Walk Description

As I had a couple of days off work, I headed north and met up with with Steve near Witherslack.  Today's walk was the first of two walks that I had in this short break in the Lake District.

Whitbarrow is a prominent limestone ridge just north of the A590 and forms the western boundary of the Lyth valley.  Wainwright describes this walk as the 'most beautiful' walk in his Outlying Fells of Lakeland guide book. The name Whitbarrow means white hill and when the sun catches the limestone cliffs it is evident why it was given that name.  Whitbarrow is not only a Site of Special Scientific Interest but also a Special Area of Conservation and Nature Reserve because it has some of the best examples of natural limestone habitats in Europe.

We left the car and followed the road towards Mill Side where we took the path to Raven's Lodge that skirts the bottom of the scar.  It was a lovely gentle walk through the woods and gave us a good view across Milnthorpe Sands towards Arnside.  At Raven's Lodge there was a small stand with an honesty box selling various goods including cards of the summit of Whittbarrow and Lord's Seat.  Steve could not resist having his photograph taken with the Lord's Seat card.  Just around the corner from Raven's Lodge was a small pond.  When went over to investigate it we found that it was teaming with wildlife.  The shallow waters were home to a number of newts and plenty of tiddlers.  We then followed the path through the woods on the eastern side of of the hill.  These are working woods and there was some tree felling taking place.  However it was still a very peaceful setting, made all the more delightful by the spring flowers and blossoms and the butterfies that were enjoying the warm weather.

Eventually we reached the path that headed up the hillside towards the limestone plateau.  Although I was a little breathless in places, the higher we climbed the more the view opened up behind us. It was a shame that the visibililty was not that good and therefore the distant Howgills were almost lost in the haze.  I was glad when we reached the hole in the wall and stepped out onto the relatively flat limestone pavement.  The views from the middle of the plateau were certainly worth the climb, as despite the haze, there was a magnificent panorama of lakeland fells.  Dotted across the limestone pavement were a few extremely windswept trees.  The direction of the prevailing winds was obvious as all the trees were bent almost at right angles.  We sheltered just below the summit cairn for lunch and soaked up the wonderful views.

After lunch we walked across the plateau and took the very steep path down through the Hervey Nature Reservse towards Witherslack Hall.  This area was designed as a Nature Reserve in 1969 and commemorates the work of Canon G A K Hervey who founded the Lake District Naturalists' Trust.  Once again we were in a delightful wood with plenty of spring flowers.  At one point the moss seemed to be taking over everything and was clinging to the stems of the the young saplings.  Just before we reached Beck Head we came the the unusual Hikers' Rest.  This is a small unmanned self service cafe where for a small charge you can have a refreshing drink and cake. After a quick look around it, we continued on our way.  When we reached Beck Head we were going to continue to walk through the woods back to the car, however we couldn't resist the beautiful scene below us and went to explore it in more detail.  A small stream gently emerged from beneath a low cliff and then spread out to form a shallow pool fringed with marsh marigolds and lesser celandine before winding it's way to Mill Side .  We continued along the road to Mill Side where we stoped to look at the old mill dam, which is now part of a beautiful garden. 

This had been a delightful walk and had given me a different view of the lakeland fells.  It was certainly an area that I would like to revisit and spend a bit more time exploring the woods and the limestone plateau.  A big thanks to Steve for suggesting the walk.

 

Route & Planning

Details and Route Map

Photo Opportunities

Walk Profile

The route map shown here should not be used as a replacement for the appropriate map(s). Before attempting the walk you should check the suitability of this route in relation to your capabilities and experience.