Middle Dodd
Encyclopedia
Middle Dodd is a fell
in the English
Lake District
, an outlier of the Helvellyn range
in the Eastern Fells
. It stands above Kirkstone Pass
on the road from Ullswater
to Ambleside
.
, but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
and that convention is followed here. His decision was based on it being "..the most striking object in a fine array of mountain scenery.."
The fell is named as the middle one of three Dodds when viewed from Hartsop, the others being (Low) Hartsop Dodd
and High Hartsop Dodd
. The names thus refer to position in the valley rather than height. All three present an imposing pyramidal profile when seen from below, totally obscuring their parent fells. Similarly, all three appear entirely derivative when viewed from other angles.
From the wide summit of Red Screes a narrowing ridge curves northward, passing around the rim of a cove on the Kirkstone side. The ridge, named Smallthwaite Band, narrows to a fine grassy promenade and then throws up the summit of Middle Dodd. Beyond this the character of the fell changes completely and a rough slope plunges straight down to the valley floor, 1,500 ft below.
The fell is bounded on either side by valleys of the Ullswater catchment. To the east is Kirkstone Beck, flowing from the summit of the pass with its famous inn
. On the west is Caiston Glen, its beck descending from the walker's crossroads of Scandale Pass. These valleys meet beneath the nose of Middle Dodd and continue northward to Brothers Water
.
forms the crest of the ridge, lying above the volcaniclastic laminated claystones and siltstone
of the Esk Pike Formation.
There is evidence of mining in Caiston Glen, with the mouth of a level opening about halfway up the beck. This was an unsuccessful trial for lead
and extends about 80 ft into the fellside. There is a further small working nearby.. There are also the remains of a trial for copper
on the eastern flank of Middle Dodd, a 120 ft level being driven into the fell from close to the modern road.
on a neat grassy top. There is also a small trench here of uncertain origin.. The view is remarkably good given the looming presence of Red Screes, with a distant vista of the Scafells
completing the picture.
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, an outlier of the Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range is the name given to a part of the Eastern Fells in the English Lake District, fell being the local word for hill. The name comes from Helvellyn, the highest point of the group....
in the Eastern Fells
Eastern Fells
The Eastern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Helvellyn they primarily comprise a north south ridge running between Ullswater and Lakeland's Central Valley.-Partition of the Lakeland Fells:...
. It stands above Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It is at an altitude of .This is the Lake District's highest pass that is open to motor traffic and it connects Ambleside in the Rothay Valley to Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley - the A592 road. In places,...
on the road from Ullswater
Ullswater
Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles long and 0.75 miles wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than ....
to Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
.
Topography
Middle Dodd is properly the northern ridge of Red ScreesRed Screes
Red Screes is a fell in the English Lake District, situated between the villages of Patterdale and Ambleside. It is an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells, but is separated from its neighbours by low cols...
, but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells of the Lake District in northwest England...
and that convention is followed here. His decision was based on it being "..the most striking object in a fine array of mountain scenery.."
The fell is named as the middle one of three Dodds when viewed from Hartsop, the others being (Low) Hartsop Dodd
Hartsop Dodd
Hartsop Dodd is a fell in the English Lake District, standing to the south east of Brothers Water. It is a subsidiary top on the north ridge of Caudale Moor, but was given separate fell status by Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells...
and High Hartsop Dodd
High Hartsop Dodd
High Hartsop Dodd is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It stands above Kirkstone Pass on the road from Ullswater to Ambleside.-Topography:...
. The names thus refer to position in the valley rather than height. All three present an imposing pyramidal profile when seen from below, totally obscuring their parent fells. Similarly, all three appear entirely derivative when viewed from other angles.
From the wide summit of Red Screes a narrowing ridge curves northward, passing around the rim of a cove on the Kirkstone side. The ridge, named Smallthwaite Band, narrows to a fine grassy promenade and then throws up the summit of Middle Dodd. Beyond this the character of the fell changes completely and a rough slope plunges straight down to the valley floor, 1,500 ft below.
The fell is bounded on either side by valleys of the Ullswater catchment. To the east is Kirkstone Beck, flowing from the summit of the pass with its famous inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
. On the west is Caiston Glen, its beck descending from the walker's crossroads of Scandale Pass. These valleys meet beneath the nose of Middle Dodd and continue northward to Brothers Water
Brothers Water
Brothers Water is in the Hartsop valley and is a small lake in the eastern region of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. Once called Broad Water, it lies at the northern end of Kirkstone Pass, affording picturesque views on the descent towards Patterdale.Dorothy Wordsworth, having...
.
Geology and Mining
Middle Dodd daciteDacite
Dacite is an igneous, volcanic rock. It has an aphanitic to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. The relative proportions of feldspars and quartz in dacite, and in many other volcanic rocks, are illustrated in the QAPF diagram...
forms the crest of the ridge, lying above the volcaniclastic laminated claystones and siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
of the Esk Pike Formation.
There is evidence of mining in Caiston Glen, with the mouth of a level opening about halfway up the beck. This was an unsuccessful trial for lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and extends about 80 ft into the fellside. There is a further small working nearby.. There are also the remains of a trial for copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
on the eastern flank of Middle Dodd, a 120 ft level being driven into the fell from close to the modern road.
Summit and View
The summit of Middle Dodd bears a small cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
on a neat grassy top. There is also a small trench here of uncertain origin.. The view is remarkably good given the looming presence of Red Screes, with a distant vista of the Scafells
Scafells
Image:Annotated Scafell range.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Scafell range as seen looking west from Crinkle Crags. rect 23 372 252 419 Slight Side rect 173 794 560 834 Scafell East Buttress...
completing the picture.