Arnside, Copridding Wood, Eaves Wood and Challan Hall Allotment.

Start. Arnside.

Route. Arnside - Ash Meadow - New Barns - Copridding Wood - Arnside Knott Wood - Arnside Tower - Middlebarrow Plane - Elmslack - Eaves Wood - Waterslack - Challan Hall - Gait Barrows - Challan Hall Allotment - Silverdale Moss - Leighton Beck - Black Dyke Road - Arnside.

Notes. I’ve spent the last three days residing in a perpetual cloud, I don’t live that high up but the endless grey days are getting me down, today with mist rolling across the back garden I decided enough was enough. The weather forecast was poor, so opting for a woodland walk (mist always looks nice through the trees) I headed towards Arnside, see what the coast and woodland had to offer. There is a prolific number of well marked quality woodland paths, sweeping across the Arnside/Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, low wooded hills falling to green fields and wet mosses (marsh), a rich diverse bag of wildlife. But none of this mattered because I’d be walking through swirling mist and I wouldn’t see any of it.

So much for the weather forecast, as I drove south I left grey emulsion behind, a pallet of light grey and blue welcomed me as I drove into Arnside. Keen to get started I quickly laced my boots, slung my bag over my back and headed down the estuary. First passed Ash Meadow followed by the old boat yard (blue building), I continued to New Barns where I turned left away from the coast, a few yards up the access road a finger-post invited me to Arnside Knott. Through Copridding Wood I ascended, when the woodland thinned I reached a path junction, I turned right, passed through a gate and continued wandering through woodland. With a good path under foot I descended soon reaching a narrow ribbon of tarmac, I crossed then continued to Arnside Tower. The path now muddy climbed behind the 15th century edifice, crossed a stile then immediately turned left through a narrow gate, the path forked, I joined the right fork for the short climb to Holgates.

Holgates is a rather nice caravan park, static's, tourers, camping pods and yellow arrows to keep walkers on track. I passed a children's play area then over another muddy path running along the edge of woodland, after passing through a wall the path descended, I descended with it passed some white washed bungalows and a row of quaint cottages to a finger post pointing to a litany of destinations. I chose Eaves Wood and a path running north-east along the edge of the tree line, when signs directed me to the car park I continued straight on between moss painted gate posts, this trod lead to Waterslack and a narrow trod leading to the railway line. Here a traffic light system allowed for a safe crossing of the tracks before a narrow path guided me to the fields behind Challan Hall.

Pleasant walking followed, now free of the tree cover views over Hawes Water to Gait Barrow kept drawing my attention, at the far end of the field a narrow stile allowed access to a woodland path and the views vanished. Passed a restored summer house I walked, when a path emerged from the left I followed it, this path leads through coppice woodland to a road, directly across said road Challan Hall Allotment. A good path guided me through dense woodland, the tree cover soon gave way to a small meadow, I then stepped into a narrow sunken lane with views to Arndale over Silverdale Moss. After a few hundred yards the lane became overgrown forcing me into fields, with a green trod under foot I continued. Bridges aided my crossing of swollen beck's, stiles aided my crossing of field boundaries, the final stile ejected me onto Black Dyke Road, which I followed through the humps and bumps of the long lost salt industry back to Arnside in good time for lunch.

view route map.

home.

The Kent Viaduct at Arnside, almost a third of a mile long with 50 piers carrying the track over 51 spans 26ft above water level.

The Compensation Pier, built in 1860 by the railway company after the construction of the viaduct caused the estuary to silt up, boats could no longer reach the port a Sandside.

Viewing Whitbarrow across the Kent Estuary.

Arnside Well.

Looking to Grange-over-Sands and the sylvan slopes of Hampsfell.

Viewing sylvan Meathop Fell.

New Barns Bay seen after entering Copridding Wood.

Clear of the tree cover looking back to Grange-over-Sands.

Stunning walking through Arnside Knott Wood.

The oldest building in the parish, 15th century Arnside Tower. Originally five stories high, due to systematic dismantling over the years, weathering and age it is now roofless and floorless, damaged by fire in 1602, it was between 1684 and 1696 the majority of dismantling occurred, the stone and wood being transported to Knowsley and Beetham, it was finally finished off by a hurricane in 1884.

Arnside Knott across Arndale.

One of many woodland paths in Eaves Wood.

The footpath through Eaves Wood passes these stone structures, no idea what they were, possibly something to do with water tanks.

I usually cross the lines slightly west of here, this is a far safer option.

Looking to Hawes Water and the woodland of Gait Barrows.

Passed en-route a restored summer house.

Views through Arndale over Silverdale Moss.

Hagg Wood and Arnside Knott as seen over Silverdale Moss.

Silverdale Moss backed by the white washed buildings of Arnside.

Beetham Fell as seen from the tarmac of Black Dyke Road.

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