Stoupdale Head

About Stoupdale Head

Often visited as part of the classic Black Combe round, Stoupdale Head is a worthy objective in its own right. As one of Alfred Wainwright's 'Outlying Fells', it offers a quieter experience with a fantastic perspective over the Irish Sea and Duddon Estuary.

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Did You Know?

• •Stoupdale Head holds a special place for list-tickers, as it was included by Alfred Wainwright in his book 'The Outlying Fells of Lakeland'. While it's a subsidiary top of the much larger Black Combe, Wainwright deemed it significant enough for its own chapter.
• •You won't find this fell standing in splendid isolation; it's a key part of the Black Combe massif. This sprawling group of hills feels quite separate from the central Lake District fells, forming a distinctive upland area on the very edge of Cumbria's coast.
• •The fell's name gives you a good clue to its position in the landscape. It stands at the head of a small valley, or dale, forming part of the complex drainage system that flows from the Black Combe range towards the sea.
• •While the famous, far-reaching panorama is best from Black Combe's summit, Stoupdale Head shares in the same stunning coastal views. On a clear day, the outlook is dominated by the glittering Irish Sea, with the Isle of Man often visible on the horizon.
• •The terrain here is part of a landscape carved by ice during the last Ice Age. Its parent fell, Black Combe, features huge glacial corries, and Stoupdale Head is a part of this dramatic, ice-scoured terrain on the coastal fringe of the National Park.