The Surprising Hills of South Lakeland

Lockdown, sensible precautions and a stuffed up leg has meant we've been exploring some very different parts of Cumbria recently.  To be fair, we started out in January with the intention of "not walking anywhere we've walked before" and that was all going rather well, up until mid March...  For a few months we kind of stuck to that theme by exploring all the paths we'd never taken through Eggerslack Woods - just over the road from us - then we gradually explored further afield and were about to hit the big hills again when 'leg-gate' stopped me in my tracks.  Literally.

So, low hills and easy toddles have been the order of the day.  The thing that we've noticed is that each time we pop out on the top of a local hillside is how surprised we are with the views.  I completely understand the draw of the high fells, but there is much joy and beauty to be found in the smaller hills, not to mention a lot more peace and quiet.

The other big plus is that many of the smaller hills have benches - very handy for resting dodgy legs as well as making perfect picnic spots.  And on top of all that, there's a lot of limestone in the South Lakes so, even where benches are scarce, there's still somewhere to sit.

Anyway, enough waffle, here are five of our favourite small, local, hills.

Whitbarrow Scar

Whitbarrow Scar was one of the first hills I climbed in the area.  When we were camped up here and looking for a house we were staying nearby and often tootled up to the summit.  There are several routes to the top and, once you're up there, there's a long undulating ridge of craggy limestone with extenstive views of the fells from the northern end and stunning views of Morecambe Bay from the southern tip.  Plus plenty of perfect picnic spots.  Honestly, we love it so much we were even up there on Christmas Day 2019 and enjoyed a turkey sandwich on the top.  Perfect!

Scout Scar

While we're on the subject of scars, the next one along from Whitbarrow is Scout Scar.  The big plus for us this year has been that Scout Scar requires very little effort for very big views.  The car park is an easy walk from the main ridge and many's the time we've stopped off there on the way home from somewhere else to finish our flask of tea on one of the perfectly positioned benches.  It's also 'juniper central' with dozens of juniper bushes scattered around the limestone scrub.  It's a popular local walk but there are plenty of criss-crossing footpaths and wide open spaces, so plenty of room for everyone. 

Hoad Hill

Certainly the most popular of all the hills in this blog, but it's the only one that has a scale replica of a lighthouse on it, so how can I miss it out?  The thing with The Hoad is that most folks go up and down the same route at the front, which is all well and good as the views are superb, but they miss out on a very lovely, and gentle, descent around the back.  Honestly, it's really easy to spot on an OS map and very easy to follow - it will lead along a lovely enclosed path and past a fabulously detailed infoboard telling you all you need to know about the area.  Not that my life revolves around tea and cake, but around the foot of the pepperpot (as it's known locally) there is plenty of seating so you can put your feet up and enjoy the view.

The Helm

Sorry for the rubbish photo, but the weather was very grey that day.  The views, however, were still stunning!  The Helm is tucked away to the south east of Kendal, just above Oxenholme (look for the station on the map and you'll soon spot The Helm!).  There's limited parking along the tiny road alond the base of the hill and plenty of paths leading up to the summit.  Once up there the panoramic views will definitely take you by surprise - even on a cloudy day there were perfect moody views of the Langdale Pikes, the Howgills, Hutton Roof Crags and Morecambe Bay.  I'd have to mark it down for picnic spots, but with Kendal on your doorstep you'll not be far from tea and cake.

Dixon Heights

Remember the end of lockdown, when everyone went a bit nuts and Cumbria was absolutely rammed with people?  Well, we went off for a full day hike around Dixon Heights (just before I stuffed my leg).  It's just above Lindale and is open access land with plenty of paths as well as lots of opportunities to make your own route.  We spent over 6 hours wandering around in the sunshine, enjoyed a long lazy lunch and generally had a fabulous time and didn't see another soul all day. Call me antisocial but, for me, that was pretty much a perfect day.

We absolutely LOVE exploring hidden away corners and finding out more about them.  There are loads of great stories and ideas for places to visit in our books - please feel free to browse our bookshelves here.  I know they are available elsewhere online, but we are a small local business and would really appreciate your support. Thank you.

Going to extremes in Cumbria

One of my favourite things about Cumbria is the sheer variety of things to see and do all within such a relatively small place.  You can easily drive around the county in a day and most journey times (apart from on sunny bank holidays) are under an hour.  To prove my point, here's what we did yesterday...

Scout Scar - barren limestone landscape

On the "hottest bank holiday ever" (until next year probably) it can be hard to find peace and quiet (if that's what you're after) but Scout Scar, just outside Kendal, is perfect.  There's a large free (honesty box) car park right next to an easy path up onto a spectacular ridge - in fact I'd say it probably has the best legwork to view ratio in the whole of the county (that really needs to be a thing - could we do it mathematically?  The number of steps to the view : the awesomeness of the view?)

As well as the spectacular views there are also loads of gorgeous benches from which to enjoy them.

It really was baking hot and, as you can see, there wasn't a lot of shade so our next stop was...

Brockhole Visitor Centre - Family fun!

Lots of folks can be pretty rude about the bank holiday crowds but what could be better than seeing lots of families, all out and enjoying the sunshine together?  Brockhole has tons of things to offer from peaceful gardens to high adrenaline activities to gentle pony treks around the grounds.

It also has this tucked away bench with jaw dropping views - definitely one I'll be heading to next time.

The Gaddum - dining delight!

We were booked in for afternoon tea in the new restaurant at Brockhole - named after the original owners The Gaddum is a glorious oasis of elegant calm.  I'll be honest, I generally feel out of my depth in "posh places" but Michael and his team are so utterly lovely that we were completely at ease.

The Gaddum is set in Mr Gaddum's original dining room and legend has it that after he'd finished entertaining he'd step next door into his orangery to pick fresh fruit for his guests. In these days of year round produce that doesn't sound very awe-inspiring, but it must have been pretty impressive back in the day.

Orangery

As well as afternoon tea (also available as vegetarian and/ or gluten free - just book ahead), they also offer rather lovely looking lunches and will be adding evening meals to their repertoire very soon - and the best part is that every penny they earn helps to protect the National Park; as Micheal put it "Spending here supports here".

I only ate it to support the National Park, honest I did...

The range of teas from Quinteassential are superb and it would have been a sin not to be a little adventurous (White Elixer for him and Mint & Caramel for me).  The attention to detail is lovely and pretty much everything has been done by local crafts people.  Michael was keen to point out all the hidden details and also passed on a few of his tips for cooking the perfect scone.  Ask me nicely and I might tell you what they were...

Harnknott Roman Fort - adrenaline fuelled history lesson

Hardknott Pass is surely one of the most spectacular drives in England - and definitely not one to do in either bad weather or when it's busy.  After our afternoon tea the weather was perfect, it was getting late and, as most folks had already headed home, we headed up.  We passed a few cars but when we were at the fort we had the whole place to ourselves.

Of all the many historical/ Roman places I've visited this is, for me, the most evocative - I can really imagine what it must have been like to be stationed at what is now an isolated outpost but was then a stopping point on an important communications route.  Glorious on a warm summer evening but wild and scary during the winter months.

It's also the one with most impressive views and the most spectacular backdrop.

Much as I would have loved to whip a tent out of the back of the car - or simply curl up in the back seat for the night to make the most of this incredible location, sadly work the next morning called so we had to head home.

From barren limestone landscapes to raucous family fun and from afternoon tea elegance to white knuckle driving routes and jaw dropping views all in the space of a few hours - I'm pretty sure that no other county can match Cumbria for breathtaking variety,  (And if you want to disagree I'm going to require photos to prove it! 😀 )



If history and variety is your thing then you'll find plenty of both in our books - soon to be joined by two more so watch this space! Click the pic to find out more & order yours.  😀

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The 5 finest benches in Cumbria

When it comes to enjoying a good sit down with a cracking view, Cumbria really sets the benchmark (you see what I did there?).  These days life seems to be lived at high speed, so what better antidote than to park your bum for while, sit back and enjoy the view?  Here are five of my favourites...

The Blencathra Bench

There's only one thing better than climbing Blencathra and that's sitting down and looking at Blencathra and there's no finer bench to do it from than this on.  There's no big climb required either - it's simply a gentle stroll along the old disused railway.  It would be hard to find more perfect sarnie spot in the whole of the land.

The bench on The Band

OK, this one requires a bit of a hike but, come on, look at those views - it's absolutely worth it!  Next time you're in the Langdale Valley, instead of joining everyone else on the walk up to Stickle Tarn follow the route up onto The Band instead and, just as you draw level with the Langdale Pikes up pops this little beauty.  Perfect in Summer but super special when there's snow on the fell tops.


The Inspirational Bench

I've blogged before about Orrest Head being one of the most important, and spectacular, views in the whole of the county so it's no surprise that there's no shortage of benches at the summit.  Although it requires a bit of a walk there's a very easy route up from Bowness.  It's a popular spot so you're unlikely to have the place to yourself but don't panic, there are plenty of benches up there (this is my favourite though!)

The hidden away bench

Scout Scar is just to the west of Kendal (and I mean 'just') - there are a couple of lovely big car parks and a stunning, largely flat, walk out along the top of the scar with sweeping views racing away in every direction.  There's even a giant mushroom you can sit it with a guide to the surrounding fells.  I'm often saying that fab town of Kendal is overlooked when it comes to Cumbrian destinations, and what better place to overlook it from than right here.

The Busiest Bench

There is just about zero chance of you getting this bench to yourself, at least not for very long. Before you've got the lid off your Thermos there'll be someone else loitering nearby ready to leap into your place should you leave - but it is a truly fine bench.  For those that haven't spotted where it is, it's the bench at Friar's Crag overlooking Derwent Water - a glorious place to be, even on a day when the weather isn't quite perfect.