Arnside, Silverdale and the Pepper Pot.
Start. Arnside.
Route. Arnside - Ash Meadow - New Barns - Blackstone Point - White Creek - Arnside Point - Park Point - Far Arnside - Holgates - Cove Road - Silverdale Cove - The Lots - Silverdale - Stankelt Road - Emesgate Lane - St John's Church - Bottoms Lane - Eaves Wood - Castlebarrow (Pepper Pot) - King William's Hill - Middlebarrow Plane - Arnside Tower - Arnside Knott Wood - Arnside Knott - Copridding Wood - New Barns - Ash Meadow - Arnside.
Notes. We're at a 40th birthday bash tonight, it's in a village hall, take your own drink, a real shindig. When the boss left the house this morning she spelt things out quite clear, “walk yourself into the ground, fall to sleep in your beer tonight there will be consequences”. As she's normally quite tolerant I thought I best take this threat seriously. Quaking in my boots I set out from Arnside not daring to walk too far, not knowing what consequences entailed my mind was else where when the siren sounded warning of the incoming tide, I jumped out of my bloody skin, I guess that's the point of the thing.
I wandered down the estuary passed Ash Meadow House built at the end of the 1800s, round New Barns and the over hanging cliffs at Blackstone Point. All the time keeping one eye on the incoming tide, the other on any escape route I may need to utilise. Across the sands at White Creek I strolled to reach limestone cliffs at Arnside Point, still on the beach but near the shore line now I wandered on. After rounding Park Point a deep gully to my right begun to fill with water. I continued along the edge of the cliffs, stopping for a breather at the shingle beach at Far Arnside.
The dangers of the bay are all so obvious sitting on a log high on a shingle bank, the gullies not visible from the sands were fast filling with sea water, I weighed up my options. Lets stay safe, the boss would kill me if I got stranded, that's if the swirling tide and shifting sand didn't first. I left the beach, ascended passed smart holiday homes, wandered through the tiny hamlet of Far Arnside then traversed a couple of fields on way-marked paths to access Holgates. Many finger-posts guide the rambler through this smart holiday village, my choice ushered me to Silverdale via Cove Road and The Lots. Once in the village I purchased lunch, stuffed it in my bag and headed to the Pepper Pot, a perfect dinner stop.
I tried to make the short walk to the Pepper Pot as interesting a possible, I could have just followed the road to Woodlands. Far better to turn right after passing St John's Church, a narrow lane lead to a finger-post and a row of houses, I didn't look to see what the finger-post promised but let the narrow path running in front of said houses guide me into sheep pastures. In the company of a dry stone wall I wandered soon to be ejected into Bottoms Lane, I turned north, wandered to the junction of Bottoms Lane and Park Road where another finger-post invited me to Eaves Wood.
Once in Eaves Wood way-marked paths ushered me up Castlebarrow Hill to meet an old friend the Pepper Pot. I sat and had lunch, drunk in stunning views over the Silverdale landscape as far as the hills of the Bowland Forest and the Yorkshire Dales, best thing about an inanimate object you don't have to share your food with it, the Pepper Pot looked on without complaint. Lunch over the path that guided me to the Pepper Pot guided me away, through a clearing to a wicket gate allowing access to a set of limestone steps, once leading to a Victorian summer house they now lead to King William's Hill and a clearing. Last time I passed this way I went the wrong way, not today, I spotted the stile allowing access to the limestone scars on Middlebarrow Plane, it seemed I was now following a Butterfly Trail, Butterflies were thin on the ground but Arnside Tower was easy to spot looming above the tree tops.
The path I trod guided me passed the ruinous peel tower and Arnside Tower Farm to the start of a bridleway cutting across the shoulder of Arnside Knott. I joined said bridleway for a few yards before joining a path coming in from the right, this narrow trod shepherded me under the scree slopes of the knott's southern facade before swinging north to climb the hill. A delightful walk over the summit followed, stunning views graced every step, there was even a view indicator to tell me what I was looking at. From here it was downhill all the way to New Barns, a loose path deposited me in Arnside Knott car park, to the rear of the car park a gate allowed access to Copridding Wood, my descent continued through the wood to the estuary. All that remained to re-trace my steps of earlier, and hope ten miles wasn't too far.
View taken south down the estuary from near the pier at Arnside.
The Kent Viaduct backed by Whitbarrow.
Frith Wood across New Barns with the white washed buildings of Grange-over-Sands to the right.
In shadow the limestone cliffs of Meathop Fell, with the sylvan slopes of the Newton Fells in sunlight.
Under the cliffs at Blackstone Point looking to Humphrey Head.
On the approach to Arnside Point with the squat towers of Heysham Power Stations quite visible on the skyline.
Viewing Frith Wood and Meathop Fell from the sea washed turf at White Creek.
Where the limestone rocks of Sylvan Arnside Park meet the salt water and shifting sands of Morecambe Bay, it's a wonderful place to wander this joint between land and sea.
Know End Point seen across the mud flats and shifting sands of Morecambe Bay.
Fine views from the shingle bank at Far Arnside.
I'd like to say a small slice of Far Arnside, but this is Far Arnside.
Silverdale Cove with views to Kents Bank and Grange-over-Sands.
Seen over Morecambe Bay the long finger of Humphrey Head.
Strolling through The Lots looking to white washed Grange-over-Sands and the limestone prominence of Hampsfell.
Arnside Tower looking to Arnside Knott.
Wandering through Arnside Knott Wood....
....into views like this one, Whitbarrow and the blue/grey hills of Lakeland seen over Upper Morecambe Bay.
From Arnside Knott the scene over South Lakeland, reaching across the horizon the Coniston massif.
From just above Arnside Knott car park views to Frith Wood and New Barns.