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A Circuit from Silverdale including Warton Crag and Hyning Scout.

Start. Silverdale (Shore Road).

Route. Silverdale (Shore Road) - Lindeth Road - Gibraltar Farm - Jack Scout - Jenny Brown's Point - Quaker's Stang - Crag Foot - Crag Road - Occupation Road (Track) - Warton Crag - Warton - Hyning Scout Wood - Summerhouse Hill - Leighton Park - Grisedale - Leighton Moss - Storrs Lane - Red Bridge Road - Silverdale Railway Station - Silverdale Golf Course - The Row - Bottoms Lane - Silverdale (Emesgate Lane).

Notes. Deciduous woodland, limestone grassland, coastal salt marsh, apart from the vast emptiness of Morecambe Bay the area is surrounded by low limestone cliffs. Superb walking backed by wildlife, stunning scenery what more do you need. This walk targets a little bit of everything including the historic villages of Silverdale and Warton.

From Silverdale I wandered over the tarmac of Lindeth Road, on reaching the Wolf House I left the road a narrow lane passes Gibraltar Farm and Lindeth Tower, this I followed. Between dry stone walls I wandered as far as a kissing gate allowing access to Jack Scout, I passed through said gate before following a narrow trod above limestone cliffs bordering Morecambe Bay, the path ejected me back onto the lane I’d left earlier, I continued over tarmac to Jenny Brown’s Point. After wandering passed the Browns Houses and Smelt Mill Chimney a welcomed finger-post promising passage to Crag Foot and Quaker’s Stang, it was Crag Foot for me, the path traversed a low embankment ejecting me onto the road at Crag Foot.

Crag Road ascends the shoulder of Warton Crag, I ascended with it passed a few houses to reach another finger-post signed Occupation Road and Warton Village, this narrow way edged with dry stone walls and mature woodland is a route of old, a coach road, the main winter route north/south, it eventually ushered me to a gate and stile on the right. A narrow green trod cut through bracken, brambles and young trees, it in turn guided me to a dry stone wall and gate. Once through the narrow trod ushered me south through more scrub above Warton Main Quarry (car park and nature reserve) and below Beacon Breast, eventually ejecting me onto the tarmac of Crag Road, a short stroll down hill and I stepped onto the main road running through Warton.

Half a mile of road walking followed, north passed rows of quaint cottages and the odd shop, when I left the village it was via woodland paths through Hyning Scout Wood, first to a restored lime kiln then between limestone scarps under the canopy of semi-natural ancient woodland, beech, larch and sweet chestnut over 200 years old. The path cut a swathe through rare ferns and woodland flowers, after crossing a gap in a wall I reached a path junction, swinging left this trod climbed to a narrow gate allowing access to a long thin field cutting between limestone pavements.

My route traversed this field guided by a high limestone wall, again I passed through a gate, this time into a narrow tarmac lane, a few paces to my right a finger-post promised passage to Summerhouse Hill, so named after a Gothic summerhouse that once adorned it's eastern edge (marked on the OS map as a cairn), but it was the views from the western edge I was interested in, stunning vistas over Leighton Park, Hall and the sands of Morecambe Bay. After stopping for a brew I descended towards Leighton Hall, the lane to the right of the Gothic pile ushered me through Grisedale then between the waving reed beds of Leighton Moss. I always find this stretch boring, twitchers eulogies over it, every one to their own.

Once across the moss I stepped into Storrs Lane, now if I was wanting to visit Leighton Moss Visitors Center a path runs behind the wall on the left, today I didn’t so had to make do with the tarmac. Tarmac safely guided me to the junction of Storrs Lane and Red Bridge Road, here I turned right, wandered passed Silverdale Golf Club followed by the railway station to be greeted by a sign inviting me to The Row, this path I followed across the manicured lawns of the golf course and into a narrow tarmac lane leading through The Row. I slowly wandered north ignoring the first sign for the village, the second one I headed. Guided by a green trod through cow pastures I walked, along the edge of dry stone walls to be ejected into Bottoms Lane, I turned right to join another field path, this time signed Emesgate Lane, a couple of fields later I wandered behind the church then stepped into said lane, from here it was a short walk through the village back to the car, via the beer garden of the Silverdale Hotel.

view route map.

home.

Carboniferous limestone has long been quarried to provide building stone for the construction of cottages and farmsteads, and for agricultural walling, locally quarried limestone was also used for mortar, lime-wash and as a soil conditioner after firing in lime kilns such as this one.

Stunning views over Morecambe Bay from Jack Scout.

The Silverdale coast from Jack Scout to the dark finger of Park Point.

Gorgeous views from Jenny Brown's Point, across the horizon the grey hills of Bowland.

Limestone scenery at Jenny Brown's Point.

The Brown's Houses, believed to have started life as warehouses.

The smelt mill chimney at Jenny Brown's Point.

Sylvan Warton Crag, my high ground for today.

The low embankment mentioned in the text above, has a sluice gate on the Jenny Brown's side with fine limestone facings, it was commissioned in 1840 by Richard Thomas Gillow.