People walking along the path up Dodd
Group of people standing together on a gravel path in the woods

It's A Doddle 2026

A Big Give fundraising challenge

Everything you need to know about our Big Give challenge

Tuesday 1 December 12pm - Wednesday 2 December 12pm

It’s A Doddle is back with a bang for 2026 and we’re inviting our community to get involved!

To celebrate the launch of the Big Give Christmas Challenge, our 24-hour Everesting challenge invites people of all ages and abilities to help us continuously climb as many Mount Everests as possible. But don’t worry, you don’t have to climb to 8,848m yourself!

Taking advantage of our beautiful location, we’ll be walking up Dodd just behind Calvert Lakes, our incredible activity centre. We’ve mapped out the wide, accessible forestry track that ascends the hill and the route is logged in Strava. You don’t have to walk it either – oh no. Run, cycle, ride, space hop, tramper or chairs count too.

This event raises vital funds for the Lake District Calvert Trust and what’s more, during the Big Give Christmas Challenge week, every donation is doubled! Every pound pledged and donated will contribute towards providing exciting outdoor adventures for people with disabilities, their friends, families and carers.

To collectively climb Everest once, we need either 33 people to log the 269m route, or one person to ascend 33 times! Whether you bring your class or your colleagues, your extended family or your besties, every metre matters. And yes, doggy ascents are included too!

Last year, our supporters and staff collectively climbed Everest 4.6 times, and we’d love to beat that this year. Are you up for the challenge?!

Dodd and Skiddaw

Register your interest

How you can get involved

It’s A Doddle is a 24-hour Everesting challenge that invites participants to collectively climb Dodd as many times as possible, to see how many times we can reach the height of Everest together. Walk, run, ride, wheel or bounce, it doesn’t matter how the elevation is achieved – every metre matters!

Woman on a path with bunting above her and a dog at her feet

Join in our challenge

Take part in our It’s A Doddle challenge and raise funds for our incredible charity. We’re trying to raise £80,000 during the Big Give week with every donation doubled.

Three women in superhero attire holding a photo frame

Hold your
own event

If you don’t fancy taking part, but want to support us during the Big Give appeal why not organise your own fundraising event in aid the Lake District Calvert Trust?

Person dressed as a Lemur wearing a Lake District Wildlife Park top

Sponsor our
event

We’d love a sponsor or two for our It’s A Doddle event. In return, we’ll promote your organisation before, during and after the event to raise awareness of generous support.

Landscape from Dodd with Derwentwater in the distance between mountains

Spread the
word

The more people who sign up, the more money we can raise to support access to life-changing adventures for more people with disabilities. Share our cause with your community! 

It's A Doddle 2025​

It’s A Doddle began in 2025 and we’re bringing it back for 2026. Last year, our community collectively climbed the height of Mount Everest a whopping 4.6 times! Here are some of the people who took part and their chosen mode of transportation. 

It's A Doddle FAQs

What is It's A Doddle?

It’s A Doddle is a 24-hour Everesting challenge where we’re collectively trying to climb as many Everests as possible by walking, running, riding, wheeling or bouncing up Dodd, behind Calvert Lakes. Individuals and groups can pick timeslots and log their ascent, contributing to an overall total elevation.

It’s A Doddle marks the start of the Big Give Christmas Challenge week when every donation is doubled. This match-funding appeal raises vital funds for the Lake District Calvert Trust.

It’s A Doddle will run from 12pm on Tuesday 1st December to Wednesday 2nd December 2026. There will be hourly departures from the centre for 24 hours with a minimum of 2 people climbing per hour continuously. 

We realise not everyone wants to climb Dodd but you can still get involved in Big Give week by donating, holding your own fundraiser for us or sharing the word about our event with your community. 

Once registration opens we’ll post a signup form on this page and participants will be able to enter online. Until then, feel free to fill in the form higher up the page to express your interest. We’ll then pop you an email when the event is open for registration.