The little-visited and remote Duddon valley is one of the most varied and beautiful in the Lake District. Loved and celebrated in a famous sonnet sequence by Wordsworth, the River Duddon runs from its origins on the southern slopes of Pike of Blisco at the foot of Wrynose pass to the sea, setting the scene and dominating the landscape. The valley still retains a timeless and unspoiled agricultural character. Stone walls, solitary farms and barns dot the landscape with little sign of urban, or even village, life. Herdwick sheep and solitary walkers or farmers are the only visible inhabitants.



Bill Birkett's camera has caught not just these features, but the rocks, the crags, the fauna and the flora and above all the river in a celebration of the valley he knows and loves so well.

A Year in the Life of the Duddon Valley has won (again!) the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild BEST OUTDOOR BOOK.