Walk · Cumbria

Hodbarrow lagoon and the outer barrier

Millom · LA18 4JY

3.2MILES

1h 40mON FOOT

25mCLIMB

CircularSHAPE

Off-road 90% 10% shares tarmac with cars

Field & moor path 30%Lane & track 60%Road with traffic 10%

Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at

RSPB Hodbarrow car park at the end of Mainsgate Road, Millom LA18 4JY

Parking

Free RSPB car park with a firm stone surface and ample spaces; it only fills on bank holidays and during a rare bird

Directions to the start →

A circuit of the lagoon at RSPB Hodbarrow, the flooded pit of the old Hodbarrow iron mine, held back from the Duddon by a massive outer sea barrier. The main path in from the Mainsgate Road car park is rolled stone, firm and wide enough for a wheelchair, and runs a mile and a half to the hide; beyond that the barrier gives an open walk to the lighthouse with the estuary on one side and the lagoon on the other. Terns, ringed plovers and oystercatchers breed on the shingle here and natterjack toads use the pools, which is why the RSPB requires leads throughout. There are no toilets on site, the nearest being a mile away at Haverigg.

THE SMALL PRINTThe RSPB's own reserve page states: "Dogs are allowed anywhere. The reserve is managed as a safe home for breeding birds, so please keep dogs on a lead at all times." That is all year, not seasonal.

REGION · CUMBRIA

GRID · 54.1985, -3.2790

SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.RSPB.ORG.UK/DAYS-OUT/RESERVES/HODBARROW

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Hodbarrow lagoon and the outer barrier

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