Withnail and wet Sleddale
Recommended by
Our view
"The valley and its little reservoir are overshadowed by the cult film made in its dilapidated hall"
Walk directions
Leave the car park by the dam at its far end, walking up a damp track towards a gate by a clump of trees. Beyond the gate follow the boggy track up the valley, ignoring a turning to the left.
The track peters out by an old farmstead near the head of the reservoir. Maintain your direction, through one gate, over a little footbridge and through a second gate. Skirt round the edge of a boggy area before picking up a clearer track again through a gap in a wall. The path continues to be damp until you reach a stone bridge over Sleddale Beck on the right.
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Additional information
Terrain
- Boggy field paths, track and lane, 1 stile
Landscape
- Wet upland pasture and reservoir
Dog friendliness
- Fields grazed by sheep, so must be under close control; signs request that in spring and summer dogs are kept on leads because of ground-nesting birds
Parking
- Car park by Wet Sleddale dam
Toilets en route
- None on route, nearest at Shap village (3 miles/4.8km)
About the walk
'We've gone on holiday by mistake. We're in this cottage here. Are you the farmer?'Withnail, Withnail and I (1986) In 1985 filmmaker Bruce Robinson chose Sleddale Hall as a location for his 1960s-based tale of two unemployed actors, Withnail and I, and this quiet valley on the eastern fringe of...
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Been on this walk?
Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.
Walking in Safety
Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.
Get an AA guide
Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.
About the area
Cumbria's rugged yet beautiful landscape is best known for the Lake District National Park that sits within its boundaries. It’s famous for Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake, and Derwent Water, ‘Queen of the English Lakes', but other lesser-known areas in the south, such as the Lune Valley and the coastal towns, are secret gems of wide cobbled streets and rolling hills.
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