Finally managed to get in some evening walks as well as Sunday stroll. All routes and hills I’ve done many times so just a few photos to prove I don’t sit in front of the TV every evening, just most of them 🙂
Ysgyryd Fawr – iPhone photos as I forgot my camera and no summit cuppa due to a dodgy gas canister
Bryn Arw – another classic “small hill with disproportionately good views”
And a Sunday afternoon stroll around Hatterrall Hill. Complete with young foals – everyone say “aaaaahhhhh”
I drive past all these hills on my home from work so nice to climb them from time to time after a long day in a crappy office doing a crappy job. Equally, as they are on my way home I should do it more often. But there are so many great TV shows around I need watch though…….
Our last 3 days and very nice mix of local walks and a day out on the SW Lakes Peninsulas
Along with the Northern Funsters friend and kids we took an en-masse ramble around the local sights. The air was clear and still cold but the showers of the morning had gone. It was really rather splendid. All these little spots have names but I can’t remember most of them (Mark I’m sure will take pleasure in correcting me and putting me right!)
The kids had great fun exploring a very well hidden rift cave. Alas it was too narrow for middle-aged wobblies like me
We went down to Woodwell, a very pleasant warm and sunny spot with a natural spring and pond. We spent a very happy hour sitting around and chatting, watching the myriad of insect life, fish and tadpoles that inhabit the surroundings. Talk moved on to newts and how they are becoming increasingly rare in the UK. Mark has read that they do inhabit the pond but in all his many visits he’s never seen one. Luckily several pairs of eyes are better than one and we soon saw one, the two, then three, several in fact. It was a real highlight. I didn’t take any pictures for some reason but I think Mark did so you’ll have to wait for his blog reports. I haven’t seen newts since we bought some for our garden pond when I was a kid. We watched the swim into pond weed and never saw them again!
On the way home we went via The Lots. The views across the bay were simply magnificent as were the wild flowers and especially the orchids. The stiff breeze made it pretty difficult to get a decent macro shot alas but the wider views more than made up for that
Not hard to see why Mark and his family love it here so much when you have these views on your doorstep
Our last full day saw us take another trip to the beaches and commons around Roa and Piel Island. After stocking up on food we headed to Birkrigg Common for a picnic. Never heard of this place but it’s a really fine area of open common land with expansive views across the bay. It’s perfect for al-fresco eating on a warm May weekend. Except this was a cold and very windy May weekend. Some judicious arrangements of cars and tarp created shelter and we did what we always do and ate far, far too much food, huge hunks of bread, cheese, pate, pies and the like. It was grand. I love a good picnic and this was a fine spot for future reference.
We had planned to take another trip to Piel Island but such was the length of time needed to eat all the food we couldn’t fit it in and went straight to Roa Island for some more tidepooling. Possibly due to the cold weather and water and the fact that it wasn’t an exceptionally low tide but it wasn’t quite as great as last year. However “not as great as last year” is not much of problem as this place is just crammed with stuff anyway. We saw the usual huge numbers of crabs, small fish, anemones, sponges, shellfish and the like and spent a very happy couple of hours poking about, turning over stones and the like
The highlight was this pipe fish that TJF spotted just swimming about in a shallow pool. A magnificent specimen. Never seen one in the UK and it was a special find.
Again for some reason I only took a few photos. Most likely that I was too absorbed in poking about. Like most other childhood activities I still love these sorts of things as an adult. I was distracted as I easily am, much like my errant children. Like father like son/daughter I suppose. The views across to Piel Island were still fine although not as sunny as promised.
The day was finished off in style with more al-fresco eating, a very fine Chinese takeaway in Ulverston, eaten in the park where the kids enjoyed a seriously bouncy zip-wire. Actually the day wasn’t quite finished. When we got home there were two small and I guess young deer in the garden nibbling on the shrubs. We spent several minutes watching them treat the garden like home, entranced.
A real treat, the only wild animal I’ve ever seen in my garden is a rat!
It wouldn’t be a week in Silverdale without a trip to the Pepper Pot through Eaves Wood. To draw our week to a conclusion we took a last stroll up there before we headed home. The perfect family walk with trees to climb, rocks to scramble on and superb views.
A fitting finale. Another amazing, fun, entertaining and hospitable trip so a huge thanks to our hosts for a wonderful time. I just wish I’d taken a few more photos 🙂
Both Hutton Roof and Warton Crag are places I’ve always wanted to visit but despite many trips to Silverdale, we never have. Hutton Roof and the nearby Farleton Fell are the prominant limestone eminences next to to the South Lakes junction on the M6. Mark has waxed lyrical in his blog several times so this year I made a strong push to pay it a visit. After all it’s only a 20 minute drive away from his place. Alas the weather did for us. We ate very fine a chilly lunch at Plain Quarry with a warming bowl of home-made lentil and tomato soup. Warming!! In late May!! The kids blew off some steam scrambling on the quarry walls and chucking a frisbee around.
We had grand plans for an explore of this rather lovely wooded limestone hill and I was looking forward to discovering the delights Mark has often told me about. However after ambling up to the summit trig pillar, the rain promised for later arrived early and quickly became a steady fall under glooomy skies. With a disappointed air we called it a day as the weather was only due to worsen. Here is Mark’s most recent visit on a sunny evening so you can see how grand it really is
The early start to the rain the previous day meant it had cleared earlier than expected the next morning. Finally a chance to climb Warton Crag. We parked up in another quarry, this one much larger and not for any brothers, dangerous or otherwise. Warton Crag delivered as promised, a wonderful collection of wooded glades and grassy pastures among the limestone.
Occasional clearings gave views across Morecambe Bay and the Lakes. Like all these little known hills we had the place pretty much to ourselves
After a bit of searching through some particularly splendid grassy glades we found The 3 Brothers, glacial erratics (possibly!) well hidden amongst the trees.
The kids had a fine time scrambling about and posing for photos as they jumped off.
From there it was up the summit and more fine views and glades of bluebells. Despite the dark and threatening skies we stayed dry which was a bonus.
I particularly enjoyed the walk down on a gently sloping limestone edge above the quarry. The northern TBF and the DBs gave me extra time to savour it by becoming lost and emerging unexpectedly from the woods after a short delay
A fine couple of short walks squeezed in between the wetter spells, more fuel to fire that this area is one of the finest for walks of a less demanding nature but packed with interesting stuff
Our second day, and free from the shackles of the Bank Holiday we felt safe to venture out into the wide world beyond Silverdale. Mark had posted last Easter about a fine walk in the dales involving caves (you can read his post here) and the mix of walking and adventure seemed ideal to keep the kids amused.
After a aimless wander about Settle looking for toilets we were off. The start of the walk is brutally steep with some grumbles and dragged heels.
We were looking for somewhere to picnic in that classic British style when it really is too cold to do so. After rejecting many potential sites on account of the fact they were too windy or too swarthed in nettles. I was accused of doing it deliberately just to delay lunch and wind everyone up. As if! As we climbed the eminence of Pen y Ghent revealed istself
We eventually found a fine albeit slightly inclined spot and feasted. In the other British tradition we’d brought far too much food including a mountain of cheese. It was even sunny while we ate although for reasons unknown I hardly took any photos. Surprising as the views across to Warrendale Knotts and Attermire Scar were fantastic. I’d never been up this way before and its a fabulous and dramatic little corner full of crags, caves and hidden valleys. We saw a few people but nothing like the numbers you see in other better known spots in the Dales.
On to our next objective, Attermire Cave. If you look at the photo below, its the dark mark at the right of the line of crags with a green terrace to it’s left
It looks hard to get at an indeed it is. It involves a very steep scrabble up the grassy slopes and short scramble onto that green ledge which is fairly narrow and quite exposed. It had my pulse racing primarily on account of the fact that I was in the presence of the dangerous brothers who have a dangerous lack of a sense of, well, danger and who had to be restrained from running around on the ridge and giving me a coronary.
The entrance to the cave involved an awkward little step but once in its free from danger. It’s a narrow cave with a very high ceiling and is full of quartz crystals and other interesting stuff (including some large black spiders much to TJF distress)
We had a grand time exploring but it was over all too soon
Luckily there was more fun to be had. A narrow trod traverses high above the slopes below, itself a superb walk with wide ranging views and into a nameless valley to the north.
I really liked this spot with it’s limestone cliffs and green grassy paths.
A mile or so on and you reach more caves. At the bottom is Wet Cave, which was well named and quite unpleasant but above is Victoria Cave. It’s an old show cave with an artificially enlarged, and what looks like is now a largely unsafe, entrance. Ignoring the signs and barriers (I’m a rebel) I ventured in and wandered a few hundred meters into a long narrow passage before it got too narrow. You can see the entrance in the photo below just up on the left but strangely I took no other photos here either
On again to our final adventure at Jubilee Caves. These were not as interesting as Attermire but were a lot more fun. They had several passages and entrances all linked together, some very small.
The kids, big and small had a great time squirming in and out and some adults with arms in bandages who should have known better also joined in. Trouble is I like caves (and I’m a big kid at heart) and couldn’t stand not getting involved. Trying to scramble and squeeze my middle aged spread through a small hole, one handed was a cause of much amusement for the assembled posse
The weather was really rather splendid now, albeit with the cold theme that would dominate the week. We had to turn for home now with our trogladytic appetites quenched.
The walk back to Settle along the Pennine Bridleway was magnificent with great views along the Ribble valley and down over Settle
A fantastic day out and a superb walk always enhanced when you discover something new.
The Dales really are a special place and I’ve really missed them since I moved away from the area back in the mid-90s. The trips to Silverdale and the days out we’ve spent there have been superb. More please 🙂
After my bout clumsiness inspired self harm, the start of our half term holiday was scuppered. To the rescue came Mark and his wonderful wife and family who offered to put up with us for an extra couple of days. Clearly they had a mountain of food they wanted us to eat and a tidy house that needed a good mess up. Seriously I was and am eternally grateful for rescuing our holiday and my own embarrassment
So we got to spend a whole week oop North and despite the ice age that descended for the week we had an amazing time, a mix of some local wanders which the area has a vast multitude and a couple of longer days out mixed in with lots of chilling and quite staggering amount of food eaten.
The first day was the Bank Holiday so we obeyed the golden rule of staying well away from cars and driving. Instead we took what I consider to be a classic walk, from Silverdale, around the coast to Arnside and then back over Arnside Knott. The coastal stretch through Far Arnside, Arnside Point, New Barns (and a short diversion into Grubbins Wood this time) is a cracker. The beach was kind to us today with firm sand rather than the gooey, trainer-swallowing mud the last time we did the walk
It was a little grey to begin with but slowly, surely as we reached Arnside the skies became clearer and the sun came out.
Arnside is a lovely seaside (or estuaryside!) village on the Kent and we timed our arrival to squeeze in lunch at the local pie shop. Pies, peas, mash gravy and pickles were heartily consumed to sustain us on the major ascent of Arnside Knott (via an extended play in the very fine park). As we climbed the sun really came out to play and as always the views across the estuary to the mountains of the Lake District and over Morecambe Bay were sublime.
It’s one of my favourite small hills and Mark and the gang are so lucky to have this fine eminence on their doorstep to climb whenever they feel the need.
It was even warm enough – just – on the top for a sit down in the sun. The Dangerous Brothers led the tree climbing frivolities as always frightening the hell out of me as they always do – I’m sure they do it deliberately.
We could have stayed for hours such is the quality of the views but we had chickens to cook and at this rate we’d be eating after midnight and turning in to Gremlins
I spend alot of my time surfing the web looking for ideas on places to go, walking routes, travel ideas and tips to plan the perfect holiday or day out. (I'm a project manager I like to plan). I thought it was time to share my own experiences and contribute to the vast amounts in information that's already out there.
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