempt; card or Park with Ease online within 48h; no charge if arriving car-free (Forestry England, checked Aug 2026). Open 24/7 (Forestry England, checked Aug 2026). Free for Forestry England members (checked Aug 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

🚺 Dodd Wood Car Park (~76 m straight line) — Free☕ The Old Sawmill Tearoom

Dodd (layby) — 1.0 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Dodd (Skiddaw) (0.8 km), Long Side (1.7 km), Ullock Pike (1.7 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Ullock Pike car park (free) — 1.1 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Ullock Pike (1.1 km), Watches (1.3 km), Long Side (1.6 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Watches, south-west (layby) — 1.3 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Watches (1.0 km), Ullock Pike (1.2 km), Long Side (1.7 km). Free (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Woodend Brow (Wood End) (free) — 1.8 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Barf (0.9 km), Lord's Seat (1.7 km), Ullister Hill (1.8 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

Water, shelter & getting away

🛖 map (5 m)🚌 Mirehouse (S bound) (55 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

Buses

The X4 stops at Skiddaw, outside Osprey View Point, 60 m from this start. Last bus: Monday to Friday 18:37 towards Keswick (X4); Saturday 20:09 towards Keswick (554); Sunday 17:39 towards Keswick (554). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

The X4 passes this route at 0.0 km (Skiddaw, outside Osprey View Point, 50 m off the line). It passes again at 12.0 km.

Stagecoach X4 / X5

Penrith – Rheged – Threlkeld – Keswick – Braithwaite – Cockermouth – Workington

Catch it from: Penrith

Year-round, every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday between Penrith and Keswick and hourly on Sundays, from outside Penrith station. One ticket from any station on the West Coast Main Line to Keswick includes this bus: search for ‘Keswick Bus (KWK)’ when you book the train. From Penrith this is your way into Keswick and the Northern fells — Threlkeld/Scales stops serve Blencathra directly, Braithwaite serves the Coledale fells.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.

If the parking is full

There is no real plan B here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so if one is full the others usually are too. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off.

Dodd Wood (paid)
Watches, south-west (layby)
Ullock Pike car park (free)

Worked out from the parking we hold within walking reach of this route and the other walks each place serves — two places that serve the same walks fill for the same reasons. We are not saying whether anywhere has spaces today, and we never will: this is what exists, not what is free.

Toilets and refreshments

At Dodd Wood (paid), the closest parking we hold to where this route starts:

🚺 Dodd Wood Car Park (~76 m straight line) — Free☕ The Old Sawmill Tearoom

Distances are straight lines from the car park, not walking routes. Opening hours change; none of this is checked daily.

When the sun reaches the tops

Not sunrise — the moment the sun clears the skyline from that summit, which on a fell with high ground to its east can be a good deal later. The two equinoxes are shown because they fall in the walking season, and late December too wherever a top keeps you waiting then; the clock gap between the equinoxes is British Summer Time, not the hill. Rounded to the nearest quarter hour and meant as a general idea, not a schedule.

Ullock Pike — in late March the sun reaches it around 07:15, about an hour later. In late September, about 08:00. It waits longest in late September — about an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 08:45.
Long Side — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in midsummer — about an hour after sunrise.
Skiddaw — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
Carl Side — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in midsummer — well over an hour after sunrise.
Dodd (Skiddaw) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in midsummer — well over an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 08:45.

Modelled from a 30 m elevation model against each summit’s own skyline — the same figures the fell pages carry, never observed. Cloud is not in it.

Safety & conditions

Longside Edge is an airy ridge — fine in calm weather and nothing like Striding Edge, but it can feel daunting in a high wind.
The pull onto Skiddaw is loose scree, with a navigation trap: don't bear left too soon or you'll pass under the summit and miss it — aim straight up the scree.
The descent from Carl Side to Dodd needs care with the GPS: turn right down towards the road — the 'direct' line straight up to the left is almost impassable — then immediately left to pick up the clear path to Dodd.
Off Dodd, a clearing to the left looks like a short-cut but isn't: it leads through branches and moss to a sharp drop. Head back to the road and follow the track home.

Hazard & incident notes: Skiddaw

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.

Escape routes

At about 4.3 km: descend to Carl Side, then down Dodd's north side to the car park (cuts ~2.5 km) — Shortly after Long Side, branch right to Carl Side, then right again at its summit and down the north side of Dodd to the car park on a visible track — the short loop that skips Skiddaw.
At about 4.8 km: descend to Carl Side, then down to Dodd (cuts ~2.3 km) — The last chance before the scree: at the col by the small tarn, turn right and climb back up to Carl Side, then down to Dodd — saving the Skiddaw scree out-and-back.

Bail-out lines verified on the ground. In poor visibility a marked descent can be safer than retracing a ridge.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: Skip Skiddaw for a shorter Carl Side / Dodd loop: bail either just after Long Side (branch right to Carl Side) or at the col by the small tarn (right, back up to Carl Side), then down to Dodd and the car park. You still bag Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side and Dodd without the scree.

Why this direction: Walked as a loop from Dodd Wood, up the Ullock Pike / Longside Edge ridge first: you take the clean, airy ridge as an ascent while fresh, hit Skiddaw and the Solway view at the high point, then return over Carl Side and finish on the gentle wooded top of Dodd — keeping the tricky GPS-checked descent for when you're warmed up to it.

Short version: turn back at about 5.8 km (drop to Dodd Wood / Mirehouse forestry car park) — roughly half the distance.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Dancing Gate Cottage (opens in new tab) self-catering

about 2.1 km from the start, in a straight line

The only property inside two and a half kilometres of this start whose own page names a drying room - "a rear drying room for boots and coats and sportswear", plus a tumble drier and a farmyard hose for muddy dogs and bikes. It sleeps seven across four bedrooms, takes dogs, and unlike the Bassenthwaite cottages further out it does not lock you into a Friday-to-Friday week: "prices based on a minimum of 3 nights" with flexible start dates all year.

A former farmhouse still standing on a working farm - guests can watch lambs, calves and horses through the year, and there are wash-off points in the farmyard for both bikes and dogs.

Drying room “There is a rear drying room for boots and coats and sportswear and a 3-bicycle stand for secure storage of bikes, plus a tumble drier.”
Dogs “Well-behaved dogs are very welcome and there are several pleasant walks in the nearby area.”
Family rooms “First Floor Double bedroom with king size bed and en-suite shower room - spacious electric shower, heated towel rail, washbasin with shaverlight and toilet. Twin-bedded room. Double bedded room. Single room.”
Children “The house is ideal for couples and families alike, sleeping up to 7 people - plenty of rooms but with a cosy atmosphere.”

Croftlands Cottages (opens in new tab) guest house

about 2.9 km from the start, in a straight line

The rare Lakeland let that publishes its dog arithmetic instead of a vague "dogs welcome" - two dogs at Jasmine, two at Fox Howe, one at Squirrel - so a party with three dogs knows before it books. It also solves the car problem better than anything else at this distance: private off-road parking beside the cottages and the X5 stop literally outside Fox Howe and Squirrel, two minutes from Jasmine. Choose between a two-person and two four-person cottages in the same village.

The osprey nest site above Bassenthwaite can be watched from the cottage grounds between April and August, and the village bus shelter is the landmark you look for to find the entrance.

Dogs “All three of our holiday cottages are dog friendly with Jasmine Cottage and Fox Howe being able to accommodate two each and Squirrel Cottage one.”
Parking “Private off road parking beside the cottages”

Puddleduck Cottages (opens in new tab) guest house

about 4.2 km from the start, in a straight line

The most child-shaped stay near this start - free cots and high chairs, a stream and swings, and a page that tells you to pack wellingtons - and the walk itself is spelled out from the door: "a two mile walk from the start of a climb up Skiddaw mountain", with Dodd Wood and Mirehouse listed as neighbours. Book early and read the small print: April to October it is full weeks from Fridays, all through Cumbrian Cottages/cottages.com, and one dog only, with rules.

Worth knowing: “One dog is allowed provided all doggy rules are followed. All dog hairs should be removed before the cottage is vacated. Dogs are not allowed in bedrooms or on furniture and must not be left unattended in the cottage.”

Guests are invited to let the ducks out of their shed in the morning and collect the eggs; the cottages were formerly known as Loft Holiday Cottages and stand on Bassenthwaite Hall Farm.

Dogs “One dog is allowed provided all doggy rules are followed. All dog hairs should be removed before the cottage is vacated. Dogs are not allowed in bedrooms or on furniture and must not be left unattended in the cottage.”
Family rooms “Cots and high chairs are available free of charge but must be requested in advance of arrival.”
Children “Children often enjoy playing in the stream, the small open wood or on the swings by the cottages and on the village green - ideal for a game of football or cricket! We recommend children bring wellington boots.”

Bristowe Hill (opens in new tab) self-catering

about 4.8 km from the start, in a straight line

The one address in this cluster that a three-generation group can take whole: twenty beds, nine bathrooms, parking for ten or more cars, two travel cots and two z beds stated in writing, and - unusually for a big old house - a ground-floor bedroom with an en-suite wet room for anyone who cannot manage the original oak staircase. It is the outer edge of the radius and only makes sense if you are booking the entire house.

A ten-bedroom Victorian house in five acres on Crosthwaite Road, named Cumbria Tourism's Self Catering Holiday Property of the Year in 2018; the bathrooms are counted on the page so nobody queues - there are nine.

Family rooms “Bristowe Hill sleeps twenty in ten grand bedrooms, one of which is a ground floor with en-suite wet room suitable for guests with mobility issues.”
Parking “We have private parking for ten or more cars.”
Children “Children are welcome and we have two travel cots and two z beds should you need them.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).