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High Hartsop Dodd, Little Hart Crag & Scandale Pass from Cow Bridge Car Park by Brothers Water

High Hartsop Dodd, Little Hart Crag & Scandale Pass

from Cow Bridge Car Park by Brothers Water

Start/Finish

Cow Bridge car park at the NW corner of Brothers Water which is between Hartsop and Patterdale at the foot of Kirkstone Pass on the A592 road from Windermere to Penrith. The Kirkstone Pass road can be closed in Winter conditions so the start may have to be reached from the Penrith side. In summer, this car park can fill up quite early.

Distance/Time

9 km       About 4 hours

Peaks

High Hartsop Dodd, 519 m, NY 393 107.

Little Hart Crag, 637 m, NY 387 100.      OS 1: 50 000, Sheet 90.

OS 1: 25 000 Outdoor Leisure 5, English Lake District NE Area.

Introduction

This is a short horseshoe ideal for a winter's day or when the Lakeland weather rules out a full day's walk. The ascent of High Hartsop Dodd is steep but there is a good path which zig-zags on its steeper sections before a gentler ridge walk leads to Little Hart Crag. The descent is down Caiston Beck on the north side of Scandale Pass. (Scandale Beck flows down the south side). This is an excellent walk for views on a clear day with the High Street range (across the Kirkstone road), Place Fell, Hartsop Above How, Dove Crag and Red Screes all prominent. Route finding is easy, even in mist, up to Little Hart Crag and down from Scandale Pass but the ground is rather featureless between Little Hart Crag and Scandale Pass so use your map and compass carefully. There are paths all of the way but it does not take much snow to cover them. In winter conditions, this walk is probably only for the experienced as ice axe and crampons will be needed but there are no really steep sections past the summit of High Hartsop Dodd so if the snow line is above 500 m, winter equipment may not be needed.

Route

(1) From the car park, walk along the track behind Brothers Water. Continue beyond the end of the lake and reach Hartsop Hall where a sign post points the way to Scandale Pass. Go across a field with a few large boulders in it to reach a stone barn at the foot of the N ridge of High Hartsop Dodd. Take the path up this ridge which zig zags on the steeper sections before the angle eases and a very small cairn is reached which seems to mark the summit of High Hartsop Dodd, 519 m. This is not really a separate summit, more a shoulder.

(2) With no really noticeable descent, continue up the ridge until outcrops appear. Easily pick a way through these to reach the medium cairn which marks the summit of Little Hart Crag, 637 m. Note that there is an avoiding path which goes around Little Hart Crag on its NW side so be careful in mist.

(3) Descend, roughly W, on a path from the summit to reach more level ground. In clear weather, the route to Scandale Pass is obvious but in mist continue W to quickly reach a ruined wall with some fence posts. Follow these slightly E of S to reach a more substantial wall. Go left along this wall which soon turns right and descends to Scandale Pass where there is a stile over the wall (don't go over it as that is the way to Ambleside!) and a cairn about 30 m to the left which indicates the start of the path down Caiston Beck. The path is faint at first but soon becomes very obvious. If in doubt, keep the beck on your right. Almost at the bottom, pass through two gates close to each other then drop down right to cross the narrow bridge over Caiston Beck. Continue on the path to a more substantial bridge over Kirkstone Beck then follow the path, which soon becomes way marked, as it slowly converges with the road. Walk N, down the road, to Sykeside. Go behind the pub then take the track towards the camping area then the first track right leading back towards the road, just before which is a gate and the path below the road then along the E side of Brothers Water before emerging back on to the road just before a house where the pavement starts and leads back to Cow Bridge.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 17thFebruary, 2014,and 9th March, 2014.

(b) It is possible to shorten the walk by missing out the Brothers Water sections. This would be a shame but if you need to do it, park sensibly above (S) the Sykeside Camping Park/Brothers Water Inn, or, better still, above Caudale Bridge and use a footpath which goes to the bridge over Kirkstone Beck then Caiston Beck. From here, follow the path towards Hartsop Hall until the foot of the High Hartsop Dodd N ridge is reached by an old stone barn.

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