If you, like us, don’t fancy 13.5 miles of moor bog trotting to bag three “Nuttalls”, as their book chapters 10.1 and 10.2 do, these two walks allow two each and shorten the moor walking. For the first we started at Killhope Cross, at 623m actually higher than The Dodd, and followed the fence over the moor and past some workings, to the B road at Black Hill. Over the Quarries a stile/gate at the left wall corner gives access to a path leading all the way to the Dodd’s plateau where there is a short pathless traverse to the cairn. The East/west Bridleway to Coalcleugh is well marked now, so retrace your steps and use it to Coalcleugh, tiny now, but had 200 cold inhabitants around 1800. Follow the Nuttall’s directions now, on the Allenheads Road to follow Bridge Cleugh uphill. A shooting cabin (for the beaters) gives shelter for lunch: it is where the track on the map from further east ends. The going is not too bad to the large cairn on the summit, now with no pole. We decided to ease the walking back by taking the path down to Killhope rather than going west over the moorland ridge. A good path leads to a track at a shooting hut, and the Bridleway south-west is where a line of Butts appears on the left. It is a sunken boggy channel, but a path of sorts exits by it, and although it becomes indistinct in places, it leads down through a ghost plantation, then a recently planted one, to Killhope, where I’m sure an interesting visit to the Lead Mining Museum would normally be available. Closed today for some structural problems, not lockdown. Cross the river by stepping stones or the ford and turn right on the plantation track till you fancy leaving it to cross the moor down to the road. We aimed for Killhopehead bridge, where a km of road takes you back home. 7.6 miles and about 1500ft of ascent.
Dodd summit, towards Killhope Law. The shooters hut on the ascent to Killhope Law. The large cairn on Kilhope Law looking east. Lead Mining Centre, Killhope.
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