The Duddon Valley

The Duddon Valley is a jewel in the crown of Cumbria. Remote, unspoilt and perhaps the most idyllic corner of the Lake District, the area will delight walkers, nature lovers and those who enjoy the peace and beauty of the rich English countryside. Visiting the valley is like switching off from the 21st century as you enter traditional sheep-farming country where successive generations of farmers have reared the native Herdwicks which roam the fells and graze the verges. You may see buzzards soaring overhead, sight an endearing red squirrel, spot orchids growing in the meadows, and you may even catch a glimpse of a peregrine falcon.

The Duddon Valley offers unrivalled walking with spectacular views - on the fells, through forest and woodland and along the river bank. There are a host of footpaths to explore, or you can simply park up and picnic or go for a paddle. If paddling of a different kind appeals to you, canoeing is just one of the outdoor pursuits on offer, along with climbing and scrambling.

The tiny villages of Ulpha and Seathwaite are two focal points of the valley. At Ulpha there's a post office/village shop which sells maps, cards, drinks and limited provisions, whilst Seathwaite, situated near the end of the ancient Walna Scar road, boasts the 16th century Newfield Inn, where good home-cooked food, a selection of real ales and a welcome as warm as the roaring log fire await. A couple of hundred yards further on is the parish church, where the Reverend Robert Walker preached for sixty years in the 1700s. Hailed by Wordsworth as 'wonderful Walker', he taught the local children and tended sheep along with his pastoral flock. His grave and sheep-shearing stone are in the churchyard. Walker House, his home those centuries ago, still stands just opposite.

A few miles away is the historic market town of Broughton-in-Furness, with its high quality butchers-cum-grocery shop, family-run bakery/tearoom, post office, restaurant and a variety of pubs. At the tourist information office in the square you'll find a range of leaflets and friendly staff to help you make the most of your stay in the area.

Original Cumbrian Wool

Original Cumbrian Wool is a group of farming families in the Lake District's Duddon Valley. To realise the true value of our mountain-bred wool, we decided to 'shepherd' it's processing and transformation into finished products. Our aim has been to secure some of the benefit of this control, and a greater proportion of the final remuneration for the original producer so contributing to sustainable development.

By taking our wool on a journey, Original Cumbrian Wool has established links with processors — scourers, spinners and weavers.

Their www.cumbrianwool.co.uk shows items from our new 'DUNNERDALE’ range. There are variations of pattern, colour and breed combinations available and the co-operative is still exploring design possibilities.

The whole range is made from undyed, natural wool. We've called the colours we use Quartz (white-grey). Lichen (light-grey). Scree (mid-grey) and Peat (dark brown/black). The brushed finishes and combination of wool types used in the ‘DUNNERDALE’ range dispel the myth that mountain wool need be coarse and rough to the touch.

Frith Hall
Frith Hall is visible as a romantic ruin on the skyline as you drive up the valley. Four hundred years ago it was a hunting lodge overlooking the deer park of Ulpha (Frith means 'in the wood'). So at some times of year it would be as quiet and peaceful as it now is but at other times full of bustle and activity as the gentlemen of the Hudleston family came out from Millom Castle to hunt the deer. You may be lucky enough to catch sight of a deer on your holiday. Three hundred years ago Frith Hall was no longer a host to the gentry but a hostelry open to all, a stopping place for pack-horse teams and their drivers on one of the old roads in and out of the valley. Like all routes to and from the coast, it was used by smugglers as well as honest carriers. The Isle of Man was then a notorious centre for smugglers and the Board of H.M. Customs had its work cut out defending the rugged Cumbrian coastline from the persistent and ingenious approaches of the denizens of that 'warehouse of frauds'. The Board's Whitehaven representative reported that the town and country were 'mostly supplied with brandy, rum, tea, tobacco, soap and other high duty goods illegally imported'. So strong drinks were cheaply available at Frith Hall, which made the place lively and at times violent. At least one of its clientele died there. Not much peace and quiet in those days. Two hundred years ago Frith Hall became a farm, and still stands on farmland. Now the enigmatic Herdwick crop the grass in silence where once the lords rode out to the chase and midnight brawls disturbed the peace.

Ulpha and Seathwaite Church's
Ulpha church is a testament to the craftsmanship of one-time parishioners with the altar itself carved form a local cherry tree. There are still the remains of wall paintings high up on the inside of the church. Outside the church look for the gravestone of the man who died in the "pitiless storm".

Seathwaite church cannot be visited without recognition of the life of Wonderful Walker, an 18th century parson whose life inspired Wordsworth's "The Excursion".

Quaker Burial Ground
Further up the valley, as you look across from the Ulpha side to the Seathwaite side, you will see a sober, square enclosure planted with conifers. That is a Quaker burial ground. No ostentation there, no headstones, statues or monuments. All is plain and quiet, inviting meditation. The last burial took place in the middle of the eighteenth century, while below, at Duddon Hall, Major Cooper and his aristocratic friends cheered on the fighting cocks and placed their wagers. Some come in pursuit of sport and excitement, some in search of tranquillity. Over the centuries the hospitable Duddon Valley has managed to accommodate them all.

Duddon Hall
Duddon Hall is the imposing building that appears below you on your left as you drive up the valley. It is now divided into apartments but was once the grand house of the valley, inhabited by the lord of the manor of Dunnerdale with Seathwaite. In its grounds can be seen an elegant Georgian chapel that looks a bit like a pagan temple. The chapel is circular in shape and a handsome stag surmounts its portico. It was built in the eighteenth century by Major John Cooper and celebrates his love of hunting. The circular design was made to allow the chapel to double as an arena for cockfights, held on Sunday afternoons.

Seathwaite Tarn
In 1904 the dam at Seathwaite Tarn was built to supply the expanding town of Barrow-in-Furness with water. The navvies brought in to build the dam rioted at the Newfield Inn and one man was shot dead, much damage was caused to the local buildings including the church where many of its windows were broken.

Industry
The fell side provided the Duddon with its greatest resource. Waterpower from the river was utilised both the bobbin mill and corn mill at Ulpha. Quarrying and the sale of slate, the only local building material, brought valuable income into a once self-sufficient community. The workings of the quarries are still visible on the hillside and some of the most beautifully marked slate came from Walna Scar. An example of this can be seen on the floor of the Newfield Inn at Seathwaite.

Duddon Bridge Iron Furnace
This was established 1737, it was supplied with charcoal from the ancient coppiced woodland nearby. The pitsteads of the charcoal workers can still be found. Further information can be seen at the site of the furnace, which has recently been restored.

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