Oxen Park and Three Foot Oak

 Wednesday 30th July 2025

Driving from the east there is no direct approach to the start of this walk at Oxen Park. Whatever route one chooses narrow twisty lanes prevail.This an area of isolated farms, cul-de-sac roads, old bridleways and terrain only suitable for sheep farming, and as such, rewarding for walking. The fringes of the Lake District are still rarely visited and provide excellent peaceful and interesting day walks, but be prepared for rarely walked overgrown footpaths, a challenge to the connoisseur devotees of country exploration. 

As I plotted this route on the OS 1:25 map I noticed the intriguing location named Three Foot Oak, a must for further investigation, but more of that later.

I was able to park near  the defunct telephone box in Oxen Park. My first error of judgment from my plotting arose from extending the walk to make it into a respectable five miles.  I had opted to walk north up the road to take a track from which a footpath doubled back to take me almost back to Oxen Park to join my main route from there for my circuit. That footpath branching back was indistinct, overgrown with nettles and lush deep wet foliage, but that's all part of the fun?

Steady climbing on a good path followed all the way to the farm at Abbot Park. That is now established as an attractive looking camp site. There was a smart, purpose built toilet and shower block which appeared to be open to anybody passing by which could be a bonus to any walkers who may have need.

Climbing continued through varied pleasant pastures, woods and streams to arrive at my high point of Stock Farm situated at the end of one of those cul-de-sac roads. I continued now on a  more level old bridleway permitted for vehicles, but only practical for the 4WD drive variety. 

I was now approaching Three Foot Oak. I had searched the Internet but only found a site that listed a six figure OS Grid reference, that is to within a one meter square! I have since measured the distance on the map from the track and it is about 50 meters. If there had been anything to see I would have seen it. The terrain was moorland in nature and unlikely to support significant tree growth, and it descended steeply through impenetrable reeds and huge tussocks. There was no way I was going to venture even for that modest fifty meters.  So much for this mystery. Several hundred meters away I could see a prominent tree which may, or may  not have been an oak, but its location bore no relation to the grid reference. If anybody can find out more please, please let me know.

The undulating track continued, now with that on-top-of-the world feeling and all was joy. I could even see Morecambe Bay away in the distance to the south. Since Stock Farm I was passed by one lone mountain biker, and later by a party of three others, but thankfully no 4WDs

I had been looking for somewhere to stop for my coffee and sandwich, always a problem. At Ickenthwaite, just a farm and holiday cottages, there was a bench outside an unoccupied cottage. There  I lingered and took in in the ambience of this attractive area before completing the last mile or so back to Oxen Park.

Leaving the road for the track. A footpath branched off taking me nearly back to Oxen Park

The overgrown path doubling back nearly to Oxen Park, and below

There were sections of steep uphill through head high bracken

Approaching Abbot Park farm. Camp site, and toilet apparently available to passers by - see below

Click to enlarge, quite interesting

Toilets and showers at Abboot Park farm

Now on the bridleway after Stock Farm

Zoom to Morecambe Bay

Three Foot Oak location is fifty yards steeply down this rough terrain. The distant tree right of centre is zoomed to below but its location is nowhere near the grid reference I had  found

lunch stop. Ickenthwaite

Clockwise from Oxen Park