Silverdale walk

Deciduous woodlands with quaint names such as Eaves, Cringlebarrow, Bottoms, Gait Barrows, Middlebarrow and Underlaid skirt the hills. Parts of Eaves Wood, where this walk starts, have been broad-leaved woodland continuously since the 17th Century.

Park in the easy-to-miss car park on the edge of Eaves Wood, grid reference 472759.

1 Leave the far end of the parking area by a gate and continue ahead to a T-junction. Turn left following the sign for the Pepperpot Hill. A short way along, leave the main path and climb right.

Ascend steadily through the fine woodland. Follow the waymarked track and on winding left to a waymark with a prominent P, turn right as marked on the side of the post with a small pepperpot.

The way is soon edged with limestone clints and becomes stepped. Emerge through a large gap in the wall into an open area with limestone scarp to the right.

Carry on until you reach a waymark that sends you a little ahead and then left up a short rocky climb on to a fine hillock. Ahead stands the Pepperpot, a memorial to Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1887.

Pause here on this high plateau, with outcrops of limestone, to enjoy the great view.

2 Return to the waymark, turn right and descend down through the trees, following the waymarks until you reach the track at the foot of the hill. Walk right, with the wall to your left to join a narrow road at Elmslack.

Cross and walk slightly left and go down, right, a wide way signposted towards The Cove. Look out for the easy-to-miss walled path that continues on when the wider track turns towards a house. Follow this pleasing way to pass below a house. Carry on down to arrive at the road to Arnside.

3 Turn right on the path that runs above the road on a bank and then cross to the pavement opposite when this ends.

Where the busy road bends sharply right, turn left into a quiet lane and walk to the gate to the shore with an intriguing cave on the right and a fine view of the bay.

Take the white kissing gate on the left and beyond, climb a rising walled track with more fine views and a good seat for your first break! Go through another kissing gate and walk ahead over hillocky grassland to a stile in the wall.

Beyond, walk on over the lovely pasture, slightly left, to reach the left end of the wall ahead to a stile to the road to Silverdale. Bear left and follow the road as it winds right. Where the main road swings left, cross with care and continue a few steps up Stankelt road. Cross and take a signposted footpath, on the right, to Woodwell.

4 Stroll this quiet way, often walled, as it passes behind houses, crosses narrow roads and passes through woodland.

Ignore a stile in the wall on the left into more woodland and, soon after, follow the track around right to reach a lane. Descend left to a delightful open area with seats around a small green and overshadowed by Silverdale Cliffs.

Turn right and walk another delightful walled way to join a road. Bear right and continue until the road makes a sharp bend right.

Here walk left down a ‘no through road.’ Pass on your right Lindeth Tower, where the writer Elizabeth Gaskell and her daughters stayed. From their sitting room at the top they watched travellers crossing the sands.

Stride on until you can take a gate on the right into Jack Scout, a wonderful limestone promontory in the care of the National Trust.

5 Descend from the gate to pass the huge restored limekiln and wind left to walk a grassy way to rejoin the lane by another gate. Walk on down the lovely lane. Look out for a squeeze stile that gives access to a seat tucked up against the wall with a wonderful view of the sea.

Then continue down the lane, where there is another seat even better placed to enjoy view of Morecambe Bay. If the tide is out you will see innumerable waders on the shore. Look out to sea from here to see (tide permitting) a dramatic view of Jenny Brown’s Point, a line of shingle-clad boulders stretching towards the horizon.

This was part of of a schene to reclaim Silverdale Sands. The House of Commons approved the scheme, but when the House of Lords did not agree the plan was abandoned and the line of boulders left to the birds.

6 Drop down the narrow lane and go left along the rough shore to wind round the outside wall in front of Brown’s Houses, where Jenny lived.

Continue along the bouldery shore, then past a tall chimney, once a limekiln and then on over fine turf. Climb a stile and climb up the slope on the left to a path that avoids a very boggy area. A short way along take a signposted steep climb to Heald Brow. Follow the waymarked path through clear fell and then woodland and carry on as well directed. Follow the waymarks to go over a wall and walk two pastures beside the wall on the left. Climb the next stile into a copse then at the end of the path through trees, take a small gate to walk right to a road.

7 Cross and a few steps, right, take stile used earlier, but beyond continue on the upper path that takes you through superb forest trees high up on the cliffs, walked below earlier. When you reach an open area go ahead, climb a grassy slope into a wide long area of grass.

Turn left to take the next stile into woodland. Carry on the very pleasant way until you reach a road. Turn right and a short way along cross and take a signed road ‘to the church,’ going off left.

Carry on past houses and then at an open area take the grassy trod that continues ahead over a pasture, with the walled gardens of bungalows and houses to your left. Where these seem to end, carry on the narrow path, that drops down to and then winds left into a copse and then a gate in the left corner.

Beyond walk to a signposted right turn taking you along another pleasing path in front of several dwellings and then out into a pasture. Half way along go through a white kissing gate in the wall on the left to continue along the other side to a gate on to a road.

8 Turn right and after 50 yards take a signed kissing gate where you walk on with the wall to your right.

Go through a squeeze stile in the wall and ahead to the next kissing gate. Press on ahead on the rising path to a gate on to a road, The Row. Turn left and walk along this quiet lane to the road end.

Cross with care and walk into the car park on the opposite side.

Information

Distance: 6.5 miles

Time: 3-4 hours

Terrain: Generally easy walking on paths, tracks and quiet lanes.

Map: OS Explorer OL7

NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.