Eggerslack Wood and Hampsfell.

Start. Grange-over-Sands (Main Street car park)

Route. Grange-over-Sands (Main Street car park) - Ornamental Gardens - Windermere Road - Eggerslack Wood - Water Tanks - Spring Bank Road - Spring Bank - Fell End - Hampsfell - Bishop's Allotment - Eggerslack Wood - Grange-over-Sands.

Notes. Hampsfell a mere pimple of a hill rising above Grange-over-Sands, crowned by a Hospice, a sturdy limestone tower originally built to provide a safe haven for travelers whom had just risked life and limb braving a crossing of Morecambe Bay. I’m being unfair to Hampsfell, a pimple it may be but a pimple rising from sea level it is, gifting anyone lucky enough to set foot on it’s hallowed turf spectacular views to all points of the compass. This walk starts and finishes with a wander through Eggerslack Wood a delightful, tranquil place a mix of coppice and natural woodland, the undergrowth made up of a wide range of holly, ivy and ferns. So come along this walk has everything including the best pie shop in the North of England, which we visited before starting out.

We left the car park via a path at the north end allowing access to the Oriental Gardens, round the lake we wandered before exiting onto Windermere Road, the short walk north that followed guided us to Eggerslack Wood and a finger-post promising passage to Hampsfell. Well trod woodland paths ushered us up hill, on reaching two concrete lined water tanks last used in the 1940s we turned left. Up hill continued, when the tree cover started to thin we stepped between the hedge rows and dry stone walls of Spring Bank Road (narrow track), the ascent continued passed High Farm, after which the track turned sharp left and leveled out. Passed Spring Bank Farm we wandered then on towards Grange Fell Road. There’s a number of paths exiting the ridge line onto Spring Bank Road, we ignored them all, our intended route was to ascend Fell End then walk the ridge to Hampsfell.

This we did, a stile almost at the end of the track allowed access to the steep slopes of Fell End, the short sharp climb that followed deposited us at the beacon, a pile of stones with a stunning view, stunning views that accompanied us all the way to Hampsfell. Good paths over an undulating wide grassy ridge guided us, we wandered passed erratic boulders deposited at the end of the last ice age. Hampsfell summit greeted us with weathered limestone scars, contorted trees forced to grow away from the prevailing wind, a hospice crowned with a view indicator. As we're still supposed to be social distancing we wandered away from the summit, plonked ourselves down amongst the limestone scars and had lunch.

Lunch over the descent followed, a green trod guided us to a stile, we crossed entering Bishop’s Allotment. Continuing down hill we soon reached the entrance to Eggerslack Wood, crossed the stile then immediately turned left joining a lesser walked path. This path ran east before swinging south passing between low limestone cliffs, meandered between mature trees, a steep slippery descent followed before we stepped onto the path that guided us in earlier, all that remained to continue descending to our original access point then casually wander back to the car.

view route map.

home.

Morecambe Bay seen from above the Ornamental Gardens Grange-over-Sands.

Sue ascends through the tree cover of Eggerslack Wood.

One of two concrete lined water tanks last used in the 1940s.

Pleasant woodland wandering.

Warton Crag on view from Spring Bank Road.

Amazing views such as this to Morecambe and Heysham are to be had from Spring Bank Road.

Views from the ascent of Fell End, the Furness Peninsula seen over Cartmel Sands.

Arnside Knott backed by the grey bulk of Ingleborough.

Gracing the western skyline the Coniston massif.

Looking down on the long finger of Humphrey Head and the vast expanse of Morecambe Bay.

The Leven Estuary home to tiny Chapel Island, the monks of Conishead built a chapel on the island, a refuge for travelers caught out by the fast rising tides of Morecambe Bay.

The Cartmel valley as seen from the Hampsfell ridge.

Weathered limestone on the summit of Hampsfell.

Hampsfell Hospice, built in 1846 by the vicar of Cartmel the Reverend Thomas Remington, to provide shelter for weary travelers. Sit back and imagine a time with few roads, a time when the salt waters of Morecambe Bay flooded the valleys of Lyth and Winster, the bay at low water was the main route west, the high dry ground of Hampsfell a safe route to the ecclesiastic settlement of Cartmel in the next valley.

Dappled light on the Kent Estuary.

Looking to Whitbarrow, on the distant horizon the Whinfell ridge.

Descending looking to Blackstone Point and Know End Point and Arnside Knott, recalling all the adventures we've enjoyed on that side of the estuary.

Let the wall and path guide the eye to Arnside and the Kent Viaduct.

Weathered limestone near the entrance to Eggerslack Wood.

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