Duddon Delights

Our first trip in 2023 at the beginning of March was to the Lakes, staying in Coniston with the aim of climbing seven outlying fells in and around the beautiful Duddon Valley. Snow was predicted for the end of the week, but we had beautiful blue skies and clear, warm weather all week, except for one afternoon when it snowed very lightly and continued through the night, and we woke to the Old Man resplendent in white against the bluest sky. The roads were clear and it all look gorgeously alpine.

Our first walk was about half way along the Duddon Valley where we parked opposite the river and took a gently climbing path up through the bracken. It was very warm, but easy walking and very dry underfoot. The views out to the coast were beautiful and we soon reached the first of four fells climbed that day, Great Stickle. The breeze was a little cooler on the summit, but we soon warmed up again as we headed towards our next objective, Stickle Pike, very prominent ahead. A simple walk over flattish ground, then a very steep final climb, and we were enjoying fantastic views over to Caw and the Coniston range. A short down and a little climb back up brought us to Tarn Hill, then we dropped down again to Dunnerdale Fells, which took us about 20 minutes to find as there were no obvious paths. The views were beautiful and the whole plateau was dotted with tiny, pretty tarns. Back at the car, we brewed coffee and drank it by the River Duddon.

Our next walk was The Knott and Raven's Crag in Dunnerdale, in the upper Duddon Valley; somewhere we'd never been before and which felt very remote, although it was stunning. This was our favourite walk of the week, and the path took us past the old Stainton mine workings, then very gradually and easily climbed up to The Knott at the end of the ridge, where we basked in the incredibly warm sunshine, admiring the views out to the coast. We spent quite some time soaking it all in before descending a little way, then tackling a steepish although very simple and short climb, which brought us out on the Raven's Crag ridge. It was lovely in the sun, although the breeze coming from the high fells behind us was a little cooler. We spent a lot of time enjoying the warmth before continuing on to the end of the ridge, before dropping down and re-joining our original path back to the car, and lunch in Torver.

The final climb was The Pike from Ulpha. The sun was really quite hot as we parked opposite Ulpha Church and took a path up through Rainsbarrow Wood, then out onto a fairly steep section of the Birker Fell Road. Branching off at a finger post after only about 10 minutes on the road, we could see The Pike ahead as we crossed a field of Herdwicks and took a signed footpath through a very quiet Baskell Farm, up onto the open fellside beyond. From there, it was a stiff climb to the summit where the wind became much stronger and colder. The views were superb; right down the length of the Duddon Valley one way and over the vast, wild and remote expanse of moorland looking towards Eskdale, the other. We contemplated climbing Hesk Hill, but as snow was predicted, we decided to leave that for perhaps the summer months and more benign weather. We took photos, then made our way back again, stopping for a drink by a drystone wall for a little respite from the wind, but by the time we were back at the car, it was so warm we sat by the River Duddon at Ulpha Bridge brewing hot drinks and enjoying the peace and scenery.

Aside from climbing, we visited Kelly Hall Tarn and Torver Common again, areas we love, we walked by Lake Coniston and sat on the shores drinking hot chocolate. We lazed in the beautiful hotel gardens with their view of the lake and enjoyed looking round the Ruskin Museum. After a week in Coniston, we moved on to Ambleside for a couple of nights, staying at Rydal Hall, enjoying some quiet time before the journey home. It was a lovely ten days away, with beautiful weather and some stunning, new landscapes, topped off with a sprinkling of snow.

Outdoor Ramblings

‘The greatest adventure is what lies ahead’