Whitbarrow - Route One

 

Start - Mill Side SD 452 839 Distance - 6.6 miles Ascent - 1,260 feet Time - 3 hours : 10 minutes

 

 

Whitbarrow from the old A590 road.  There are a few places to park along the side of this road as well as the minor road to Mill Side
Heading along the minor road to Mill Side
Whitbarrow from Mill Side
Local tourist information board in Mill Side
The lane leading up towards the southern cliffs of Whitbarrow Scar
The lane climbs steeply up towards Buckhouse Wood below the foot of the cliffs
Looking back along the lane
As it enters Buckhouse Wood the lane becomes a bridleway which leads to Raven's Lodge
On the bridleway to Raven's Lodge
A few hundred yards along the bridleway a permissive path leads off to the to climb steeply through the trees below Whitbarrow Scar
The path is well maintained and leads to the only breach in the cliffs of Whitbarrow Scar
Looking back over Foulshaw Moss
The path passes through a gate in the wall at the top of the cliffs
Above the gate the tree cover gradually diminishes as the path approaches the open slopes of Farrer's Allotment
Looking north-east across to the Howgill Fells
Looking west towards Newton Fell
The path across Farrer's Allotment
Looking over the River Kent to Farleton Fell and Hutton Roof Crags on the right with Ingleborough in the centre
Looking back to Arnside Knott from Farrer's Allotment
As the path levels off the summit of Whitbarrow (Lord's Seat) comes into view
Looking down to the Winster Valley and Witherslack Hall School which will be our return route
Approaching the first of two intermediate summits on the way to Lord's Seat
The cairn on the first intermediate summit
Chapel Head Scar and Lord's Seat from the first intermediate summit
The Howgill Fells from the first intermediate summit
The path passes a prominent fir tree on the approach to the second intermediate summit
Looking over to the Far Eastern Fells
The cairn on the second intermediate summit
The Howgill Fells across the Lyth Valley
Looking across the Winster Valley to Gummer's How with part of the Coniston Fells on the horizon
From the second intermediate summit the path descends slightly as it approaches the Whitbarrow National Nature Reserve which incorporates The Hervey Memorial Reserve
Crossing the stile into the Hervey Memorial Reserve which is administered by Cumbria Wildlife Trust
The reserve occupies around 250 acres of grassland, limestone pavement, escarpments and scree which are rich in fauna and flora. To help maintain this special landscape Cumbria Wildlife Trust has re-introduced light grazing by a small herd of rare breed cattle and a few sheep
Lord's Seat across the limestone escarpment
A windswept juniper on the escarpment
Looking back along the limestone escarpment
Approaching the summit of Lord's Seat
The summit cairn comes into view
The summit cairn on Lord's Seat which is also a memorial to Canon G.A.K. Hervey, the founder of the Lake District Naturalist Trust
There is a plaque set into the east side of the cairn which is inscribed - This Reserve commemorates CANON G.A.K. HERVEY 1863 -1967 Founder of The Lake District Naturalists Trust
Looking across the Winster Valley to the summits of Gummer's How and the wooded Birch Fell
The Coniston Fells from Lord's Seat with the Langdale Pikes on the right
Looking north to the Lake District Fells
The Howgill fells across the Lyth Valley
Ingleborough, right of centre
Looking back along the Whitbarrow ridge
We leave the summit and continue north across Flodder's Allotment which is part of the Hervey Memorial Reserve
Looking back to the summit cairn on Lord's Seat
The path soon joins and follows the wall which encloses the Whitbarrow Natural Nature Reserve
The path reaches a cross-ridge wall at a stile which gives access to the Township Allotment and a path which continues north along the fell
However, we turn west and follow the cross-ridge wall towards Bell Rake
As the path approaches Bell Rake it passes an old mine level which AW mentions in his description of this walk
The start of Bell Rake, a breach in the cliffs of Whitbarrow Scar. The path initially cuts across a short scree slope before descending more steeply through the woodland to the valley floor
At the bottom of Bell Rake the main path continues east through Low Park Wood towards North Lodge.  We turn south and follow a permissive path in High Park Wood which leads to a public footpath near Witherslack Hall's sport field
Chapel Head Scar from the end of the permissive path.  We turn right here and cross a field to emerge onto the lane to Witherslack
We follow the Witherslack lane for 750 yards before turning off onto a bridleway which leads to Beck Head and the lane back to Mill Side
Chapel Head Scar from the Beck Head bridleway
Just as you enter Beck Head is the Hikers Rest, a rare honesty cafe housed in an old barn, where you can make yourself a hot drink.  There are cold drinks and home-made-cake available too, just wash up afterwards and leave your money

 

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