The ‘tower’ on the top of Newton Fell (South), a.k.a. Dixon Heights
Summits: There are two summits in the Newton Fell chapter. Wainwright refers to one of them as Newton Fell (North) and the other as Newton Fell (South). He observes that due to restrictions around rights of way it is not possible to link the two in a single walk without going back down to valley level, so they may as well be treated as two completely independent summits. Newton Fell (South), also known as Dixon Heights, is 585′ above sea level, the northern summit is 780′.
Newton Fell (north), from Bigland Barrow
Volume: Book 8 (The Outlying Fells)
Date bagged: (South) I first bagged Dixon Heights, on 8th July 2013 (walk 72). It was number 224 of the 330. [ << Hampsfell (223) (225) Boat How >> ]
The south summit was bagged a second time on walk 119 (25/10/16), as number 78 of 330. [ << Whitbarrow (77) (79) Dove Crag >> ]
(North) The north, and higher summit was bagged for the first time on walk 86, 23/8/14, as number 269 [ << Bigland Barrow (268) (270) Gummer’s How >> ]
And for the second time, walk 158, number 182. [ << Stybarrow Dodd (181) (183) Cartmel Fell >> ]
Route of ascent and descent : (South) First visit: To ascend Dixon Heights I came up from Eller Brow, next to the A590 dual carriageway north of Lindale, and went back the same way. This is the only right of way on this part of the fell.
Newton Fell South — I think — poking its head above the clouds (seen from Hampsfell)
Second visit: Tried coming up the eastern slope, facing the Winster valley, but the right of way marked on the map here was not matched by much of a path, and this was a difficult ascent. Descended the same way as last time, down to Eller How.
(North) First visit: Came up the path that (after crossing the A590) starts in Byre Banks. Then headed north, towards Staveley Fell, though the next summit on the walk turned out to be Gummer’s How.
Second visit: Came up from the reservoirs to the south, above High Newton, then descended back to the same point and went on to Cartmel Fell.
Newton Fell (North), seen from Finsthwaite Heights through drizzle. Note the A590 winding its way up the side of the fell.
What Mr Wainwright says (from page 52 of book 8): “Travellers on the A590 road between Lindale and Barrow Banks cannot fail to be aware of the steep and colourful ridge accompanying their passage on the east side… although not high its undulating skyline promises an interesting ramble. Unfortunately there are few points of access and the traverse of the whole ridge from end to end is not possible without trespass…”
What I say: Neither the south nor the north summit are a great deal to write home about, though the north is preferable. Neither is helped by being so close to the A590; reaching the south summit, in particular, required a lot of tramping on roads. On both visits, the south summit rather spoiled what had been an otherwise good walk, for this reason. It would be possible to get a bus to Lindale from Grange and nab this more easily, but I do doubt it is ever going to be worth much effort.
Rain comes in over the cairn on top of Newton Fell (North)
The north summit is batter, as I said; White Stones is a cute enough peak and the actual summit isn’t bad, and distinguished by being the first Wainwright to have a satellite dish on the top. But it’s definitely not a place to visit if you have a phobia about bracken. That is the dominant lifeform on the fell.
The 214 Wainwright fells: without a car 
[…] summits bagged: Humphrey Head (the lowest Wainwright of all), Hampsfell, and the southern summit of Newton Fell. But worth doing; except for the pollen […]
[…] 119 headed over the beautiful limestone pavement of Whitbarrow, which was well worth visiting, then Newton Fell (South), which was probably not worth it, but is now bagged a second time so I don’t have to do it […]
[…] How itself, I rebagged three more Outlying fells — Staveley Fell, Cartmel Fell and Newton Fell (North) — and have now passed the halfway point of that volume, 59 done out of its 116 index entries. […]
I think you were the victim of bad weather and of trying to follow a route no longer desirable because the roads have changed since AW’s time. With its views, its ruins, and its wild ponies, Dixon Heights can be quite magical on a good day. I would advise tackling it from Low Newton via the path that starts opposite Yew Tree Barn Antiques. A track skirts a farm and becomes a footpath through the bracken (you are entirely right about that). Take the left fork after the gate to bag Bishop’s Tithe Allotment first, then head for Tom Tarn where there is a gate in the wall through to Dixon Heights. From the top retrace your steps to the col then descend the path towards Eller How. After the gate below the arch, take the path right by the farm building. This is the lower fork from before and follows a wall back to the start.
You can combine this with Newton Fell North by walking along the road to High Newton then taking the lane that leads up to the reservoirs. By the second reservoir, a gate leads in to the open access land below the summit.
The ridge from the reservoir can be followed over the summit and Whitestone and on through the woods and Simpson Ground to Sow How lane and Gummers How, which makes a rich and varied ridge walk. Although a long one if you combine it with Dixon Heights. That said, if travelling by bus you could probably do the out without the back. Not sure on nearest stop to Gummers How.