High Rigg and Watson's Dodd

Monday 28th August 2023

I was disappointed by the walk the previous day that was heavily affected by the rain and I came back to the hostel just as the weather began to improve, so I really needed a good walk now to wipe out those bad feelings and, with an improvement in the weather, I was in the right place to do it. So I set off from the Skiddaw House Hostel, branching left to take the bridleway to Threlkeld and after passing over Roughten Gill I branched off that onto a path that descends to the Glenderaterra Beck. I have never taken this path before, although I’ve travelled along the bridleways either side of the valley many times and it was rather pleasant, with blue skies appearing that promised a good Bank Holiday Monday. The path eventually joined a road and after passing through the small community of Westcoe I reached the outskirts of Threlkeld and contemplated my route for the day. I was going to be staying at the Patterdale Youth Hostel, so I had to find a way over the mountains to get there, but my planned route didn’t appeal to me. Ahead of me was St John’s in the Vale with the high mountains on the left and on the right was the range of low hills known as High Rigg, and I remembered that on all of my previous visits there, most recently in 2016, I had walked from south to north and at Christmas, so I thought it would be a good idea to now traverse High Rigg from north to south and in the summer. Footpaths across many grassy fields brought me to St John’s Church and youth centre where I turned left onto the fell climbing steeply through bracken and passing a slowworm on the way.

From the summit I surveyed the scene around me that looked great despite the clouds that had now smothered the blue skies that I had enjoyed earlier in the day. It had been my intention to stick to the main path, but I immediately branched right to the small cairn at the top of Shawbank Crag where I had a view across the Naddle Valley and towards Keswick, which afforded me with a mobile signal that I needed to research my onward route. Turning south, I followed the path across the fell, which initially was rather dull, but improved as the ridge began to narrow over Long Band with views ahead of me towards the tree covered hill of Great How and the reservoir of Thirlmere while purple-flowering heather was at my feet. Eventually I descended through the trees at the southern end of the fell and down to Smaithwaite Bridge where the imposing crag of Castle Rock sits at the foot of the high mountains. I had previously climbed this on New Year’s Day 2009, so when I came up with the idea of climbing it, while approaching High Rigg, I leapt at the opportunity and my route up took me initially through a gorgeous field of wild flowers and then on a good path that climbed cleverly around the crags, past rock climbers and all the way up to the top. I would have thought that a prominent hill like this with a car park at the foot would be swarming with day trippers on a Bank Holiday Monday, but there was no one at the summit.

After eating my lunch I found that it was difficult to get down the back of Castle Rock because of thick bracken, but eventually I managed to find a way through the obstacles and onto a faint path that climbed the high fell behind. This path soon disappeared and I was left with an unrelenting climb up steep, grassy slopes all the way to the top of Watson’s Dodd. The weather had improved immensely since I had traversed High Rigg as the sun shone during my ascent which provided me with great views over High Rigg and towards the awesome mountains in the distance. These compensated for the long, tedious climb and prompted me to take loads of photos, stopping every couple of steps to catch my breath and take another picture. Eventually the summit of Watson’s Dodd came into view and I dragged myself slowly up to the broad cairn that marks the top where I was greeted by awesome views in all directions. As I headed south it was the views east that mesmerised me, all the way to the Pennine range far in the distance, while in the other direction rain could be seen smothering the highest fells in the Lake District. The winds picked up as I approached the top of Stybarrow Dodd and I gazed in awe at the views east from the summit before returning to the main path, through the strong winds and down to the Sticks Pass.

I have crossed this pass many times, from Helvellyn heading north, or south heading towards Helvellyn, but only once had I ever descended from the pass, in 2003 in bad weather. I was a little hesitant to start the descent now since it was still quite early, but the approaching rain convinced me that it was time to descend, and I was keen to take this path down. The path over Raise and down the pony track was too familiar compared with this great, little path beside Sticks Gill with plenty of rock around, though little sign of the mining that used to happen in the area. The rain caught up with me before I reached Glenridding, but it was never heavy. I took a course around the lower slopes of Birkhouse Moor from Glenridding to Grisedale that I must have taken many times before, though it must have been a long time ago as I was unsure on the route. Repairs to the bridge over Bleacove Beck forced me onto a diversion and from Mires Beck the path was so sketchy that I had to check my map, but eventually I found my way into Grisedale and again I had to check my map. Once I was on the right path, through Glenamara Park, I tried to remember when was the last time I’d taken this route from Glenridding to Patterdale but I could not remember doing it in the last ten years. It had taken me so long to descend from the Sticks Pass and around the hill that it was after five o’clock by the time I reached the youth hostel, so not too early after all.

Considering this walk was largely unplanned, it was very enjoyable with weather that was a little mixed, but when it was good I had fantastic views. The recommended route across High Rigg is south to north, but I liked doing it north to south as it leaves the best bit to the end and the views south are in no way inferior to those north. I liked the opportunity to return to Castle Rock and then to do an ascent that I’d never done before, up Watson’s Dodd, so by the end the walk had performed wonders on my mind and I was no longer the depressed soul who had left Skiddaw House.