Whicham

Whicham is barely more than a scatter of farms and a medieval church, tucked into a green valley where the Whicham Beck runs down off Black Combe towards the Irish Sea. This is the quiet, unfussy edge of the Lake District National Park, well away from the honeypot lakes and the coach parks of Windermere or Keswick. Here the crowds thin out to almost nothing, the fells run straight down to the shore, and the loudest sound most days is the wind and the curlews.

The parish sits in the shadow of Black Combe, a broad, isolated fell that Alfred Wainwright classed among his "Outlying Fells" of Lakeland, separate from the main network of peaks but no less rewarding to climb. To the west, the ground drops away to the coastal plain and the Duddon Sands, with the small town of Millom a few miles south and the Irish Sea never far from view. It is a landscape of drystone walls, sheep pasture, and big open skies, with the Isle of Man visible from the high ground on a clear day.

Top things to do near Whicham

There is not much in Whicham itself beyond the church and the fell, but that is rather the point, and the surrounding area has some genuinely worthwhile spots.

• Black Combe — the dominant fell above the village, reached directly from the walled path beside St Mary's Church. A steady, no-nonsense climb to a broad summit with panoramic views said to take in the Isle of Man, Ireland's mountains on a very clear day, the Scottish hills across the Solway Firth, and the whole sweep of the Cumbrian coast.
• St Mary's Church, Whicham — a Grade II listed medieval parish church at the foot of Black Combe, recorded in the Domesday Book as part of "Witingham". The churchyard is known for its spring display of snowdrops, crocus and daffodils, and the church appears in Wainwright's guides as the customary starting point for the fell.
• Silecroft Beach — a long stretch of shingle and sand a short drive from Whicham, with the fells rising directly behind it and views out to the Isle of Man. A proper, unspoilt Cumbrian coast beach rather than a resort.
• RSPB Hodbarrow Nature Reserve — a coastal lagoon and grassland reserve near Millom, created from a former iron ore mining site. A good spot for birdwatching, with breeding terns, oystercatchers, redshanks and great crested grebes, plus free parking and coastal walking.
• Millom Heritage and Arts Centre — housed in the town's old railway station, this small museum covers the area's iron ore mining history, the Hodbarrow mines, local wartime history and the work of Millom-born poet Norman Nicholson.
• Millom — the nearest town, a few miles south, with everyday shops, cafes and the railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line.

Getting to Whicham

Whicham lies just off the A595, the main road down the Cumbrian coast, between Millom and Broughton-in-Furness. There is no motorway nearby; most visitors approach via the A590 through south Cumbria or the A595 from the Lake District's western fringe. The Cumbrian Coast railway line runs close by, with stations at Silecroft and Millom, both within a couple of miles, making it one of the more useful rail-served corners of the National Park for anyone without a car. The nearest larger towns for shops and fuel are Millom and, further north, Broughton-in-Furness and Ravenglass.

Best time to visit Whicham

Spring brings the churchyard at St Mary's into bloom with snowdrops and daffodils, and clearer air often gives the best long-distance views from Black Combe's summit. Summer is the obvious choice for the beach at Silecroft and for longer fell walks in good light, though this coastline can be windy and changeable at any time of year, so it is worth checking conditions before heading up Black Combe. Autumn and winter have their own appeal for hardier walkers and birdwatchers, with Hodbarrow particularly good for winter wildfowl, but the exposed fell and coast can be bleak in poor weather, so this is not a soft-option destination out of season.

Where to stay near Whicham

Whicham itself has no hotels, but the surrounding villages and Millom offer a small range of options, from farmhouse bed and breakfasts to pubs with rooms, typical of this quieter part of the Lake District. Self-catering cottages are common in the surrounding valleys, giving easy access to Black Combe and the coast without the crowds or prices of the central lakes.

Food and drink near Whicham

Options directly in Whicham are limited, so most visitors head into Millom or the surrounding villages for pubs and cafes. Millom has a small selection of everyday cafes and takeaways serving the town, along with a handful of pubs. It is a working town rather than a tourist centre, so do not expect a large restaurant scene here; the appeal of Whicham is the fell and coast on the doorstep rather than its dining options.