Cumbria walk: Milnthorpe, Kent Estuary and Dallam Tower

The village of Milnthorpe straddles the A6 which before the M6 was the main road north to Carlisle. This is still a busy road in summer when coaches and cars packed with tourists make their way to the Lake District.

Before the motorway, this road must have been a nightmare as it would be carrying a huge volume of traffic and Milnthorpe with its village centre crossroads would have been a real bottleneck.

And even before the arrival of the internal combustion engine, Milnthorpe was a major stagecoach stopping point. Sitting by the Market Cross in the square it is easy to imagine the bustle as the stagecoach of passengers arrived.

Milnthorpe was also once a busy port, and this added to its importance as a commercial centre. The river Bela is a tributary to the river Kent that flows into Morecambe Bay and was navigable up to the village but as the Kent estuary silted up this became impossible. I am happy to say there are lots of lovely walks to be had from here.

Great British Life: By the river Bela. By the river Bela. (Image: John Lenehan)

1. Leave the car park and turn left and follow Park Road downhill. Reach a footpath sign on the left pointing up The Strand, don’t take this but take the next footpath sign a few yards further on, on the left and cross the bridge over the river Bela then cross the stile and turn right and follow the path towards Dallam Tower.

Note: Dallam Tower is a grade one listed building and was built in 1720-23. It is not open to the public except as a wedding venue.

2. Reach and cross a stile into the drive of Dallam Tower then turn right and follow the drive to the main road. Cross this and the stile facing, and keep on the path with the river on the right and cross a stile then keep on the path to another stile.

Cross the stile and turn left then keep on with the wire fence on the left and eventually the path goes uphill to reach a stile. Cross this and turn right following the track along a disused railway embankment to join the main road.

Note: This stretch of the walk passes through an area called Summerhouse Point because the owners of Dallam Tower had a summerhouse here. The railway was the Arnside to Hincaster Line and was taken up in 1966. A short section from Arnside to Sandside remained until 1972.

3. Cross the main road, then turn right and keep left and follow a road towards the Tarmac Quarry then turn first left up a single-track road. Keep on until the road reaches a point where a track goes left at a wooden gate with some metal posts on the roadside. Directly opposite the track on the right of the road there is a stile by a gate, cross the stile and follow the path steeply uphill with a wall to your left.

Take time to look at the incredibly beautiful view over the Kent Estuary behind as you climb the hill.

The wall reaches a gateway on the left and at this point bear diagonally right and follow the path to reach a stile leading into a wood. There is a sign saying ‘Wildlife Area, Keep Dogs Under Control’. Cross the stile and turn right, then follow the narrow path through the woods and keep on it as it goes downhill to reach a wooden gate with a stile next to it, cross the stile and join a track.

Great British Life: Be sure to appreciate the views on the way up to Haverbrack. Be sure to appreciate the views on the way up to Haverbrack.

4. Reach a track junction and turn left, following the sign that says ‘Haverbrack’ and keep on the wide track and follow this down to and through the hamlet of Haverbrack then cross the road and the stile opposite and follow the path through the field.

5. Cross a high gate stile and the drive of Dallam Tower, then cross the stile opposite and follow the yellow footpath markers on the path to reach the bridge crossed at the start of the walk. Cross this and reverse the route back to the car park.

Great British Life: Looking to Warton Crag. Looking to Warton Crag. (Image: John Lenehan)