Drive & Stroll, with Ron Freethy: Dufton, Cumbria

THIS week I enjoyed a trip walking around the village of Dufton, in Cumbria, which is close to the old market town of Appleby.

Driving through the Yorkshire Dales and into the fringe of the Lake District can be a real nightmare as the holiday traffic builds up.

I therefore decided to take advantage of the Dalesrail Service, which offers a trip on the Settle to Carlisle railway with stops en route between Preston and Carlisle. At each point leaders are on board and will take visitors on guided walks or strolls through town trails. Those who wish can go exploring on their own. I parked my car at Preston and my chosen destination was Dufton, which I remembered from my youth and which lies directly on the Pennine Way.

Glorious sunshine bathed the village, clouds of midges could be seen high in the air and feeding on these I saw swallows, swifts and house martins.

The village itself looks idyllic and it is hard to realise that most of its buildings came about because of the lead mines which once dominated the area.

Dufton, on the slopes of Cross Fell, is 180 metres above sea level and is Danish in origin.

The Quaker-owned London Lead Company mined in the area in the 19th century, with the metal being found in association with the limestone of the area.

Wherever there is limestone there is sure to be lots to interest the botanist, with orchids being of particular interest.

Between Dufton and Appleby there is a spring rich in minerals and an attempt was made to establish a spa. The old spa cottage is still there and part of the spring and baths can still be recognised, overgrown with flowers including marsh marigold.

Quakers worked hard and expected their employees to do the same.

They did, however, look after their workers and the cottages which surround the delightful green show that the people lived well by the standards of the time.

The green is dominated by a fountain, built in 1858, which has a Latin inscription translated as: "There is a clear pool whose waters gleam like silver. It is not tainted by the shepherds, nor by the goats grazing on the mountain. Nor is it muddied by cattle or by birds or wild animals or by a branch from a fallen tree."

I wonder if this inscription was an effort to try to link it with the spa.

If this had been successful Dufton might have become a Buxton or a Harrogate.

Perhaps Dufton Hall, built in the 16th century but remodelled in 1779, might have become one of the Georgian spa hotels which came to dominate the towns in these areas.

These days, however, Dufton is the haunt of naturalists and walkers, with the Stag Hotel - which was once a farmhouse - doing a roaring trade for hungry and thirsty travellers.

I enjoyed my day of pottering without driving very far.

Preston is nobbut a hop from Blackburn (by car or by train) and details of the goodies on offer can be obtained by ringing Dalesrail on 01772 254821, ext 2576.

You can even work out connections direct from Blackburn and all stations to Clitheroe.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.