Walking in Lancashire. Mary Welsh
possible and continue to where the busy road bends sharply right. Here turn left, signposted ‘Cul-de-sac and to the shore’. This quickly brings you to a delightful cove with an intriguing cave to the right and a fine view of the bay. Then take the white kissing gate on the left and, beyond, climb a rising walled track with more fine views out to sea.
At the end of the track go through another kissing gate and follow the grassy trod across some gated pastures (the Lots) to join the road to Silverdale. Turn left and follow the road as it winds right. Where the main road swings left, cross with care and continue ahead up Stankelt Road, with the wall on your right, to take a signposted footpath on the right to Woodwell. Keep walking ahead on this quiet way, not deviating, and following the ‘wriggle’ in the path where it bends left and then goes on to the right. Carry on along the waymarked route until you join the road to Silverdale once more.
Turn right and at the T-junction walk left. Where this road swings left, go ahead down a ‘No through road’ to pass Lindeth Tower, where the writer Elizabeth Gaskell and her daughters stayed. From their sitting room at the top they watched travellers crossing the sands. Walk on to take a gate on the right into Jack Scout, a wonderful limestone promontory in the care of the National Trust. Pass the huge restored limekiln and continue ahead through the oak and hawthorn woodland to come to a path on the edge of the cliffs overlooking a great expanse of Morecambe Bay. Walk left until you can take a gate onto a minor road.
The Pepperpot, a memorial to Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee
The restored limekiln at Jack Scout
From here look out to sea for a dramatic view (tide permitting) of Jenny Brown’s Point, a line of shingle-clad boulders stretching for nearly 1.6km (1 mile) towards the horizon. This was part of a scheme in the 19th century 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.
Descend to end of the road and go on along the rough shore to wind round the outside of the wall in front of Brown’s Houses, where Jenny lived. Continue on an easier way now, just above the shore, to pass a tall chimney (restored), once a limekiln, and then over sea-washed turf. Climb a stile and a short distance along take a rising path continuing just above a wet part of the route to come to a signpost. Here turn left to climb steepishly towards Heald Brow. Follow the waymarked path as it winds left and then right and crosses a stile into Heald Brow woodland, continuing through the trees to come to a stone stepped stile. Keep ahead with the wall to your left and wriggle through a gap beside a gate at the next wall. Carry on over the next stile into a clump of woodland then take a wicket gate to walk a track, right, to a road.
Cross the road and after a few steps right take a footpath to Silverdale village. Drop down some steps then take the upper of two paths to walk along the ‘cliffs’. Take care as you go along the top of the limestone scar and through the woodland, because for a short distance the land to your left drops steeply (children should be under control). When your reach an open area go ahead and climb a grassy slope into a wide area of grass. Turn left here and walk to a stile leading into more woodland. Carry on along the pleasing way until the path winds right, between a hedge on the left and a fenced pasture on the right, to come to a road.
Turn right and a short distance along cross and take the signed track ‘To the church’ going off left. Once through a gate take the grassy trod that runs beside a pasture with the walled gardens of houses to your left. Carry on beside the wall and follow it as it veers left and enters a small copse. Go through a gate and walk left to take a signposted right turn taking you in front of several bungalows and then out into a pasture. Halfway along take the white kissing gate in the wall on your left and continue along on the other side of the wall. Keep going until you come to a gate giving onto a road.
Turn right and after 50 metres take a signposted kissing gate where you walk on with the wall on your right. Go through the stile in the wall, on to the next white kissing gate, and then carry on ahead to a gate to a road called The Row. Turn left and walk along this quiet lane to its end. Cross with care to rejoin your car in the car park opposite.
WALK 2
Warton Crag and Leighton Moss
| Start/Finish | west of Warton village |
| Distance | 11.4km (7 miles) |
| Time | 4 hours |
| Terrain | Steady climb with some scrambling to trig point; generally good walking on grass, woodland paths and tracks, with some road walking |
| Maps | OS Explorer OL7 |
The original beacon on Warton Crag announced the sighting of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Pause on the summit and visualise the approach of the ships as you look out over Morecambe Bay. Leighton Hall is owned by Major and Mrs Gillow Reynolds, descendants of the famous Lancaster furniture makers Gillow & Co. In 1763 George Towneley had the house rebuilt in the Adam style, and the park laid out and the woods replanted. Beyond lies Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, its limestone floor covered with marine clay overlaid with peat. Water from the surrounding hills drains into the valley and forms three main meres. Around these grow extensive reed beds which have to be controlled to prevent them encroaching upon the open water.
This walk takes you first into Warton Crag Nature Reserve, then high over the crag itself before descending through fine deciduous woodland to edge marshland and then into Leighton Moss Nature Reserve. You then come close to Leighton Hall and over its gracious parkland, finally returning through Warton Crag Nature Reserve once more.
Start from the spacious quarry car park in Crag Road, just west of Warton village, grid ref 492724. From the entrance take a footpath heading south in the direction of Warton. Continue through birch woodland, with Carnforth seen over the flat land to your right, and go down steps to a kissing gate into Warton Crag Nature Reserve. Walk on along the good footpath beside the wall with the road to your right. At a signposted way turn left to climb a short slope through trees, keeping parallel with the wall to your right.
Leighton Hall and Leighton Moss
Ignoring the gap stile on the right, pass a nature-reserve board and turn left up a well-trodden way marked by a boulder in the centre of the path. Continue upwards on a limestone terrace, moving up to a parallel terrace at an easy pace. Repeat this again and go on to a stile in the fence, which you climb – high above the quarry where you have parked.
Continue for a few metres to take the next path going off right. Climb two little ledges of rock as you go and stride ahead to a sturdy stile. Go over this and ascend the stone ‘staircase’ beyond. At the top go ahead towards higher ground to reach the elevated metal beacon and the trig point a few steps beyond.
Walk (north) along the path for a few steps to come to a signpost where you bear left in the direction of Crag Foot. Go along the gated way and turn left at a track to stride downhill. On reaching the road to Warton turn right and keep walking until you join the lower route to Warton.
Go along the pavement on the right of the road and then cross and walk on the left to take the signed left turn well before Quicksand Pool Bridge. Pass under the railway bridge, turn right to cross the Pool and step out left along the embanked way known as ‘the bund’. Follow this to a stile on the left and continue on the bund as it winds right to come to a signed stile at the foot of Heald Brow.
Turn right and follow the way through woodland to Hollins Lane. Turn right and then right again at the T-junction. Ignoring a road