Dodd on New Year's Day

Date & start time: Saturday 1st January 2011, 2 pm start.

Location of Start : A591 roadside parking, Mirehouse, Keswick , Cumbria, Uk ( NY 235 283 )

Places visited : Skill Beck, Long Doors, Dodd summit and back round the front of Dodd.

Walk details : 3.5 mls, 1300 ft of ascent, 2 hrs 15 mins.

Highest point : Dodd Summit 1,646ft - 502m.

Walked with : Dee and John, Jo, Ann and the dogs, (D&J's) Amber, Polly, Jodie, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Dry but overcast afternoon.

[ Alter the settings to zoom or change the Map, use Everytrail to download the Gps route ]

A busy Christmas period and poor weather have meant few photographically interesting outings

but we are back on the fells on a dry New Year's Day with Jo, Dee and John and a combined litter of five dogs.

Slight unfitness (including three of the five dogs) encourages all up Dodd for a gentle but still interesting walk.

[ Oh yes . . . Jodie's recent ice-related toe injury, Amber's foot operation (last year) and Harry's knee injury, all of which are much improved]

Jo brings up the rear as we start off from the cars near Mirehouse.

We'll take this good forest road most of the way up the fell side till we branch off onto the Dodd footpath.

A steady uphill walk through delightful trees . . .	. . . with regular views down to Skill Beck not far below.

There must be a clever caption for this one but I'll leave you to suggest ideas ?

Soon after leaving the forest track and Long Doors ( the highest part of the track between Dodd and Skiddaw)

we divert onto the fell path and are presented all of a sudden with the beautiful panorama of Keswick and Borrowdale.

In addition we have a convenient seat from which to enjoy it . . . on a fine day.

Can't remember the conversation . . . but it is obviously too cold a breeze to sit and enjoy the view.

Jodie is not playing film stars today and turns her back on the others.

Bethan and Harry either being blown by, or sheltering their heads from the wind.

The problem working with children and animals is to get them to concentrate at the right time.

[ Move your cursor over the photo to see if you can make her look this way]

Brown pine cones on the tree with a view all the way to the spiked summit of Pike o'Stickle in the distance.

Sunshine streams across the Newlands Valley.

The high fells behind have lost quite a bit of snow but they still look remarkably cold.

We could see Coniston Old Man to the left, Esk Pike centre and Scafell Pike to the right . . . quite a good view despite the slight gloom.

Looking further left past the now empty seat and across to Helvellyn.

Before the last uphill section we walk across to another fine viewpoint.

The sun will be setting behind Grisedale Pike soon.

Detour over, we aim for the top . . .	. . . on a wide, almost wheelchair-friendly gravel path.

The summit team ( Jo, Dee, Ann and John ) . . . and not a dog in sight !

Looking down on a frozen Bassenthwaite Lake.

The shading is due to irregular freezing but the whole lot is still covered in ice.

The Ospreys were wise heading south to Africa for the winter . . . fishing would problematical to say the least with that frozen surface.

Click here or on the photo above for a big value, annotated Loweswatercam panorama

Found the dogs !

. . . or should we say that they have found John and the bag of dog biscuits !

This is Mirehouse far below us.

Voted the best family visitor attraction in the Lakes in recent years.

Also below us is the Calvert Trust complex with a new extension being built.

They provide holidays and daytime activities for the disabled and the horse riding section will soon benefit from an OFC cheque

raised by the sale of the last edition of the Lost Sheep Magazine.

Mmmm . . . too cold to hang about much longer . . . despite the warmth of new Christmas presents !

Our return track takes us back down and around the front of the fell . . . on one of many forest tracks.

Sunset is officially past now.

Looking across at Barf Fell and Lords Seat, the high ground immediately above it.

The Ospreys used to nest in the woods on the Barf side of the valley but suddenly changed to a nest this side last year

much to the consternation of the Osprey Watch organisers.

The path gradually drops down around the fellside . . .	. . . and back into the forest.

One last view of the colourful sky reflected on the river and the ice of the lake

as we make our way back to the cars.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . fresh air on the first day of a new decade.

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Previous walk - 25th December 2010 Christmas Walk to Aira Force

A previous time up here - 14th Oct 2007 Dodd Woods and an unexpected Sunset

Next walk - 2nd January 2011 High Rigg with Jo and John