Cunswick Scar and Tarn.

Start. Scout Scar car park.

Route. Scout Scar car park - Cunswick Scar - Cunswick Fell - Scar Wood - Cunswick Tarn - Ashspring Wood - Cunswick Hall - Gamblesmire Lane - Cunswick Scar - Scout Scar car park.

Notes. A high shoulder of carboniferous limestone rising between the valleys of Lyth and Kentdale, gentle slopes roll away to the east, to the west a vertical face rises above woodland, its this side of the hill we are here to explore. This short walk takes in stunning limestone scenery, the naked white bones of the landscape pushing through shallow soils, woodland best explored this time of year and rolling farmland dissected by dry stone walls.

We stepped from the car into the afternoon sun, the cool breeze blowing from the north made for pleasant rambling. North we walked through a small cops, passed a radio mast then out into staggering views and rough pastures. Good paths guided us along the edge of Scar Wood before depositing us on the summit of Cunswick Scar (Fell). A large limestone cairn marks the top, backed by stunning views in every direction, we drank them in before moving on.

Moving on we swung west to reach a line of fence posts, we then walked south above Scar Wood, a lovely green trod guided us to a gate allowing access to said wood, we passed through the gate then immediately descended through woodland. The path was steep in places but safely ejected us into sheep pastures, we visited enchanting Cunswick Tarn before entering Ashspring Wood, woodland paths again deposited us in sheep pastures.

On exiting the wood we immediately turned south, with a dry stone wall to guide us we made for Cunswick Hall, field paths then guided us passed the fine old building depositing us in Gamblesmire Lane (track). This stoney lane shows all the signs of once being an important route over the fell, way back in time before the motor vehicle robbed us of the use of our legs, long before the present Underbarrow Road was built. It’s good surface guided us uphill passed a restored lime kiln to access the path we walked in on, all that remained to re-trace our steps of earlier.

view route map.

home.

Our route away from the car park.

From rough sheep pastures above Cunswick Scar stunning views over Kendal to the Middleton and Barbon High Fells.

The green fields and dry stone walls on Kendal Fell.

Benson Knott and the shadowed ridge lines of the Howgill Fells, seen from near the summit of Cunswick Fell.

The summit backed by the Kentmere massif.

Stunning views from the summit of Cunswick Fell, over upper Lyth Valley a saw tooth skyline of Lakeland favourites.

Again looking to Benson Knott and the Howgill Fells.

Lyth Valley as seen over Scar Wood and Ashspring Wood.

Enchanting Cunswick Tarn forever in the shadow of Scar Wood.

Under a blue sky Scar Wood.

En route through Ashspring Wood.

The commanding presence of the Kentmere fells, seen from field paths near Cunswick Hall, the flat top of High Street, Mardale Ill bell and Harter Fell, to the far left, Yoke.

Cunswick Scar as seen from Gamblesmire Lane.

The oldest building in the parish of Underbarrow, a gem in a pastoral setting Cunswick Hall.

Sue strides out over Gamblesmire Lane.

The building of kilns boomed after the arrival of coal on the Lancaster to Kendal canal. Kilns sprang up along the main bands and outcrops of limestone in the north of England, there are remains of hundreds of lime ovens, both large and small around Cumbria. Typically the kiln was set into the side of a shallow hill, so that carts could deliver limestone and fuel to the top. After burning slowly for at least 24 hours, the calcinated limestone, quicklime, was removed to be used for building or freshen the pastures.

Views taken from above the Lime Kiln in Gamblesmire Lane.

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