Arnside & Silverdale Walks
Dallam Park & Beetham Fell
Date: 27th March 2013
Distance: 6.0 miles
Ascent: 600ft
Time: 3 hours 10 mins
With: Lisa
Start Grid Ref: SD495814
Walk Summary:
A nice varied walk visiting Dallam deer park, some lovely woodland, the Fairy Steps and a final stretch by the Kent Estuary.
Route Summary: Milnthorpe - Dallam Park - Beetham - Hale - Limestone Link - Slack Head - Beetham Fell - Haverbrack - Hollin's Well - River Bela - Milnthorpe
Pictures:
1. The River Bela by Milnthorpe
2. Fallow deer during a flurry of snow in Dallam Park
3. Milnthorpe from Dallow Park
4. The church of St.Michaels in Beetham
5. The ruins of Beetham Hall with Farleton Fell in the distance
6. Snowdrops in Beetham Park woods
7. One of the many woodland paths in Beetham Park woods
8. The superb limestone pavement near Marble Quarry
9. A path through the woods of Beetham Fell
10. The Fairy Steps
11. At the bottom of the Fairy Steps
12. Lisa on Whin Scar above the Fairy Steps
13. The Kent Estuary from Haverbrack
14. The Bela flows into the Kent Estuary with Whitbarrow in the distance
Video:
Walk Detail: After yet further heavy snowfall I wanted to avoid the high hills, especially as this was the first time Lisa and I had been able to do a walk, just the two of us, since the New Year.
While the Arnside and Silverdale area may lack high fells it does contain an absorbing variety of natural features which, as this walk demonstrated, can be easily enjoyed without too much effort. We started in Milnthorpe and, after crossing the River Bela, entered Dallam Park. Though the forecast promised sunshine for this area the sky was often full of light swirling snow that didn't settle, particularly in these early stages of the walk. The highlight of Dallam Park was undoubtedly a close up view of the Park's herd of fallow deer.
From Dallam Park we passed through Beetham where, quite incredibly considering the time of the month, I saw my first flowering daffodils of 2013. From Beetham we walked along the bottom edge of some woods to the outskirts of Hale before following a sometimes intricate route through the woods via the Limestone Link. At one point we unexpectedly emerged into a clearing with some fantastic limestone pavement. It was a super spot and so we decided to halt and have our lunch.
After passing the small village of Slack Head we entered the woodland of Beetham Fell. Although not on the original route we planned we made a short detour to the feature known as the 'Fairy Steps', a cleft in Whin Scar on the top of the fell. Leaving our bags at the bottom we squeezed up the steps to enjoy the view across to Arnside Knott.
Back on our intended route we continued north descending through the woods before crossing over a minor road and then going over the top of another small wooded hill - Haverbrack, the top of which features a covered reservoir. Emerging from the trees at Haverbrack we were treated to a good view of the Kent Estuary. The final section of the walk featured a short stint by the estuary itself before following the River Bela back in to Milnthorpe.
As with my other walks in the area I found the variety of scenery quite lovely and it certainly makes a nice change in pace.
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