I’m a quite a bit behind on publishing this one, which tells you something about how a good walk lingers. The St John’s Vale Skyline took us up Clough Head, Great Dodd, Watson’s Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd and Hart Side on a bitterly cold, crystal-clear March day.
And whilst the legs may have long since recovered, the views haven’t faded quite as quickly. It’s not a walk that announces itself. There are no famous ridges, no dramatic edges, nothing that would make a casual search for Lake District walks throw it to the top of the list. But what it has instead is a long, airy ridge with views that seem to expand with every step and an almost complete absence of other people. One of the best days we’ve had on the fells for a long time.
Getting There
Start from Legburthwaite Car Park (£5 for 5-hours) on the B5322 at the southern end of St John’s in the Vale, near the northern tip of Thirlmere (CA12 4TF). Although there are toilets on site, it’s worth noting these are locked over the winter months so think ahead!
The Route
From Legburthwaite the route heads north briefly along the A591 before crossing into St John’s in the Vale itself, a lovely glacial valley framed to the east by the long ridge that is the day’s objective. Cross St John’s Beck and head northeast through the valley floor following footpaths past Low Bridge End Farm. The approach across the valley is deceptively long. You’re walking towards the ridge rather than climbing it, and Clough Head at 726m looks increasingly imposing as you get closer.
The ascent via the Old Coach Road and White Pike is the hardest work of the day. The climb up the northeast ridge is long and relentlessly steep. It was bitterly cold on the way up, the wind picking up sharply as we gained height an by the summit, hands were in gloves and hoods were up.
Then the view arrives and makes it all worth it.
On a clear day it is one of the finest sustained views in the Lake District. On a bitterly cold, brilliantly sunny March day it was extraordinary, the kind that justifies every slightly deranged decision to go hillwalking in earliest spring.
Clough Head is an exceptional viewpoint. To the north the entire southern face of Blencathra is laid out in front of you, a mountain that earns its alternative name Saddleback only when you see it from this angle. Skiddaw rises up behind it. To the south the great bulk of Great Dodd fills the horizon and to the east the Pennines roll away into the distance. Wainwright referred to it as an excellent viewpoint with characteristic understatement.
From Clough Head the route follows the ridge south, climbing via Calfhow Pike, a small rocky outcrop that is a genuine surprise on an otherwise grassy ridge, up to Great Dodd at 857m, the highest point of the day. The summit is a broad grassy dome with extensive views east towards Ullswater and north back over Clough Head to Blencathra and Skiddaw.
Then Watson’s Dodd at 789m, and on to Stybarrow Dodd at 843m. This is where the day changed. From the second summit onwards the tops were under snow, and Raise, the Lakeland ski slope just to the south, was glistening white in the sunshine. Seeing a ski slope from a fell summit in the Lakes is not something you expect, and it was properly spectacular. The ridge walking between the Dodds is easy and pleasant. The ground between Watson’s and Stybarrow can be boggy in normal conditions but was pretty frozen on the day, which helped considerably. We barely spoke for stretches of it. Some views do that to you.
From Stybarrow Dodd a path heads directly east to Hart Side at 756m, the fifth and final Wainwright of the day and one that most people never reach on this circuit. It is a broad, grassy summit that on a clear day looks out towards Ullswater. In the bitterly cold sunshine of our visit, with snow still on the ground, it felt like a genuine bonus summit. A very good place to stop, eat something and feel quite pleased with yourself.
The descent drops back southwest over Green Side, which at 795m is higher than Hart Side but not a Wainwright in its own right, marked by a scattering of white stones on the grass. From Green Side the path picks up alongside Sty Beck, the stream that threads its way back down the valley floor all the way to Legburthwaite. It is a long, well-graded descent with the beck keeping you company throughout and a satisfying way to finish a big day. We used the Wainwright Companion app throughout for navigation and it was excellent, and particularly useful on the valley floor approach at the start as well as on the Hart Side section where the paths are less obvious.
After the Walk
The King’s Head at Thirlspot is a 17th-century coaching inn on the A591, about five minutes from Legburthwaite, sitting right at the foot of the Helvellyn range with views towards St John’s in the Vale. It is exactly the kind of pub you want after a cold day on the ridge: exposed beams, real fires, cask ales and a menu built around the understanding that people arrive having earned their food. Order a pint of Wainwright, raise a glass to five summits bagged, and feel thoroughly pleased with yourself. It would be churlish not to.
On the map
Interests
