Rest Dodd and The Nab

This is an 8.9-mile (14.4 km) loop from Hartsop village car park. The stored distance is the complete loop, including the approach to Hayeswater, both summits, the traverse to Angle Tarn, Boredale Hause, and the return to Hartsop.

Leave the car park on the track past the sheep pens and follow the Hayeswater access route above Hayeswater Gill. After Hayeswater, the route climbs steep grassy slopes to Rest Dodd, then drops steeply along the ridge before crossing the peat hags to The Nab. From The Nab, retrace the ridge briefly, turn toward Angle Tarn, pass below Angletarn Pikes, and descend through Boredale Hause on the aqueduct track. The final lanes and fields lead back to the village.

Expect roughly 805 m of ascent and a hard mountain day. The climb to Rest Dodd is steep and grassy, and the descent toward The Nab is steep enough to demand care. The col and approach to The Nab are the route's defining nuisance: peat hags, wet ground and indistinct lines make it slow after rain. The return has clearer paths and tracks, but the whole circuit is exposed, remote and short on shelter. Carry a map and know how to use it.

Allow about five and a half hours at a normal sightseeing pace, more if the peat is wet or visibility is poor. A dry spell and a clear forecast make a substantial difference. Early light gives the best chance of quiet paths and good views across the ridges. Dogs may come, but keep them on a lead around livestock, ground-nesting birds and deer. For a much shorter and more straightforward outing from the same area, the Hayeswater Gill walk is the better choice; choose this circuit for the summits and the rough high-level traverse.