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A Circuit from Milnthorpe including Dallam Park and Beetham Fell.

Start. Milnthorpe.

Route. Milnthorpe (Old Bridge) - Dallam Park - Heron Corn Mill - Beetham - Beetham Fell - Whin Scar - Fairy Steps - Underlaid Wood - Longtail Wood - Cockshot Lane - Four Lanes End - Storth - Storth Road - Sandside - Sandside Cutting - Dallam Park - Milnthorpe Bridge - Dallam Park - Milnthorpe (Old Bridge).

Notes. I've been having trouble with my GPS of late, it can't seem to find the way, when it does it always wants to walk in reverse. You Tube came up trumps, the answer was simple, it was a nice afternoon so this short walk was to test the damn thing out.

My journey started in Milnthorpe, to be more precise Old Bridge over the River Bela, once part of the road to the port at Sandside before the coming of the railway and building of the B5282 along the edge of the estuary. After crossing Old Bridge way-marked paths guided me through 75 hectares of park land, easy walking all the way to Beetham, the path terminated at the Heron Corn Mill car park, I turned right joining a bridleway which in turn guided me between hedge rows and dry stone walls ejecting me into a narrow tarmac lane. This was Church Street, I turned left before wandering towards Beetham. Next to the first house on the right a finger-post invited me to the Fairy Steps, I obliged crossing a large field to access the woodland of Beetham Fell.

Way-marked trails over obvious paths then ushered me over Beetham Fell, I wandered through mature woodland, the path over the fell was once lined with ancient yew trees, alas these have been felled in the name of conservation, the fell is airy and light now, I miss the dark, dank walk to the Fairy Steps. From the narrow fissure in the Whin Scar cliffs I walked south before swinging north around the edge of the escarpment, no descending the Fairy Steps today. I wandered through Underlaid Woods dense coppice trees, limestone cliffs always to my right, I emerged into a clearing at a small cairn, a steel plate on it's apex announced I'd reached two paths leading to Cockshot Lane, today I turned left. I wandered through Longtail Wood, over limestone cliffs, across scars a good path guiding me, this trod ejected me into cow pastures where a stone stile allowed access to Cockshot Lane.

I strolled into Storth the grey ribbon of Cockshot Lane under foot, turned right at Four Lanes End then wandered through this modern village, after around a quarter of a mile a finger-post on the left invited me to Sandside. I obliged strolling over the narrow surface of a tarmac drive, at the gates of a rather smart property a narrow guinnel allowed access to a woodland path, the path ejected me onto the Sandside Road. I turned north. This road gets busy, weary of traffic I walked to the sea front where I immediately joined a foot-path carving it's way through Sandside Cutting. This formidable piece of Victorian engineering made for a cool walk in the heat of late afternoon. Take note of the shot holes some over five foot long, these were filled with black powder in a attempt to fracture the rock. The path passes under two fine bridges before terminating at a tarmac lane, I followed said lane along the back of residential properties, passed some industrial lime kilns, (one of the reasons there is so much woodland around these parts), once passed the kilns I re-joined the railway path as it entered Dallam Park. The railway terminates at the River Bela where once stood a splendid stone and wrought iron viaduct, it was the waters of the river that then guided me back through the park to Old Bridge and the patiently waiting car.

view route map.

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