Camping in the Duddon Valley

Our second camping trip of the year took us to another campsite new to us near Seathwaite, Turner Hall Farm.
We pitched the tent & then drove the short distance to the bottom of The Hardknott Pass with the aim of climbing one fell & then retracing our steps.
The lambs over here look like they are wearing balaclavas!

Looking across to The Hardknott Pass

Sca Fell & Scafell Pike come into view

After a relatively flat start the climb begins, there is no visible path on the ground so it’s just a case of picking our way up through the rocks

Crag as always leads the way “come on you guys I’m up here already”
 
Looking back down at what we have climbed up

Yet more rocks & no sign of the summit

It’s one of those fells that you have no idea how close you are to the summit until you are a few yards from it.  The fell in the background is Dow Crag which we plan to climb tomorrow.
 
Zooming in you can see the campsite, it was quiet but it’s only our tent you can see
 
Grey Friar summit (773m)
 
It’s just a case now of retracing our steps back to the car
 
In the evening, Andy eating dinner in the sunshine outside the tent

Another beautiful setting for camping

Karen sat outside

A panorama of the site

As the shadows lengthen another camper climbs up on the rock
 
 
The next day we are able to walk from the campsite, we can see the summit of the fell we are climbing from the tent & it was indeed in view for most of the walk
 
We set off up the Walna Scar Road which links the Duddon Valley to Coniston

It is a wide loosely surfaced track

And that is our destination just left of centre in the picture, you can see the Walna Scar Road continuing up to the right & the two lower summits we have to traverse before reaching the true summit.
 
The road continues on relentlessly up
 
Looking back down

We reach the top & we turn left to walk along the ridge to the summit
 
The Old Man Of Coniston & Coniston Water below

Looking along the ridgeline we have walked with Blind Tarn below

On Buck Pike, the second summit, not far now
 


Looking down Great Gully

And we have reached the summit slabs, Dow Crag (779m)
 
Grey Friar which we climbed yesterday

Looking back along the ridgeline
 
We make a circular walk of it by descending the north face to Seathwaite Tarn

Which we soon reach


It was a pretty rough path along the side of it but we eventually make it to the dam
 

We then follow the easy reservoir track back to the campsite which is visible down in the valley

Another great camping trip, and a great campsite with only a short walk to The Newfield Inn in Seathwaite which we would thoroughly recommend for food & refreshments.
Only 20 Wainwrights left!