Eaves Wood and the Morecambe Bay Coast.

Start. Arnside (Briery Bank).

Route. Briery Bank - Black Dyke Road - Middlebarrow Wood - Waterslack Wood - Eaves Wood - Castlebarrow Hill - Holgates - Far Arnside - Park Point - New Barns - New Barns Road - Red Hill Road - Silverdale Road - Briery Bank.

Notes. Work commitments tied me down until noon today, once free of my chains I grabbed some walking gear, Sue for company and knowing parking would be at a premium made the short drive to Arnside. Here's a tip, if it's a Bank Holiday weekend as it was today, or all the parking spaces are taken in Arnside as they often are, park on Briery Bank near the telephone exchange, it's a short walk down the hill to the sea front, and lets be honest, in our case walking's the point of the exercise.

Once safely parked at the top of Briary Bank we headed down hill to join Black Dyke Road, a few hundred yards to the south just before the railway crossing, a finger-post invited us to Waterslack, we obliged. Guided by the railway line through sheep pastures we wandered, along the edge of Hagg Wood before entering Middlebarrow Wood, once passed the entrance to the vast disused Middlebarrow Quarry the path turned sharp right up hill to enter Waterslack Wood. The delightful woodland ramble that followed deposited us at a gap in a wall, we entered Eaves Wood. Limestone pavements now guided us through a vast Yew thicket, dark, deathly quiet, cool and rather spooky, after passing through a gate we emerged into sunlight and bird song.

On we wandered traversing Castlebarrow shunning the Pepper Pot and the people gathered on the low limestone outcrop. Through Holgates we walked, between plush holiday homes (static caravans as they were once known) to access field paths leading to Far Arnside and the coast, once at the coast we paused for a brew before following the jagged edge where limestone cliffs meet the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay and the woodland of Arnside Park rushes to meet the sea. The Bob-Inn Café at New Barns provided more refreshment before following the access road away from the coast. This narrow lane, New Barns Road ushered us between smart properties, when the road opened out at it's junction with Knott Road, a narrow path steered us behind smart bungalows, under low limestone cliffs and sheep pastures ejecting us onto Red Hills Road a few yards from it's junction with Silverdale Road, all that remained, a short walk passed the recreation ground to reach Briery Bank.

view route map.

home.

Upper Morecambe Bay seen from Briery Bank.

Big skies above Arndale with Hagg Wood to the right and Middlebarrow Wood the left.

Sylvan Arnside Knott seen from Middlebarrow Wood.

Limestone pavements in Eaves Wood.

Wind turbines reach across the mouth of Morecambe Bay, you can just make out Piel Castle and the long finger of Foulney Island stretched across the horizon.

From one form of energy to another, Heysham Power Station.

Delightful secret corners, the Silverdale coast at low tide.

A lone walker strides out across the vast mud flats of Morecambe Bay, it's actually Sue heading to that rocky finger for a brew.

Know End Point seen across the sands of Silverdale Bay.

Magical silvery seascapes.

The shingle beach at Far Arnside.

Distant views to Humphery Head.

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