Count the Stones at Swinside

This is a quiet walk in one of the quietest corners of the Lake District. Most of the people you meet around the Duddon Valley have travelled no great distance; tourists are rarely noticed and local folk have a high regard for its hidden delights. The walk stretches almost all the way from a tidal estuary to the flanks of the high fells, taking in old coppice woodlands and pastures where sheep and cattle are grazed.

Blast furnaces and charcoal burners once belched smoke into the clean air, and ships laden with pig iron sailed from the narrow estuary, but that was a couple of centuries ago. Tucked away in a natural amphitheatre in the hills, and seldom visited, Swinside Stone Circle has stood silent over the scene for the past 4,000 years or more.

Dating from 1736, the Duddon Iron Furnace was one of eight rural blast furnaces in the area. Apart from the addition of an extra charcoal store, the structure has hardly changed from the day it was built. Information boards show the layout of the site, which included charcoal and iron ore stores, a wheelhouse, furnace, blowing house, casting house, office and slag heap. Ore and charcoal were fed into the furnace from the top of the site and pig iron left at the bottom. Ships sailing out of the Duddon Estuary transported the iron to Bristol and Chepstow for use in the shipbuilding industry. The small rural furnaces simply went out of business when bigger blast furnaces were constructed. The ruins are managed by English Heritage and are always open for inspection.

The lovely Swinside Stone Circle sits in a quiet hollow in the hills high above the estuary of the River Duddon. It is a late neolithic or early Bronze Age structure, with its stones closely packed together. It appears to be aligned on the Midwinter solstice and is about 95ft (29m) in diameter. Locally it is called 'Sunkenkirk'; the name being drawn from a legend relating how a church was once being built on the site, but the Devil kept pulling the stones down into the ground. Like many such circles around the country, it is also said that anyone counting the stones more than once will find that they arrive at a different number each time. With that in mind, it's probably best to say that there are over 50, but less than 60 stones in the circle! There is also a series of standing stones near Ash House towards the end of the walk, but there is no public access to them.

While you're there

The nearby village of Broughton-in-Furness has a splendid central square, though it is often crammed full of cars. A prominent obelisk commemorates the jubilee of King George III. The old stocks survive, as well as stone fish slabs. Most of the houses around the square are Georgian and the town hall was once a market hall and currently houses the tourist information centre.

What to look for

Habitats range from estuary to woodland, and from lush pastures to moorland slopes. Expect to find plenty of bird life, including curlews that are equally at home on the estuary and the high moorlands. Dippers frequent the rushing streams, while lapwings and skylarks are occasionally observed over the pastures. Treecreepers and nuthatches can be spotted in the woods, and buzzards may soar overhead on broad wings.

Where to eat and drink

The nearest pubs are at Broughton-in-Furness. The Manor House on the square offers a half-dozen real ales, as well as meals and accommodation. If you happen to be driving up through the Duddon Valley, then the Newfield Inn is a wonderful country pub with great meals based around local produce.