Round the Knott, April 2020

13th April 2020 - Tour of Arnside Knott


This is another photo journey of one of the few local walks I can do from home - the idea being to give a continuous impression of the walk with a photo every few hundred yards. The photos are therefore primarily for that purpose rather than attempts to win Photographer of the Year, but I have tried as best I can.

The tour of Arnside Knott, which at 159 metres is the lowest Marilyn is a little classic. Many people who visit Arnside target this summit, not particularly because of its M status, rather for the extensive views over Morecambe Bay to the west across to Grange-over-Sands and the Lake District, and to the south to Morecambe and Heysham Power Station, and the picturesque railway viaduct across the Leven estuary to the north-east.

I have walked to Arnside cemetery and chapel from home.  We are leaving Silverdale Road opposite the chapel into Red Hills Woods. The path to the Knott branches off left where the person is walking. My previous Arnside circular carries straight on from there.

We are now on that left turn

Branching left the path climbs steeply and is a bit loose and rocky - it is a good workout from here  all the way to the Knott if you push hard

This is still steep and emergence from the trees is in sight

Another left fork to take us to double gates, again still steep

Through this gate and immediately right through another to continue climbing on a more open field

Take the upper path here and keep climbing

Up to a gate in the wall just to the right of the lefthand tree

Through the gate and turn right - then on the level

Looking back down this steep field from the gate - a splendid sledging route when we get the occasional suitable snow

A couple of hundred yards up here takes us to the bench and the view.

Today I have not visited the trig point off to the left. There is surprisingly no worthwhile view from there considering its raison d'être

This is the sort of unofficial summit where you can sit and look across to Grange-over-Sands and down to the railway viaduct to the right

Grange and Lake District hills behind

Railway viaduct. I think the trees have gown up here - it was a better view when I first came here twenty years ago

A few yards on from the bench - the lover's tree. One of those legends: two lovers, family disapprove, lovers entwine saplings to proclaim their love. I am amazed that this has survived without vandalism during my twenty years sojourn.

From now we can look south over  the bay to Morecambe. Our route takes a left just past the righthand tree to drop steeply down a narrow rocky path

At this T junction we go left descending towards Silverdale Road after about quarter of a mile. Right goes to the top of Heathwaites

A couple of hundred yards before Silverdale Road we fork left up steep little climb left of gate

We dodge under this magnificent old Yew tree, now with the very steep scree slopes of the Knott on our left.

At the foot of the scree there is this spring, where both my Springers used to stop for a drink, Today it happens to be almost dry. It flows into this perfect polished bowl of limestone, AS WAS, BUT the National Trust in their wisdom put a collar of concrete round the bottom edge to carry a pipe for water to some debatable water tank some distance away. I complained; If you want to read about it including the comments:

http://conradwalks.blogspot.com/search?q=limestone+bowl

I have copied the NT reply at the end of this post.

Here one can bail out onto Silverdale Road but our path continues through the trees to arrive back at the exit opposite the chapel and my start. In the distance reed beds created over the last few years by the RSPB hopefully to attract more nesting Bitterns from nearby Leighton Moss

Another road access but we carry straight on to the finish

Hi Conrad

I’m Ross, one of the NT rangers responsible for managing Arnside Knott.  The mini dam you’ve spotted we constructed last August when the spring was virtually dry in order to create a small reservoir of water.  We’ve then managed to put a 20mm alkathene pipe at the base of the dam and dig that in under the path and away down the slope.  If you’ve spotted the mini dam then I’m guessing you’ve certainly spotted the new water trough just up the slope from the vehicle gate on the bridle path.  The natural spring now feeds this trough.  

Before the installation of this trough grazing was restricted to the far side of the site (i.e. the cattle didn’t want to stray too far from the water supply) but now they can explore this end.  You’ve probably noticed we’ve thinned out some sycamores on the scree slope and beyond had some contractors in thinning out the trees near where it becomes grassier.  This does a few things: it enables the sun to shine on the stone warming it for a variety of invertebrates including the southern wood ant, it exposes bare soil to the warmth allowing pioneer species such as wild strawberry and violets to establish and it links the grassy areas to the water supply, which will hopefully encourage the cattle to roam at this end of the site.

There are some Shetland cattle on as we speak and they’ll be there for a couple of weeks before being moved onto Heathwaite.  They’re a conservation species with the ability to survive on poor forage and, as I’m sure you know, are an essential tool in managing the site for the rare grasses, wildflowers, orchids and associated species that make the Knott so special.

Any other questions feel free to email directly rather than using the Morecambe Bay email as we only check that every week or so.

Kind regards

Ross