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Hale Fell, Beetham Fell and a Marble Quarry.

Start. Heron Corn Mill.

Route. Heron Corn Mill - Mill Lane - Stanley Street - Beetham Park - Hale Fell - Marble Quarry - Slack Head Road - Slack Head - Whin Scar - Fairy Steps - Underlaid Wood - Beetham Fell - Longtail Wood - Cockshot Lane - Low Wood Edge Kiln - Bridleway - Heron Corn Mill.

Notes. The Arnside and Silverdale peninsula may be the smallest area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England, but it boasts a landscape rich in flora and fauna, culture and history, folklore and legend. Today was a short ramble, a head clearer, a chance for Sue to get some fresh air after spending two days in doors painting, and feeling guilty for missing a third.

We parked in the Heron Corn Mill car park, £2 all day, deposited a couple of coins in the honesty box then headed to the mill for a quick look, unfortunately the mill was closed due to maintenance work. The current mill was built in 1740, however there has been a mill on the site since 1096 or even before.

So down the access lane we wandered into Beetham, a village of grey limestone cottages with cobbled forecourts, St Michael’s Church an antique Gothic edifice, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower containing three bells dating back to the late 12th century. We walked up the road a little way to The Wheatsheaf Inn, this Tudor-style pub once stood on the main winter route north, it’s been slacking the thirst and providing a bed for the night to weary travelers for over 400 years. Opposite the inn we turned left into Stanley Street, walked passed the village stocks to be greeted by a finger-post inviting us to Hale, this path cutting across a large field deposited us on a narrow muddy path behind Beetham Hall. The hall is private but I do believe the owners allow access on request. If you visit you’ll find the remains of a magnificent medieval hall, the best example of a fortified farmhouse in the north-west of England.

From the fields behind the hall the path guided us onto Hale Fell, winding it’s merry way through woodland, yellow arrows kept us on track, in no time at all we reached a small plane of limestone pavement. Slack Head Marble Quarry, stone from this unlikely spot adorns many fine buildings throughout the land. The path crossed the limestone pavements before winding through more woodland, we spilled from the tree cover onto the tarmac of Slack Head Road a few hundred yards from the village itself.

Into Slack Head we walked then down the hill towards Beetham, but we weren't heading back just yet, we had an appointment with some little people. Part way down said hill a finger-post welcomed us with an invite to The Fairy Steps, after walking passed a converted barn then white washed Fairy Steps Cottage we entered woodland, the trees had been thinned allowing light to reach the woodland floor, the walking was pleasant, at a cairn we turned left, crossed the fell to reach The Fairy Steps.

We’ve been here loads of times, never seen a fairy yet, never descended the polished cleft in the cliff face without touching the sides, but there’s always a first time, we sat having a brew just waiting. After a good while we left, Sue descended the Fairy Steps I walked round the edge of the scarp, catch the little blighters in a pincer movement, you must think we’re mad. Mad or not we saw nothing not even the spectral dog that haunts these parts. We then followed the path through Underlaid Wood, the right hand one that goes to Cockshot Lane over Beetham Fell, once in said lane we turned right, with tarmac to guide us we let this quiet lane usher us towards Beetham. After passing Low Wood Edge Kiln we reached a road junction, at said junction we turned right, wandered on to access a bridleway on our left, this in turn ushered us between dry stone walls and hedge rows depositing us back in the Heron Corn Mill car park.

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