Levens with Bowland Climber

 Saturday 1st July - North from Levens

A combination of many circumstances have prevented a walk with Bowland Climber for a long time. We maintain regular contact with mutual blog comments, emails, phone conversations and visits. At last circumstances have aligned to allow a get together again for a walk. 

Although I can do six miles with relative ease I have to take the slightest gradients slowly and BC being aware of this, and considerate, had found an almost gradient free route only fifteen minutes drive from my home. I have done most of this popular walk but many years ago.

At Levens a slip road shortcut connects the A590 with the old A6 with an extensive lay-by facility  used by car sharers  and walkers. My daughter and I have used this on occasions when Daughter could not take granddaughter Katie to school at Barrow and I would rendezvous with one of her colleagues who lives in Kendal to drop off and pick up Katie.

A large part of this walk goes through the parkland of the Levens Hall estate. Our well founded track follows high above the River Kent and is lined with massive beech trees which must be hundreds of years old. There is also a herd of rare Bagot goats roaming; we did see some but too far away for a photo. At one point BC disappeared until I saw him across the grassland attempting to get the whole of one of the giant beech trees into photo frame.

The river far below follows a twisting course with alternating seductive pools and then fast running water. I have walked the whole of this river wherever that is possible right back into upper Kentmere to Kentmere Reservoir and beyond to its source;  a part of the Lake District with many memories. We walked as far as Natland then headed back closer to the eastern banks of the River Kent on a path not familiar to me with sightings of the river with long dark pools of that brown but crystal clear water like good bitter beer inviting one for a swim.

We found a bench overlooking one such stretch of the river for sandwiches and coffee.  We had only just seated ourselves when a couple with dog appeared and we wondered if they had been anticipating the use of this well placed seat only to find it occupied,  an occurrence I have suffered from myself on many occasions.

Near Low Sizer we had crossed the river again by a well engineered suspension bridge with a warning notice restricting people to a maximum of twenty five. It did sway as we crossed and I wouldn't much like to have been on it with more people, and much less so with the permitted twenty five

A short stretch of tarmac walking took us to a cul-de-sac offshoot where the continuation  encountered the A590 with an ingeniously constructed underpass, a part of the walk that was definitely new to me and again giving more rewarding views of the Kent river. Once on the other side of the A 590 a wide close cropped footpath back though the Leven parkland  had us back to Levens and our car. A most enjoyable six miles in good company.

Looking up the River Kent from close to our car parking - we entered the parkland from this bridge.

Huge beech trees. How many people to link up all the way round?

BC disappeared to get a good photo of the trees

Enticing glimpses of the varied river far below

There is a badly eroded bench mark on the middle keystone, see below. Note here we were following the upper reaches of the Lancaster Canal now drained. It terminates in Kendal. I have previously walked its whole length as recorded in numerous posts on this blog

The bench mark even now difficult to see but more apparent in real life

Sedgwick Hall, Now converted into apartments

Skew bridge/aqueduct carrying the canal (now drained at this stage) The skew bridge is a masterpiece of stonework engineering

Perhaps a feisty sheep longed to get into the next field only to find its efforts thwarted by continuation of the ironwork on the other side?

This swallow (I think) was being fed periodically by its parent as it sat waiting. Attempts to get the feeding action on photo failed. This shot was taken on full zoom then enlarged again snd cropped in Photoshop Elements so detail not bad considering

Our lunch bench was higher up this slope

Twenty five maximum people only permitted. It swayed enough with just BC and myself

Preparing to go under the A590