Little Dodd (Ennerdale)

Resting on the high, grassy spine between Red Pike and Starling Dodd, this rounded shoulder serves as a tranquil viewpoint overlooking the depths of Ennerdale. Though often bypassed by those rushing along the ridge, it offers an excellent vantage point to study the complex crags of Pillar and Great Gable across the valley.

• •The name 'Dodd' is a common Cumbrian topographic term derived from the Old Norse 'doddi', which refers to a rounded hill or a bare limb. It perfectly describes this hill’s profile as a blunt, grassy knot on the high ridge separating the Buttermere and Ennerdale valleys.
• •While excluded from Alfred Wainwright's primary Pictorial Guides, Little Dodd is a essential stop for those completing the 'Birketts'—a list of 541 Lake District peaks over 1,000 feet compiled by writer Bill Birkett.
• •The summit provides a spectacular specific view across Ennerdale to the Great Cove of Pillar; from this elevation, the sheer scale of Pillar Rock and the 'High Level Route' path is more clearly visible than from the valley floor.
• •Geologically, the hill sits at a transition point where the distinctive red syenite rock of neighbouring Red Pike gives way to the more typical Skiddaw slates and grits of the Western fells.
• •It is the sort of summit frequently 'bagged' by accident, as the main ridge path passes so close to the highest point that most walkers have conquered it before they’ve even finished their sandwich.