Beetham and Marble Quarry

 Wednesday 8th October 2025

Tuesday evening. I am watching rubbishTV,  and perhaps idly forming some sort of plan for the morrow. The phone rings. Bowland Climber offers me a walk for next day, and in my territory. Brilliant!

BC duly arrives at 10:15. I am ready and straight out of the door with rucksack and sandwiches and coffee sorted, and so starts a day of non-stop conversation and catch-up.

We set off from the corn mill at Beetham. BC seems to have the ability to find footpaths on my home ground that I've never walked before or did so twenrty years ago now dimmed from my memory. A few yards off the path, in private land, is an ancient oak tree. A small notice is attached, but it is too distant to read. I take a zoom shot and the result is shown below (click to enlarge) but I am non the wiser. Any explanations?

Gentle climbing takes us through limestone sheep pasture, it is all limestone here in this AONB. We enter old deciduous woodland and the climbing steepens. In the absence of old churches BC  turns his attention to another of his interests because this is the time of year for fungi. I make a contribution with a couple of photos, but I'm sure there will be many more on BC's post.

We top out and find ourselves teetering across an impressive expanse of limestone pavement, care is needed to avoid breaking an ankle down a grike or clint, not sure which is which.We are still in extensive old woodland, but there is a mysterious blank white circle on the OS map marked "Marble Quarry. We go off track to investigate. There is indeed a circular clearing of the woodland, perhaps a few hundred yards in diameter but no indication of quarrying. Internet searching suggests thst this was maybe Victorian wishful thinking relating to an area where they had purloined quantities of limestone; all a bit odd.

We press on, now on a road and familiar to me as we head for the footpath turnoff to Fairy Steps. We pass a strangeley named house. "The Tridlings" which I have mentioned on a prrviuous post. If you had to guess you would never come up with the definition I unearthed: "rabbit droppings!"

Before embarking on the descent of Fairy Steps (see phots below) we sit and take our food break, perhaps to build up strength and be sufficiently rested for the challenge. The myth is that if you can ascend without using hands you will be granted a wish. I'm not sure what you get for descending but that is irrelevant because hands were definitely employed by both of us.

More level walking on good paths, still through birch ,yew, and mixed woodland to eventually arrive at Dallam deer park with a tough little climb over the top and back down to Heron Mill car park. That was a splendid outing and so much the better for me bing roused from my musings and banal TV watchings the previous evening.

Beetham village and war memorial

The stocks

The old oak tree with the little notice atached. See zoom shot below

CLICK TO ENLARGE.
 Why this notice on private land and too small to read from the public footpath?

?

Turn right here, up into the woods and the limestone pavement

Autumn has arrived

Fairy Steps. I don't think this is a fairy

Secret and mysterious little tarn at Haverbrack - on private land

Start and finish at Beetham