Dunnerdale Fells

Tucked away above the Duddon Valley, these sprawling fells offer a masterclass in intricate, craggy Lake District terrain. While the height is modest, the landscape is a complex maze of rocky knolls and hidden hollows, providing a quiet alternative to the high peaks while overlooking the winding River Duddon.

• •The name Dunnerdale is a fusion of the River Duddon—possibly from the Celtic word for 'black river'—and the Old Norse dalr, meaning valley.
• •Alfred Wainwright featured these heights in his book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, though he famously preferred the name 'Duddon Valley' over 'Dunnerdale', comparing his choice to his insistence on calling Blencathra by its traditional name rather than Saddleback.
• •The summit area provides a clear perspective on the South Lakes' larger neighbours, specifically the rugged profiles of Caw and the Coniston range's western flanks, including Dow Crag and The Old Man of Coniston.
• •Because the fells are a chaotic jumble of small crags and hollows without a single defining peak, it is remarkably easy to 'summit' several different rocky outcrops while searching for the actual high point.