An Unexpected trip to Silverdale.

Start. Silverdale.

Route. Silverdale - The Lots - Silverdale Cove - Cove Lane - Cove Road - Morecambe Bay Shoreline - Arnside Park - Park Point - Arnside Point - White Creek - Blackstone Point - New Barns - Copridding Wood - Arnside Knott Wood - Arnside Tower - Middlebarrow Wood - Eaves Wood - King William's Hill - Castlebarrow - Elmslack - Cove Road - Cove Lane - Silverdale Cove - The Lots - Silverdale.

Notes. Saturday night my bag was packed, including map and compass, a warm jacket and waterproof coat, I was just about to go to bed, my intention to have an early start the following morning when the phone rang. My darling daughter had a late offer of a space at a craft fair at Beetham, having no car and no driving licence that pleasure falls to me, (come to think about it she has no lawnmower either that also falls to me), on the premise the hills will be there tomorrow I agreed to transport her and her wares to Beetham, I’d go walking somewhere nearby.

Anyone who loves to walk through alluring scenery will love it here, the network of paths is jealously guarded by local walkers but open to everyone, I’m talking about Silverdale and Arnside an unassuming area of outstanding natural beauty on the edge of Morecambe Bay. One criticism leveled at woodlands is the paths are always dull with little or no views, the woodland in these parts is nothing like that. Alive with flora and fauna, huge spreading yews, sprig like hazel, ancient oaks and beach, evergreens such as larch and pine, ash and hawthorn, all make this a delightful place to set foot, well nearly always, we’ll get to that a little later.

Taxi duties over I climbed from the car in Silverdale, a heat haze already descending over the bay, this was going to be a warm one. I left Silverdale via The Lots, a couple of wild flower meadows. Green paths guided me to Silverdale Cove where I contemplated walking over the mud and sand of the bay, in the event I left the coast, the tarmac of Cove Lane now under foot. At the junction with Cove Road I turned left, tarmac continued to guide me, passed the entrance to Holgates to join a narrow trod running parallel to the road, this in turn descended depositing me on a shingle bank where Arndale spills onto Morecambe Bay and the views are stunning.

Again I looked to the sands, this time I opted for the wetter muddier route, the beach was gloopy under foot, wet in places but passable with care, I carefully picked my way below limestone cliffs before emerging onto the shingle bank at Far Arnside. I crunched my way over shingle to access the cliff top path along the edge of Arnside Park, this is a lovely stretch of path gifting the lucky walker stunning vistas over Morecambe Bay, on reaching Arnside Point I descended a rake in the cliffs to join the beach once more. Easy walking followed across White Creek before rounding Blackstone Point, across yet more shingle along the edge of Frith Wood to reach New Barns Bay, after rounding the small bay the access drive guided me to a metal kissing gate.

After passing through said gate I ascended a good path through the dappled light of Copridding Wood, once clear of the tree cover a finger-post greeted me with a promise to guide me to Arnside Tower. This path I followed, it’s the main trod cutting across the shoulder of Arnside Knott, it descends through Arnside Knott Wood, I descended with it to Arnside Tower. Behind said tower the path from hell greeted me, just another unsuspecting walker about to be tested to the limit. I crossed the stile then followed the left hand path the one that shadows a dry stone wall, I’ve walked it many times but it’s never been like this. The undergrowth had encroached, all prickly stuff, hawthorn, brambles, nettles and holly, all clawing at my clothes and bare legs, every step saw me pushing brambles aside. At one point a fallen tree had been cut back, one branch left hanging facing down the path, the peak of my cap hid it, the consequence was I walked straight into it, apart from seeing stars it punched a considerable hole in my head.

I stopped to recover, get my composure back, tried to move the damned thing but failed, by the time I stumbled over the stile into Eaves Wood there was blood running down my face and arms but strangely my legs were claret free. I made an effort to clean myself up before heading to visit an old friend the Pepper Pot. After a brew and something to eat I headed west over Castlebarrow Hill before descending to Elmslack, way marked paths ushered me between the houses depositing me on Cove Road, I continued west to Cove Lane then re-traced my steps over the tarmac surface, back through The Lots. Next I headed home to tend my wounds, a little later it was back to Beetham to pick my daughter up, hopefully she'll have had a good day.

view route map.

home.

A curtain of cloud drifts up the estuary.

The shingle bank where Arndale spills into Morecambe Bay, the view Know End Point over Silverdale Bay.

The porcelain coloured buildings of Grange-over-Sands seen beyond Park Point.

Limestone cliffs on the Silverdale coast.

Seen over the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay the squat towers of Heysham Power Stations.

Onwards along the edge of Arnside Park.

Views over the jagged edge where Arnside Park spills onto the sands and water filled channels of Morecambe Bay.

The timeless beauty of Morecambe Bay.

Meathop Fell as seen across the Kent Channel.

Near New Barns Bay looking to Grange-over-Sands.

Viewing Whitbarrow from New Barns Bay.

The bay is still as glass capturing the reflection of the sky and land.

The Kent Estuary it's surface painted by the reflection of the sky.

Dappled light in Copridding Wood.

Arnside Knott as seen from near Arnside Tower Farm.

Exploring the ruins of Arnside Tower with this view for company, over Arndale the woodland of Gait Barrows backed by the limestone escarpment of Farleton Fell.

A chip on the shoulder of King William's Hill, Castlebarrow with views to Warton Crag.

An old friend the Pepper Pot.

The view from Silverdale Cove taking in Kents Bank and Grange-over-Sands.

Turning the pages in a chapter of Silverdale's industrial history books, Red Rake the site of a collapsed iron and copper ore mine.

Lantern Window at Bank House Farm, before the road network was established the sands of the bay were the M6 of the day, in times of storm and bad weather a lantern would have been lit in the window to guide travelers to safety.

Looking to the long finger of Humphrey Head from The Lots.

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