Hawes Water (Silverdale and Gait Barrows)

 Monday 2nd November 2026

After my unsatisfactory excursion to the north of the Lake District the other day I decided to  remind myself of what I have on my doorstep and try and capture some of autumn.

We have our own Hawes Water near Silverdale and just to the north the unique extent of Gait Barrows limestone pavement.

Hawes Water is one of only two freshwater natural lakes in Lancashire and for me it has always had an air of mystery. There is no access to the shoreline  on the western side, but an elevated path does give the only decent view and photo opportunity, but  even that is to some extent restricted. On the eastern edge there is a boardwalk and wheelchair access, but again not with direct access to the shore and views are restricted by tall growing reeds and one can hardly see the lake at all  There is no fishing activity or other human interaction with the lake and so all in all this adds to its mystery.

There is a legend that a serpent occasionally emerges and devours sheep.

As far as I understand both Hawes Water and Gait Barrows are managed by Natural  England.

Today I noticed a latched gate leading off the path on the eastern side leading towards the lake but it only lead to an inferior viewing point with high reeds restricting its view. I continued to a gate back onto the main path but that was padlocked. However there was a catch in the chain which I undid and squeezed through. As I was trying to refasten I was struggling when two elderly women ramblers arrived. Their apparrel and general appearance indicated experienced lifetime walkers and one of them offered to help but it was not easy doing that now from this side. I would add that agewise I think they were not far off my own four score and some, but despite that one of them nimbly climbed over the gate, fastened the chain and hopped back over like an Olympic gymnast. I was impressed, and shamed.

Gait Barrows reserve is regarded as one of the most important limestone environments in England. It is mostly wooded but with occasional grassy clearings with extensive limestone pavement harbouring ancient yews and dwarf ash, and rare orchids and others unique to this location. And would you belive:  "the tiny narrow-mouthed whorl snail and the very rare moss Scorpidium turgiscens."

There is a somewhat confusing network of Land Rover tracks sprouting narrow footpaths leading off here and there to view sections of the limestone pavement. I stopped at a point where my track joined another, now designated as a public footpath, and read the information board; all was silence, or so I thought, but then I heard a soft repetitive and unfamiliar sound. I looked around and now watched and heard well spaced autumn leaves falling gently to the ground -   magic!

This stream flows  into Hawes Water from a smaller lake to the north  which I investigated a few years ago only to find its innaccurate depiction on the map as a lake showed only as little more than a swamp. My old springer Barney knew this place well and always plunged in with delight.

I think they may be the Kentmere hills. The shot was a zoom. The bordering trees being a couple of hundred yards away from my position

Limestone pavement

Here my return path crossed my outward route.

View of Hawes Water from the elevated path on the western side

Start/finish at Challan Hall, anticlockwise.
 Note outward path goes first to Gait Barrows and return then crosses outward path indicated by red arrow 

A One Star Walk - ★☆☆☆☆

Sebergham circular - Friday 30th October 2026

It looked good on the map: a quiet Lake District backwater, a café at Caldbeck halfway round, a bonus trig point, what looked like a pleasant section of the Cumbria Way and a decent forecast. So off I go north on the M6 to Jct 41 from where the excellent B5305 projects north west in a confident straight line to  my starting point  at a good parking spot on the far side of the River Caldew bridge at Sebergham.

But...

...before we get that far...

Immediately after exiting Jct 41 the B5305 is closed and in the hectic traffic I have to rely on my mental map knowledge unable to stop to look at my map proper. and annoyance is now building within me. I manage to do a u-turn in the road and head back onto the M6 South to Penrith and the A66. After several miles I branch off on the B5288 and follow a convoluted network of narrow roads stopping often to verify my route until eventually I arrive back on the original B5305 (NOW SEE MAP BELOW) near Skelton Wood End, about 4 miles from Sebergham. So, some minor dissipation of my by now aggravated annoyance. But, as I turn left I am immdeiately confronted with yet another road closed sign two hundred yards ahead.

I branch left as far as Lamonby from whence I came to access the B5305, before deciding there is no reasonable route from there and drive back to the B5305 and look more closely at the map. There is a loop  through Skelton Wood End which may or may not bring me back  beyond the roadworks. All of that is on grass-in-the-middle narrow lanes that would normally carry almost no traffic but others are forced onto it. I am pushed to make three heart stopping manouveures onto grass and hedge and mud to facilitate passing, but fortunately when I emerge I am beyond the roadworks and at last arrive at my Sebergham bridge.

A hundred yards up the road I branch off on a steeply climbing path overgrown with brambles, nettles fallen trees and debris from our recent storms, and then emerging to continue steep climbing on pasture. The climbing is relentless for nearly 700ft and the many field boundaries with little evidence of path on the ground have involved many stops to check navigation. That ascent is more than I  am comfortable with these days, and on top of the earlier frustrations  my general feeling is, for the want of a better expression  "cheesed off."

The high point coincided with the bonus trig  a couple of hundred yards off the route, but yet another disappointment.  (Memory Map gives 956ft. of ascent for the whole route)The trig is not easily accessible and my motivation to persist is not great. A stretch of road descent and then branching off on more field paths and through forest with more stops for tricky navigation brings me to join with the anticipated pleasure of a section of the Cumbria Way. Right leads into Caldbeck, and left continuation of my route. Time lost is impeding on my desire to get back home in time to comfotably attend to my needs and to watch the F1 schedule. I decide to abort a visit to Caldbeck and turn left. What follows is two miles of squelchy muddy narrow footpath enclosed closely by forest and undergrowth with nothing to see and many short steep sections of ascent until some relief on a flat half mile of open field track leads back to my car.

I decide to head north for home rather than face the problems of my outward route and after more country lanes pick up the M6 at the Carlisle by-pass.

It seemed a long drive home from there.

Short of macro shots of nature there was little other  of note for photography. The initial driving frustration had taken their toll right from the start and never really left me, obviously tainting my overall appreciation, but nevertheleess this was not a good walk in many respects.

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ps. I forgot to mention a half hour hold up on the M6 between Jct. 37 and Jct 36.

The overgrown path at the start

Endless steep climbing on pathless pasture, and below

Steep climbing on pathless pasture

Approaching Fellhill farm

Distant views

River Caldew

Start/finish - bridge, top right, anti-clockwise

Clough River, Garsdale

 Sunday 18th October 2026

The nine miles from Sedbergh to Garsdale Station  for years has for me been a route  to access the incomparable Yorkshire Dales beyond. The road runs along the bottom of this dramatic steep sided dale, not quite single track, but narrow and twisting with few opportunities to park. I had previously obtained permission to park opposite Swarthgill House serendipitously at the halfway point of our walk.

On a recent walk wtih Bowland Climber we arrived at Fairfield Mill at the Sedbergh end of Garsdale. That mill, now a superb museum and gallery and café was latterly powered by Garsdale's Clough River just before it discharges into the River Rawthey.

Afterwards BC suggested we may walk Clough River downstream from Garsdale Station on public footpaths with only the occasional short sections on the road. We had both previously explored upstream as far as Clough Force Waterfall which must be more or less the source which is not  defined on the OS 1:25 map. The walk would split into two four mileish sections.

Garsdale on a dullish day can seem somewhat dour, but today there was blue sky and an autumn nip in the air with sun brightening the golden and green colours dotted with limestone poutcrops, and a mixture of old woodland patches and modern pine plantation:  perfect walking scenery and perfect walking weather.

We had left my car at Swarthgill House, the rough halfpoint  and continued to our start at Garsdale Station.. From the car park we viewed  the back of Wild Boar Fell, and Knoutberry Haugh smongst others triggering memories of past endeavours for us both.

We walked back to the neatly kept station to view the bronze statue of dog Ruswarp whose master Graham Nuttall had campaigned against the proposed closure of this railway in the 1980s which was eventually saved in 1989. In January 1990 Graham went missing in the Welsh hills and his body was not found for eleven weeks during which time Ruswarp had stayed with his master.

From AI:

Ruswarp was awarded the RSPCA’s Animal Medallion and Collar for Vigilance, as well as the Animal Plaque for Intelligence and Courage. He survived long enough to attend Nuttall's funeral before passing away shortly after. 

Paths from the station took us down to cross the Garsdale road and climb to contour on the northern slopes of the dale passing various old barns  and farmhouses. We were surprised to see a number of these still occupied either as working farms or converted holiday accommodation especially considering their elevation at around the 300m contour level. The tracks we were treading were obviously from olden times providing links between these places.  Old Road was followed on a 330m. contour for a while before dropping back down to the main dale road which we crossed to climb up to Raygill farm on the southern slopes of the dale for variation and good views back to our route on the northern slopes.

At Raygill we were jolted by the sight of the rusty skeleton of an old tractor perched on rocks high on the side of a farm building. I immediately thought I may have found a tractor old enough or rare enough to fox Alan R our fellow outdoor blogger who had a lifetime's employment in the tractor industry; we rarely find anything he is unable to identify.

A shout from a barn a few yards ahead, "It's an Allis Chalmers, nineteen forties." We found the farmer and chatted - he had boyhood memories of the tractor in working order. I now know that Alan R has identified the tractor weithout any spoiler from BC on his post of this walk, otherwise I would have withheld the identification here to giveAlan R. a challenge. However if you look at the photos below I have another half concealed rust-bucket for Alan, not mentioned by BC, so we will see.

We dropped back to the road and then followed paths on the northern side of Clough River which we had not seen much of until now. Even though the paths were closer our anticipated concept of "following the river" was hardly realised, but I emphasise that was no detriment,  this had been a throughly enjoyable walk and we are looking forward to the second section to finish at Fairfield Mill.

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I strongly recommend reading BC's excellent account which invokes more of the history of this dale with lots of good photos from his new camera.

CLICK HERE FOR BC

Knowtberry Haw 676m

Garsdale Station

Heading down to Low Scale

Low Scale - we crossed the road there

One for my Relics file. BC was keen to make sure the door
was closed after he'd had a look (in case anything got spoiled!)

Now on the northern slopes, the river far down below to the left

Waterfalls coming down from Knoutberry. Not as much water as we anticipated

Down Garsdale from Old Road, southern slopes across

Zoom to distant sheepfold

The Aliss Chalmers - circa 1940s, we were told...
...and below

This and below. A hidden challenge for Alan R.

Mill Bridge

Swarthgill House - our start /finish