A Loop through Dallam Park including Beetham Fell.

Start. Arnside.

Route. Arnside - Arnside Railway Station - Arnside/Hincaster Branch (disused) - Sandside - Summerhouse Point - Milnthorpe Bridge - Dallam Park - Heron Corn Mill - Beetham - Beetham Fell - Longtail Wood - Cockshot Lane - Four Lanes End, Storth - Keasdale Road - Carr Bank - Sandside Road - Arnside/Hincaster Branch - Arnside Railway Station - Arnside.

Notes. An early start today, Lake District bound, get out before the Bank Holiday crowds. I got as far as the M6 junction at Sedbergh, standing traffic welcomed me, it’s a good job I hadn’t turned off Sedbergh Road or this would be a story of bad tempers and road rage. After turning round I headed to the best place in the whole of England, Arnside.

Well I was there and needed to walk somewhere, the place was dead, perhaps all the Arnside traffic was stuck on the M6, better for being quiet. I headed to the railway station, crossed the tracks to access the track bed of the Hincaster Branch. This single track line was laid as a mineral line to carry coke and iron ore from County Durham to the ironworks around Barrow, opened in 1876, affectionately known as the Kendal Tommy it also carried passengers between Grange-over-Sands and Kendal. The passenger service ended in 1942, when the Beeching axe fell in the 60s the tracks between Sandside and Hincaster were lifted, leaving a small stub to service the quarries at Sandside, this I can remember, it closed in 1972.

The track now carries foot powered traffic, pedestrians, it’s a great foot-path, I used it to get to Sandside where I opted to walk on the beach. not always possible. After fording a couple of narrow channels I looped round to reach Summerhouse Point (not marked on the map), from here the River Bela ushered me into Dallam Park via the North Lodge entrance. Still guided by the river I wandered towards Old Bridge before turning up hill to join the main trod through the deer park.

I had intended to have a rant about here, something about signage, and the pathetic childish attitude of Dallam Estate, sod it lets just enjoy the walk after all I could be stuck on the M6. The main trod guided me to the Heron Corn Mill car park where I turned right onto a narrow bridleway, this in turn guided me to a narrow ribbon of tarmac, I then wandered towards Beetham. Next to the first house on the right a path rises through sheep pastures, I followed this to be swallowed up by the woodland on Beetham Fell, way marked paths then guided me over the fell.

The main path inevitably leads to the Fairy Steps, as there was lots of people in front of me, I opted for a narrow trod on the right. Yellow arrows guided me over moss painted limestone scars, through dark woodland. Eventually I stepped into a clearing where a stone cairn with a plate on top marked a path junction. On said plate there was two paths heading to Cockshot Lane, opting for the left hand path I descended through coppice woodland, above low cliffs, when the path leveled out a large gate came into view, at this point a narrow trod on the left vanished into dense woodland, I vanished with it emerging a short time later in cow pastures.

The path cut across the field to the narrowest of stiles, I squeezed through popping out into Cockshot Lane like a cork from a bottle. I then followed the lane to Storth continuing straight on at Four Lane End. The lane was steep it ejected me onto the Sandside Road at Carr Bank, a hundred yards or so towards Arnside a path accessed the Hincaster Branch Line, all that remained to re-trace my steps back to Arnside.

view route map.

home.

Whitbarrow across Milnthorpe Sands.

Seen from the Hincaster Branch Line, Whitbarrow with sunlight on the massive cliffs of Whitbarrow Scar.

From Sandside the White Scar face of Whitbarrow.

Viewing sylvan Arnside Knott and the white washed buildings of Arnside from Sandside.

Soaking up the view from Sandside, Hampsfell over the upper reaches of Morecambe Bay.

Looking to the skyline above Grange-over-Sands, the limestone of Hampsfell catching the sun with the Newton Fell rolling out of shot to the right.

Wandering along the edge of the salt marsh on Milnthorpe Sands, looking to Sandside.

The Bela channel at Summerhouse Point.

A splash of light on Milnthorpe Sands, dark across the horizon Hampsfell.

The River Bela in Dallam Park.

What's this? the wall in a ditch is an ha-ha a method of walling without ruining the expanse of the parkland.

Nearing the ruined cottage on Beetham Fell.

Moss painted limestone boulders on Beetham Fell.

En-route through Longtail Wood.

Almost back, from the Hincaster Branch Line views to a sun kissed Hampsfell.

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