Glenridding Dodd

This is a circular walk of 3.1 miles for the complete loop, not an out-and-back. From Glenridding Car Park in the village, walk about 140 m to the bridge over Glenridding Beck beside the shops, where the walking line begins. Follow Greenside Lane past the Travellers Rest, then climb The Rake through bracken and heather to the hause and on to the summit cairn at 442 m. The payoff is the view down over Glenridding village and along Ullswater, with the Helvellyn-range fells and rocky crags around you.

Return to the hause and descend with Mossdale Beck on your left and a wall to your right, crossing a boggy patch and a stream, then pass beneath fallen trees in a gully and drop to the road near Stybarrow Crag. A permissive lakeshore path and then pavement lead back into Glenridding.

Editorial difficulty is 5/10. The distance is short but the ground is rough and the ascent is around 330 m, packed into a steep climb on The Rake. Points to plan for:

Basic map reading is useful, since the descent side is less obvious than the main climb.

• Steep, rough footing on the climb and on the descent from the hause
• A boggy patch and stream crossing on the way down
• Fallen trees in a gully, where the line needs a little care to follow
• A small step stile near the road, which can be awkward with a dog
• A short section of road before the lakeshore path

The official minimum walking time is 1 hour 33 minutes. Plan on about 2 hours in practice, which covers the steep ground, the boggy descent and stops at the cairn.

Glenridding Dodd is a low, rocky fell standing above the point where Glenridding Beck meets Ullswater, with crag and heather ground rather than a smooth path. The Rake threads up through bracken and heather, the top is a modest cairned dome, and the descent runs beside Mossdale Beck through wetter ground and a wooded gully before reaching the lakeshore near Stybarrow Crag.

Start from Glenridding Car Park, the large central pay-and-display car park in the village (CA11 0PD), then walk the short distance to the Glenridding Beck bridge to pick up the route. The car park takes coins, cards and RingGo, and has toilets including disabled access, coach parking, EV charging and a Tourist Information Centre. Adjacent shops, cafes and pubs make it a practical base. The Ullswater Steamers pier has its own separate car park nearby.

No permit is needed for this public-access route. Dogs are allowed, but keep them under close control or on a short lead around livestock and other visitors, and be aware of the step stile near the road.

A separate, longer circuit links Glenridding Dodd with Heron Pike and Sheffield Pike. It is a clearly different and bigger day out from the same village, with more ascent and more time on high ground, so treat it as its own walk rather than an extension of this short loop.