Date: Tuesday 30th December 2025
Company: Myself and Ann-Marie
Distance: 10.9km, Ascent: 750m
Time: 3Hrs 47Mins
We set off this morning to ascend my final two Far Eastern Fells, Rest Dodd and The Nab.
If you look at the OS map, the obvious route to the summit of The Nab starts from Martindale Common. Ascending The Nab from Martindale Common would also allow for a great circuit of Wainwrights including Rest Dodd, The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise and Steel Knotts, and potentially also Wether Hill and Loadpot Hill. An ascent of The Nab from Martindale Common is however not permitted! The only permitted route up The Nab is to go out-and-back from Rest Dodd.
Allegedly, the access restrictions are in place because The Nab is home to a number of red deer. We saw a number of the red deer today but they were located between The Knott and Rest Dodd, not on The Nab itself. Thankfully, in Scotland, we don't deny access to hills because they may, or in this case don't, have some red deer on them.
For our walk, we parked in the small car park at the end of the Hartsop track. There is a donation box in the car park advising that donations are voluntary and that any donations made go to the local primary school. As such, we were more than happy to make a donation.
Route:
Once suited and booted, we commenced our walk towards Hayeswater Gill and Hayeswater. The initial route was familiar as I had come this way to undertake a circuit from Hartsop Dodd to Gray Crag in April 2023.
Gate leading to fells and car park donation box:
View towards Gray Crag:
On reaching the track junction, we took the lower path, which goes past the Filter House, in ascent. We took the higher path, skirting round the side of Gray Crag, in descent.
Approaching the Filter House:
Bridge over Hayeswater Gill (on lower path):
The lower path, past the Filter House, eventually leads on to the higher path. Possibly my least favourite type of path is where lots of loose stones are deposited to prevent erosion. While this may prevent erosion, it's a **** to walk on.
Track skirting round Gray Crag:
It didn't take long to reach the bridge over Hayeswater Gill with the track beyond leading towards The Knott.
Bridge over Hayewater Gill a few hundred metres from Hayeswater outflow:
Before long, you start getting great views down to Hayeswater, not to be confused with the much larger Hayeswater Reservoir.
Hayeswater:
After several days walking on frozen turf and ice, it was a relief today to walk on softer ground with significantly less potential to slip/fall.
The Knott:
On reaching the summit area of Rest Dodd, we visited both cairns. The smaller cairn is the better viewpoint. We briefly met a nice couple at the summit of Rest Dodd who we would meet again on The Nab.
At the largest of two cairns atop Rest Dodd:
View from the smaller of two cairns atop Rest Dodd:
The descent from Rest Dodd to The Nab is fairly steep. We could see The Nab's infamous peat hags but thought they looked really easy to negotiate as the path skirts round most of them.
People complaining about peat hags on The Nab should perhaps try ascending some of the Scottish Marilyns known as 'wee shites'
.Descending the NNE ridge of Rest Dodd towards The Nab:
The Nab:
Looking back to Rest Dodd from the start of the peat hags:
Once beyond the peat hags, the ascent of The Nab is straight-forward.
Ascending The Nab:
Rest Dodd from the summit of The Nab:
While at the summit of The Nab, we had an enjoyable chat with the couple we had met earlier atop Rest Dodd.
At the summit of The Nab:
View down to Martindale Common from just beyond the summit of The Nab:
From the summit, we returned to the col and then back to the summit of Rest Dodd before returning to the car via the upper track alongside Hayeswater Gill.
Looking down to the Filter House from the upper track:
Lovely restored farm building:
This was an enjoyable walk despite the weather not turning out to be as forecast. The MetOffice suggested a mix of cloud and sun, we had cloud and some light snow.
Great to get down to single figures of remaining Wainwrights but due to severe weather warnings in Scotland for heavy snow in the coming days, we may have to curtail our trip early to get home safely.