Walking Forum
Regions - Trip reports, destination advice, recommended routes, etc. => Lake District => Topic started by: richardh1905 on 21:38:48, 20/01/20
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A short trip report of a half day walk up Whitbarrow, the Lake District's most prominent limestone scar.
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We started at Mill Side, where there is ample parking on the old road that runs parallel to the busy A590.
The traffic noise was soon left behind as we headed up the valley to the west of Whitbarrow.
(https://i.ibb.co/bmKvqLC/01-Beck-Head-Resurgence.jpg)
The resurgence at Beck Head - the beck bubbles out from beneath the limestone cliff
There is a permitted path that skirts pleasantly through mixed woodland below the cliffs, but eventually we had to bite the bullet and tackle the steep climb up through a breach in the hill's defences.
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A particularly beautiful birch tree
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The permitted path through mixed woodland below Whitbarrow Scar
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An avenue of beech trees
After some hard work, we arrived on the plateau, the woodland thinning out, and the views northwards opening out - the Helvellyn range looked particularly grand.
(https://i.ibb.co/JFf4P3f/06-Birch-And-Juniper.jpg)
Birch woodland thinning out. Note the sprawling juniper trees.
(https://i.ibb.co/h7DH4ZR/06-Stunted-Birch.jpg)
Wind blasted birch - life must be hard up here!
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The Helvellyn range and the High Street hills
There were quite a few people at the summit cairn on the highest point, Lords Seat, so we didn't stop. A path leads southwards along the ridge through some delightful country, limestone scarps; juniper and yew contorted by the wind; limestone country at it's best.
(https://i.ibb.co/ygQRc2f/08-Limestone-Country.jpg)
Limestone country
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Limestone crag with windblown yew
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Sunlit Howgills in the distance
(https://i.ibb.co/Hqwft5K/11-Whitbarrow-Plateau.jpg)
Looking back towards Lords Seat, the highest point to the right. I can just make out the cairn.
(https://i.ibb.co/0njN2jY/12-Gummers-How-And-Whitbarrow.jpg)
Contrast between Gummers How (left) and the Whitbarrow limestone country.
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Upper Kent Estuary, with Farleton Fell and Hutton Roof beyond
The descent from the south top is steep and muddy, and takes a few twists and turns to avoid the cliffs. The path is waymarked. We were pleased to get into the woodland again as a keen wind was blowing.
(https://i.ibb.co/DpHnggv/14-Steep-Woodland.jpg)
Heavily wooded hillside on the descent
The limestone country of South Cumbria is usually overlooked in favour of the higher fells, but there are some delightful valleys and dramatic limestone scars to explore, more intimate that the Yorkshire Dales, in my opinion.
And, an hour or two later....
(https://i.ibb.co/ChRn5mS/15-Heversham-Sunset.jpg)
Sunset from Heversham on the other side of the Kent.
https://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MjgwMjg5Mg%3D%3D (https://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MjgwMjg5Mg%3D%3D)
PS - the Derby Arms in Witherslack is well worth a visit.
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Lovely, interesting photos, Richard :) Beautiful woodlands
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Fantastic photos again Richard O0
Whitbarrow is another hill that I have driven past loads of times and promised myself I'd climb one day :)
Glad to see you are taking your responsibilities as the south Lakes correspondent seriously. Keep up the good work :D
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Great pictures of the scar and trees, much underrated walking country being so close to the mountains. O0
The windswept trees bending in unison create a strange atmosphere.
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Thanks Karl, VG.
I love limestone country. The difference between the Cumbrian limestone country and the Yorkshire Dales is that the former seems to be so much more intimate: isolated limestone ridges separated by delightful verdant valleys. I love the contrast, the rock formations, the scattered trees, and not knowing what is around the next corner - I was not aware of the substantial resurgence at Beck Head, for example. And the views of the Lakeland fells and the Howgills are magnificent.
Much as I like the Yorkshire Dales, the limestone areas seem much more barren in comparison - on a recent walk up Ingleborough we hardly passed a tree - the ground stripped bare by overgrazing.
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One thing that I neglected to mention is that there is a small 'day bothy' by the track at Beck Head - a room on the end of a barn where you can come in, have a seat and make yourself a cup of tea for 40p. A local artist makes interesting sculptures out of bent steamed wood in the rest of the building.
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I love all that limestone. It's an area I only started to explore a few years ago, mainly because the flowers and butterflies are so good in the spring and summer, but I keep going back. So handy on the way back to Scotland after visiting family down south. Lovely to have it on your doorstep.
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A lovely place if you get to choose when to go yourself. My daughter teaches at Witherslack Hall and as a new starter one of the jobs she got was to man a cross country checkpoint on top of The Scar in the middle of winter.
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It is indeed lovely to have it on my doorstep - a few minutes walk takes me on to Hampsfell.
I was out with the dog today in the Winster valley; looped around to the north of Yewbarrow and passed Witherslack Hall - what a fine place to work!
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Lovely pics, particularly the long views and the wind sculptured trees. O0
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Great pics Richard O0
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Thanks Ridge, Tracey :)
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Lovely pics Richard O0
Another fell I don't know, thank you for accepting the post of South Lakes Correspondent and posting about it :)
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Lovely pics Richard O0
Another fell I don't know, thank you for accepting the post of South Lakes Correspondent and posting about it :)
Thanks April - Whitbarrow is well worth a visit. :)
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Great pics and write up Richard. Love the windblown Birch trees :)
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Thanks again, Mel - some superb windblown trees on Humphrey Head too, a dramatic finger of limestone sticking out into Morecambe Bay.