Arnside/Silverdale Circular.
Start. Arnside.
Route. Arnside - Storth - Underlaid Wood - Fairy Steps - Hazelslack - Silverdale Moss - Challan Hall Allotment - Gait Barrows - Hawes Water - Yealand Hall Allotment - Yealand Storrs - Grisedale - Leighton Hall - Summer House Hill - Peter Lane - Crag Foot - Jenny Brown's Point - Jack Scout - Lindeth - Silverdale - The Lots - Silverdale Cove - Cove Road - Arnside Road - Holgates - Far Arnside - Arnside Park - New Barns - Arnside.
Notes. I pushed the boat out today, stretched the miles some what, almost eighteen miles of exquisite rambling, way-marked paths guided me almost the whole way, all I needed to know was where to head next. I wandered through vast tracts of coppice woodland, originally planted to supply fuel to power the various mills and kilns that once littered the landscape. The greens of summer slowly giving way to the browns and gold's of autumn, a wonderful time of year for a walk in the woods, I strolled through limestone meadows and cow pastures, stepped back in time with the ghosts of long dead copper smelters at Jenny Brown's Point, even further back at the druid stones on Summer House Hill, I imagined the drovers herding their black cattle ashore at Cows Mouth Cove, the lantern window at Bank House Farm shimmering like a beacon in the night guiding weary travellers to a safe haven across the sands of Morecambe Bay.
My return route followed familiar cliff top paths where the woodland of Arnside Park abruptly ends at the limestone cliffs guarding the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay. All in all this was a wonderful walk through a beautiful landscape moulded by the hand of man, who says everything we touch we ruin, I bet not one single person who follows in my footsteps will subscribe to that theory, follow my route with pleasure, if you go the wrong way just look for the next finger-post, there's still lots to see hidden around the next corner or over yonder hill.
Viewing Arnside over the salt marsh to the north of the village.
The previous photo was taken from the Hincaster/Arnside branch line, halfway between Sandside and Arnside an access point leads from a small car park onto the old track bed, I ignored this to follow the next exit, no sign post but a good track leads onto the main road, a couple of hundred yards north along the road a finger-post invited me to Storth, I followed this path behind a rather unusual dwelling, before entering these unnamed woods, many of the trees have been felled opening up the views across upper Morecambe Bay.
Once in Storth village I turned left, on reaching the post office Yans Lane guided me to the next finger-post, Haverbrack Bank or Cockshot Lane, it was the yellow arrows that guided me through the woods to Cockshot Lane. And that was the most difficult part of today's navigation exercise.
Looking to Hampsfell across the Kent Channel, seen from Whin Scar.
Seen beyond Silverdale Moss, Arnside.
The path through Challan Hall Allotment.
Challan Hall across Hawes Water.
Striding out through meadows above Hawes Water looking to Arnside Knott and sylvan Gait Barrows.
The wooded northern slopes of Warton Crag as seen from Summer House Hill.
Big skies over Leighton Hall Park with Warton Crag on the skyline.
Always a stunning view, on Summer House Hill looking west over the gothic pile of Leighton Hall.
The past fiew miles have been spent wandering through wonderful pastures surrounded by woodland, broken by limestone scars, the path that guided me was signed Crag Foot, as I rounded the corner this was the first view I'd had for ages. Leighton Moss across Grisedale.
Salt marsh near Crag Foot.
Seen from Jenny Brown's Point, Warton Crag.
High tide at Jenny Brown's Point.
Seen from Jack Scout, Cows Mouth Cove.
Towards Arnside Park with the finger of the Furness Peninsula stretched across the skyline, seen from above Silverdale Cove.
Big skies and shimmering seascapes, endless views across Morecambe Bay.
A breeder of champions.
Where land meets the sea, views along the Silverdale/Arnside coast.
Humphrey Head seen over the shimmering waters of an ebbing tide.
As viewed from near Arnside Point, Newton Fell and the cliffs of Meathop Fell.
Arnside Knott as seen from New Barns.
Standing on the edge of New Barns Bay looking to Hampsfell across upper Morecambe Bay.
Whitbarrow across the Kent Channel.
A final look across the bay, little Holme Island backed by Hampsfell.