Broughton-in-Furness

Broughton-in-Furness sits where the Lake District's crowds thin out and the landscape turns gentler, greener and altogether quieter. Tucked between the Duddon Estuary and the rising slopes of the Furness Fells, this small Cumbrian town has kept the unhurried feel of a place that has never chased tourism, even though it sits only a few miles from Coniston Water. Its heart is a handsome cobbled market square, ringed by three-storey Georgian merchants' houses, a former town hall and two old slate fish slabs, laid out around 1760 by the local lord of the manor and still the focus of town life today.

Beyond the square, Broughton is really a gateway. To the north and east, the Duddon Valley climbs into some of the least-visited corners of the national park, a landscape William Wordsworth wrote a whole sonnet sequence about. To the west, Black Combe and the Furness Fells roll down towards the Irish Sea, while the Duddon Estuary brings tidal mudflats, wading birds and wide skies right to the edge of town. It is a base for walkers and cyclists who want the Lake District without the queues, and for anyone happy to trade big-name attractions for real, working countryside.

Top things to do in Broughton-in-Furness

Broughton rewards slow exploration, and most of its best experiences are within a short drive or a good walk of the town.

• Broughton Market Square — the Georgian square is the town's centrepiece, with an obelisk raised for George III's jubilee in 1810, old stocks, fish slabs and a former town hall that now houses the tourist information centre. Every 1 August, the town's ancient market charter is still read aloud here.
• Swinside Stone Circle (Sunkenkirk) — around three miles west of town, this Neolithic circle of some 55 stones is one of the best-preserved in Cumbria, and one of the least visited, reached only by a farm track and a walk across the fields below Black Combe.
• The Duddon Valley — the valley that inspired Wordsworth's Duddon sonnets runs north from Broughton through Ulpha and Seathwaite, with packhorse bridges, oak woodland and a quiet single-track road that makes for one of Cumbria's finest drives or rides.
• Duddon Ironworks — the restored remains of one of Britain's best-preserved charcoal-fired blast furnaces stand near Duddon Bridge, a striking relic of the woollen and iron trades that once built the town.
• Coniston Water and the Old Man of Coniston — a short drive over the fells brings you to Coniston village, Donald Campbell's Bluebird, and the steep climb up the Old Man of Coniston for one of the finest views in the southern Lakes.
• Furness Fells walking and cycling — the high ground between Broughton and Coniston is criss-crossed with bridleways and quiet lanes, popular with cyclists and walkers looking for solitude rather than crowds.
• Duddon Estuary — the tidal estuary just south of town is a haven for wading birds and wildfowl, with footpaths along its edge giving wide views across to the Duddon Sands and Black Combe.

Getting to Broughton-in-Furness

Broughton-in-Furness sits just off the A595, the main road running down the western side of Cumbria between Barrow-in-Furness and Whitehaven, making it an easy drive from the M6 via Kendal or from west Cumbria. The nearest mainline railway station is Foxfield, on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line, about two miles away, with connections through to Barrow-in-Furness and up the coast towards Sellafield and Carlisle. From Foxfield, a taxi or a pleasant walk along the estuary brings you into town. There is no direct bus link to major Lake District hubs, so most visitors arrive by car, using Broughton as a quieter base from which to explore Coniston, the Duddon Valley and the western fells.

Best time to visit Broughton-in-Furness

Late spring and early summer bring the Duddon Valley's oak woods into full leaf and the fells at their greenest, with long evenings ideal for exploring on foot or by bike. Autumn has its own appeal, as the bracken on the fells turns russet and the valley's woodland colours up, while the town's pubs offer a warm retreat after a day outdoors. Summer is the most reliable season for weather and for accessing Swinside Stone Circle and the higher fells, though even in August this part of Cumbria stays far quieter than the honeypot villages further north. Winter can be atmospheric, with low sun over the estuary, but some fell paths and the smaller valley roads are best avoided in poor weather.

Where to stay in Broughton-in-Furness

Accommodation in and around Broughton tends towards traditional inns, farmhouse bed and breakfasts and self-catering cottages rather than large hotels, reflecting the town's small scale. The Old King's Head and other coaching-inn-style pubs in the square offer rooms above the bar, while numerous farms and cottages in the surrounding Duddon Valley and along the coast towards Millom provide a quieter, more rural base. Camping and touring caravan sites are well represented in the surrounding countryside, particularly around the Duddon Valley and towards Coniston, for those who prefer to be outdoors.

Food and drink in Broughton-in-Furness

The Manor Arms on the market square is the town's best-known pub, a multiple Furness CAMRA Pub of the Year winner known for keeping up to eight real ales on at once, though it serves little beyond snacks. For a proper meal, The Blacksmiths Arms at Broughton Mills, a whitewashed Elizabethan-era building that has been the local pub since 1778, has built a strong reputation for modern British cooking using local produce. The town square also has a handful of independent cafes and a traditional bakery, useful for stocking up before a day on the fells or along the Duddon Valley.