Days 194 & 195: Arnside to Ulverston

The train leaves me at Arnside to begin a 17-mile hike to Grange-over-Sands. There’s a choice. You can walk 12 miles round the River Kent or sprint 477 metres across the Kent Viaduct and pray the passenger train runs to schedule and there are no freight trains.

I enjoy a challenge, but I’m not insane, choosing to follow the riverbank to the pretty weir across the River Bela.

The plan was to visit the gardens and topiary at Levens Hall, but heavy rain and dull light force me into the excellent cafe for a cooked breakfast instead.

To avoid road walking, I choose a cycle path through Levens village, before taking a minor road to rejoin the footpath at High Foulshaw. Despite the gloomy weather, this is a lovely valley to walk through, although one farmer has done the usual trick of cutting back all the nettles apart from the area by the gate. Why not just put up a Hikers not welcome sign?

Approaching Grange-over-Sands, a grim Dickensian building sits on the hill. It gives me the creeps. From a distance, it looked like a prison but it may be the Cumbria Grand Hotel, so my apologies to them. I blame the poor light.

The park next to the train station is home to a wide variety of birds, including a goose breed that I’ve not seen before. I’m very excited, which is a little worrying. After much research, I conclude it’s a bar-headed goose, which makes sense.

The next three trains to Barrow-in-Furness, my home for the final three nights, are cancelled, so I don’t take any chances and hop on the first bus heading in the right direction.

Next day

The morning begins with a gentle stroll along the Grange-over-Sands promenade, followed by an inland loop round Abbot Hall and then out to Humphrey Head. I miss the route up the west side of the headland, completing a beach circuit below the cliffs, getting my feet wet in the process, before ascending the rocky east side.

It’s windy on top, with panoramic views across Morecambe Bay. I stand near the edge with my eyes closed, arms wide, lulled by the whistling of the cool breeze.

After taking minor roads to Cark, I head inland to explore a network of paths across the hills, with gorgeous views across the valleys on both sides.

I’d not expected this. One of the most beautiful sections of my trip.

Cresting a hill, I startle a deer, which quickly bounds away.

There’s a pretty little tarn on Stribers Allotment.

The highlight is Bigland Tarn, a wonderfully peaceful place for a late lunch, with only the geese for company. 

Descending from the hills, a long cycle path winds west to cross the River Leven at Greenodd. My right ankle is giving me trouble on the top of my foot. I’m wearing hiking shoes rather than my usual boots, and perhaps walking without poles on a lot of tarmac, followed by the hills today, is causing the problem. I get my poles out to take a little weight off my ankle. It’s possibly tendonitis, which I’ve had before when I tied the laces too tight across the top of my foot. I have a very high instep.

A narrow path runs below the busy A590 beside the river, although it ends at a small car park, where I’m faced with unpleasant road walking. Other hikers have taken a route along an old railway line despite the absence of a footpath on the OS map. There’s a gap in the barbed wire topping a fence, so I climb over and follow the railway embankment.

A sheep is stranded on its back at the bottom of the embankment. I try to get it back on its feet but it’s too heavy, so head off to find the farmer.

The railway line runs through a small open yard, with a few containers on either side. A man in a forklift is at the entrance and I mention the poor sheep.

“It’s nothing to do with me. You need to speak to the farmer.”

I try to walk through.

“This is private land. You’ll need to find another way.”

The exit is only a few hundred feet away. Can’t I pass through? He refuses. Why do people do this?

I try the adjacent farm, opening the yard gate, as I need to find the farmer anyway. There’s no one around, but I meet a couple of locals who agree to inform the farmer about the sheep.

This is a difficult section. In theory, the Cumbria Coastal Way runs 182 miles from Silverdale to the Scottish border. Unfortunately, in 2010 Cumbria Country Council informed the Ordinance Survey that it no longer endorsed the route so it was removed from OS maps. The England Coast Path will fix this whenever it is finally completed but don’t hold your breath. It’s a little tricky, but I manage to avoid the main road, passing through Moss Nook and into Ulverston beneath Hoad Hill.

I’d planned to finish with a climb to Hoad Monument, but I’ve walked 21 miles and hobbled the last six.

I’ve run out of water, so a huge thanks to Ulverston station who provide free bottles of ice-cold water, with gentle classical music playing during my half-hour wait for the train. A classy station.

Walk distance: 38 miles.

Total distance: 3,302 miles.