Untitled Document

Over Whitbarrow.

Start. Mill Side.

Route. Mill Side - Low Fell End Farm - Buckhouse Wood - Farrer's Allotment - Flodder Allotment - Lords Seat (The summit of Whitbarrow) - Bell Rake - Low Park Wood - Witherslack Hall Tarn - Beck Head - Mill Side.

Notes. One of a number of low lying hills to the south of the Lake District, Whitbarrow wears a number of caps and rightly so, Site of Special Scientific Interest, National Nature Reserve and Morecambe Bay Pavements Special Area of Conservation. Woodland, grassland and limestone pavements, limestone habitat forged over 350 million years makes this a very special place.

Mill Side marked our starting point amongst the thirty or so other cars parked along the old Barrow road, yep this is a popular hill and for most Whitbarrow aficionados the walk starts here. The road through Mill Side guided us to the entrance to Low Fell End Farm, we turned up a freshly tarmaced farm lane, passed between farm buildings to access Buckhouse Wood and the surface of the old turnpike that once linked Witherslack to Levens, look to your feet the original surface is still visible. We turned left towards Whitherslack, after a hundred yards a finger-post invited us to ascend Whitbarrow, with a good path honed from the cliff face we ascended the hill.

A number if zigzags aided our ascent, mature trees hid the views, but we soon found ourselves clear of the tree line with magnificent vistas opening out with every step. Good paths ushered us north through Farrer’s Allotment followed by Flodder Allotment, the scenery up here is stunning, limestone scars, cliffs and weathered pavements all glittering in the morning sun. Mature woodland and stunted vegetation fighting for a root hold in shallow limestone soils, a fine cairn marks Lords Seat the summit.

On many other visits to this magical plateau we'd descend or ascend an exposed footpath to the west of the summit cutting across the face of Whitbarrow Scar, today we stayed higher a little longer. We continued walking north, a nice green trod under foot, this easy to follow path guided us to a dry stone wall, we ignored a stile continuing with the wall to our right, after passing through birch woods another wall blocked our way, a gate allowed access to Township Allotment, we also ignored this letting the wall guide us west.

Easy walking continued until reaching a breach in the escarpment, this is Bell Rake, slippery and loose, we carefully descended, once at the bottom a good path followed by a forest track guided us to a narrow ribbon of tarmac winding it’s way through woodland. We usually avoid excessive amounts of tarmac walking but this lane was quiet, a pleasant stroll after descending Bell Rake.

Through woodland alive with bird song we wandered, through the trees to our left a body of water tilted into view, Witherslack Hall Tarn, we paid it a visit before continuing passed Witherslack Hall, tarmac walking endured as far as a finger-post promising passage to Beck Head. Beck Head’s a lovely little hamlet, apart from attractive Lakeland architecture a large stream emits from the foot of a limestone crag, hence the name, it also marked the start of another short but pleasant stretch of tarmac walking back to Mill Side and an ever growing number of parked cars.

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