Duddon Valley
Getting there, parking, where to stay and the fells you can walk straight from Duddon Valley.
Summit forecast
The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man) summit, verdict for 27 October: Save it for another day · Too windy for the tops
10°C at the summit, gusts 57 mph
Weather on the tops, not whether a route suits you. One summit, the highest within 5 km, not the valley · scored for 27 October by the site’s own scorer · all 214 ranked · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)First light
The sun reaches the Seathwaite (Duddon Valley) start about 09:42 in October · sunrise 07:42
From the terrain around the start (Copernicus GLO-30), mid-month · how we work it outThe Duddon Valley at a glance
The Duddon is the valley in the south-west corner of the Lake District that the River Duddon runs down, from its source between Wrynose and Hardknott at Cockley Beck to the sea at Broughton-in-Furness. Ordnance Survey calls it the Duddon Valley and Dunnerdale by turns; Wainwright preferred the first, and so does this page. Two hamlets sit along it, Seathwaite in its upper half and Ulpha below, with the fells of Harter Fell and the Coniston group on one side and Birker Fell and the small, rough Dunnerdale Fells on the other.
It is the quietest of the valleys that lead into the high fells, and the one the passes drop you into: Wrynose from the east and Hardknott from the west both end here, and most people who drive through never stop. Those who do find Wordsworth's river, a forest, a gorge, a packhorse bridge and a pub, and fells that see a tenth of the walkers of Langdale.
Quick facts
| Where | The south-west of the Lakes, from Cockley Beck at the foot of the two passes down to Broughton-in-Furness and the Duddon estuary |
|---|---|
| The villages | Seathwaite in the upper valley, Ulpha below it, Broughton-in-Furness at the mouth |
| Getting there | By car from the A595 at Duddon Bridge, over Wrynose and Hardknott, or over Birker Fell from Eskdale; no bus in our data runs up the valley |
| Parking | The parish car park at Seathwaite and free lay-bys along the valley road and the Walna Scar road — listed below with what they charge; Birks Bridge, up the valley, is Harter Fell's car park rather than the valley's |
| The walking | Harter Fell from Birks Bridge; Caw, Walna Scar and the Dunnerdale fells from Seathwaite; the Coniston fells by the Walna Scar road; the river and Wallowbarrow gorge at any time |
| Weather | Sheltered by Lakeland standards, but the tops take the Scafells' rain; check the live fell conditions |
Getting there and parking
Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Foxfield (11 km away) and Green Road (13 km away). The bus map has every stop we hold.
The valley has one road, narrow and unclassified, from Duddon Bridge on the A595 up through Ulpha and Seathwaite to Cockley Beck, where it meets the foot of both passes. From the east it is reached over Wrynose Pass and from Eskdale over Hardknott Pass or by the gentler road over Birker Fell from Ulpha. No bus in our data serves the valley; the nearest public transport is the Cumbrian Coast railway at Foxfield, below Broughton.
Parking is small and scattered, which is what keeps the valley quiet. Harter Fell starts from Birks Bridge, the Forestry England car park in the forest up the valley, which is that fell's car park rather than the valley's. The verges at Cockley Beck are passing places.
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking near Duddon Valley
Where is Duddon Valley?
Duddon Valley near Broughton-in-Furness, in the Lake District. Zoom and pan to explore.
Parking near Duddon Valley
Toilets, food and shops near these car parks
All the car parks around Duddon Valley on the parking map →
Straight-line distances from the centre of Duddon Valley. We publish whether a car park charges, and who runs it, but never the price — tariffs change and a stale one is worse than none, so check the sign or the operator’s own site on the day.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
What to see
- The river — the Duddon is Wordsworth's river, the subject of a sequence of his sonnets, and for once the poetry is fair: clear water over granite, pools and falls the whole length of the valley.
- Wallowbarrow — the crag and the gorge below Seathwaite, with the stepping stones and the footbridge over the river and the path up through the woods.
- Birks Bridge — the old stone bridge over the Duddon in the forest above Seathwaite, over a pool the river has cut through the rock. The car park is beside it.
- The forest — the Forestry England plantation on the valley's east side, with paths and the car park, and Harter Fell above it.
- Seathwaite — the hamlet in the upper valley: the church, the Newfield Inn with its slate floor, and the lane up to the Walna Scar road.
- Ulpha — the hamlet halfway down, with its church on the hillside and the Birker Fell road climbing west out of it.
- Cockley Beck — the farm at the head of the valley where the two passes meet, and the road forks.
Where to stay
The valley has very few beds, which is part of its point. This is what is here:
| What it is | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| The Newfield Inn | Village inn | Seathwaite |
| Turner Hall Farm | Farm campsite | Seathwaite |
Each is a business named for the reader's convenience, not a recommendation; check its own site for what it costs and whether it has room. Broughton-in-Furness, at the mouth of the valley, has more.
Pubs and food
The Newfield Inn at Seathwaite is the valley's pub, and the only one; there is no shop between Broughton and Cockley Beck. For anything more, it is Broughton-in-Furness at the bottom or the pubs of Eskdale and Little Langdale over the passes.
The walks
The Duddon's walks are for people who want the fells to themselves. The Birketts by the Dunnerdale fells Planned is the long round from Seathwaite over Walna Scar, White Maiden, White Pike, the Pikes and Caw; the Ulpha Birketts Planned takes the small tops on the western side, The Pike, Hesk Fell and Yoadcastle; and from the head of the valley the Hardknott Round Planned climbs Harter Fell from the Eskdale side of the pass. The Walna Scar road from Seathwaite is the old way over to Coniston and the back door to the Old Man and Dow Crag. The full list is below, with the fells each one climbs.
Routes that start near Duddon Valley
| Route | Distance | Ascent | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birketts by Dunnerdale FellsStart 1.1 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 19.95 km | 1110 m | ~5¾–8 h |
Routes starting within about 2 km of Duddon Valley, or on its doorstep at one of its car parks. Each time is the whole route’s, from a fast to a steady pace, and takes no account of stops, conditions or daylight — a guide, not a schedule.
Fells & walks near Duddon Valley
Straight-line distances from the centre of Duddon Valley — the nearest summits with a full guide on this site.
Places nearby: Hardknott Pass · Stanley Ghyll Force · Eskdale · Coniston
All walks from Duddon Valley → — the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km, ranked, with today’s conditions.
Frequently asked questions about Duddon Valley
Where is the Duddon Valley?
Is Dunnerdale the same as the Duddon Valley?
Is there a bus to the Duddon Valley?
Where do I park for Harter Fell?
Where do I park in Seathwaite, Duddon?
Can you drive from the Duddon Valley to Langdale?
Events across the Lake District
Planning a trip around a show or festival? See our Lake District events & festivals guide for what's on near Duddon Valley — traditional Lakeland sports, agricultural shows and seasonal events, month by month.