“A fine mountain of considerable bulk”

A Wainwright

The ever popular Coniston Fells are a heaven for fellwalkers but almost all climb from the more popular Coniston side of the range, to the west lies the more secluded Duddon Valley, here from the village of Seathwaite a wonderful circuit can be made taking in the lesser frequented summits of the range as well as the major tops of Swirl How and the Old Man of Coniston.

Summits included on this route:
Grey Friar770 metres / 2526 feet
Great Carrs780 metres / 2559 feet
Swirl How802 metres / 2631 feet
Brim Fell796 metres / 2612 feet
Coniston Old Man803 metres / 2635 feet
Dow Crag778 metres / 2552 feet

“Second only to Scafell Crag in the magnificence of its rock architecture is the imposing precipice towering above the stony hollow of Goat's Water”

A Wainwright

From Birks Bridge we will climb by Pike How onto the open fellside below Seathwaite Tarn, following the ridge over Troutal Fell to reach the summit of Grey Friar.

From Grey Friar we will climb east to the summit of Great Cars and follow the ridge south to Swirl How. From Swirl How the wonderful ridge south leads us over Levers Hause to the summits of Brim Fell and then Coniston Old Man before we drop down to Goats Hause, climbing again to the summit of Dow Crag.
The gentle ridge south leads over the summits of Buck Pike and Brown Pike to meet the Walna Scar Road and descend west into the Duddon Valley and back to Birks Bridge.

Each participant will be required to bring suitable equipment for their chosen event, please see Kit List tab above.

Group Size	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Per Person	£140	£70	£50	£37.50	£30	£25	£22	£20	£20	£18
Per Group	£140	£140	£150	£150	£150	£150	£154	£160	£180	£180

Group Size	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Per Person	£27	£25	£23	£22	£21	£20	£19	£19	£19	£18
Per Group	£297	£300	£299	£308	£315	£320	£323	£324	£342	£360

Group Size	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30+
Per Person	£22	£21	£21	£20	£20	£20	£19	£19	£18	£18
Per Group	£462	£484	£506	£528	£525	£546	£513	£504	£522	£540

Where to meet: Birks Bridge
Postcode: LA20 6EF (approximate)
Grid Reference: SD 239 995

Directions

The Duddon Valley is one of the more remote areas of the Lake District so please allow plenty of time, from Ambleside the most direct route is over the Hardknott Pass, after crossing the pass turn left at Cockley Beck and follow the road 2 miles until the car park is seen to the right.

Alternitavely from the south turn off the A595 at Bank End, by the Duddon Bridge, and follow this road through Ulpha and Seathwaite, after crossing the Cattle Grid the car park will be seen to the left after just under 1 mile.

Bus Services

There are no bus services along the Duddon Valley.

Stagecoach bus timetables can be viewed here

Each participant is expected to bring suitable personal equipment for the event.
This should include the following:

Summer Walks:

Walking shoes / Boots
Waterproof clothing (Jacket and trousers)
Suitable clothing for walking (no jeans)
Warm tops
Packed lunch
Spare clothing
Water
Hat
Gloves

Winter Walks:

Walking Boots
Waterproof clothing (Jacket and trousers)
Suitable clothing for walking (no jeans)
Warm tops
Packed lunch
Spare clothing
Water
Hat
Gloves
Torch (preferably a headtorch)
Spare batteries for the above
Spare Gloves
Flask & Hot Drink

The Following equipment may also be useful if owned:

Snow Goggles
Gaiters

The following equipment will be provided by The Lake District Walker should winter conditions require:

Ice Axe
Crampons

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Questions:

1 Answer

What happens if the weather is bad?

Posted by , Thursday, 12 October 2017 on product Coniston Fells from the Duddon: Private Guiding

Question:

What happens if the weather is bad?

Answers:

Posted by John Scadding on Thursday, 12 October 2017
We plan to walk whatever the weather, unless it is dangerous to do so.

Mountain weather can be a little unpredictable, but we do keep an eye on the forecasts leading up to walks, should the forecast mean that the walk is not possible then we will contact you as soon as we have the forecast and offer you the following options:
- A more suitable walk on the same date taking into consideration the weather conditions
- A transfer to the same walk on another date
- A full refund

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1 Answer

Are dogs allowed on this walk?

Posted by , Wednesday, 20 September 2017 on product Coniston Fells from the Duddon: Private Guiding

Question:

Are dogs allowed on this walk?

Answers:

Posted by John Scadding on Wednesday, 20 September 2017

Yes, dogs are allowed on all our walks.

However we do cross farmland and common land where animals will be grazing, there will be large sections of the walk, if not all, where dogs will be required to be on a lead.

There are sections of this walk across rough ground and boulders and as such this walk may not be suitable for all dogs.

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