Helvellyn & the Dodds
DAY 2
8 NY395159 Head north through Patterdale, past the church, to a lane on the left. After 1km this bends right, across the floor of Grisedale. Where it bends again, keep ahead up a steep field, to a path slanting up to the left. Its top is the gate called Hole-in-the-Wall.
9 NY359155 Head left, as the ridgeline narrows and levels as the rocky Striding Edge. There are diversion paths below the crest on one side or the other, but the safest as well as most satisfying way is to follow the crest with its excellent rock and plentiful holds. The narrow ridge ends with a sharp little drop: a rock groove leads down just left of the crestline to the saddle below. A little more easy scrambling leads to a stony zigzag path up to the cairn and plaque on the Helvellyn plateau. A path leads along the plateau edge to the cross-shaped summit shelter.
10 NY342151 Follow the top of drops on the right to a cairn at the top of Swirral Edge but head to the following cairn of Lower Man. Turn down north on a narrow and rather steep spur. From its foot, the path leads north up White Side, then north-east through the shallow dip for the rise to Raise and its wellbuilt cairn.
11 NY342174 Descend north to Sticks Pass, and up Stybarrow Dodd. The true summit (843m) is up to right of the path. Rejoin the path down to a flat, grassy plateau. A path follows the tops of drops on the right, or you can (and should) fork left, north-west, to grab the minor Wainwright summit Watson’s Dodd.
12 NY335195 Turn right, north-east, to the base of Great Dodd. The wide path leads up to a preliminary cairn, and the main one 200m north-west. From the main cairn descend south-west at first (an unexpected direction!), bending west as the path becomes clear, and then north-west down to the tiny rock knoll of Calfhow Pike.
13 NY330211 Descend carefully west. As the ground steepens, at the 550m contour, you’ll find the top of an old, grassy path (NY327211 if you like tapping grid references into your GPS). The path, once found, runs down the steep spur to left of Beckthorn Gill in delightful grassy zigzags. At about 350m the path slants down leftwards, crossing a small stream, to a gate above Fornside farm. Pass down to the right of the farm buildings, then join the farm’s access track out to a road. For Low Bridge End Farm turn left along the road to its bridge. For a bus to Keswick, continue for 1km as Day 3.