The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 1.54 miles (2.48km). If you fancy a longer walk you can start from Arnside village
Time to walk: Just over 1 hour but, if the weather’s good then you’ll probably want to sit on some of the benches & admire the amazing views over the lakes
Difficulty: Mainly off road & steep in places
Parking: Arnside Knott National Tust Car Park postcode LA5 0BP
Public toilets: None
Map of the route:
Arnside Knott is just a wonderful place!
Whilst this walk will give you some structure, this is just a place to stroll around & explore. It’s a 522 foot high hill near the village of Arnside. Although technically in the South Lakeland district it’s not in the Lake District National Park, lying south of the River Kent which forms the south eastern boundary of the national park
It’s within the Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty & is National Trust property
As it lies at the top end of Morecambe Bay, when the tide comes up the river it creates a bore wave. So try & time your visit to the village to watch it. We were lucky. Click on the video below to watch the speed it comes up…
Arnside Knott is the lowest “Marilyn” (i.e. a hill with at least 150m of topographic prominence) in England
Shall we go & explore then?
Let’s Walk!
1. We parked for free in the National Trust Car Park. It takes a bit of finding, but keep heading up the single track road that leads to a rough track & eventually you’ll arrive at it.
After parking walk back along the track you drove along…
2. After a 100 yards or so look for a narrow stony path on the right, beside the tree, that starts to climb up the hillside
This is quite steep climbing but trust me…you will be rewarded
3. Eventually you’ll arrive at a stone shelter…
…with a fantastic topography of the Lakeland Fells you can see ahead of you
Here’s some pages from a local book we found explaining you’re looking at
The views are spectacular
4. Look right to see the magnificent railway crossing over the river…
The railway line opened in 1857, & the viaduct was rebuilt in 1915. There are a total of 50 piers, & the viaduct is 522 yards long. To construct the viaduct, the contractors developed a novel method of pile driving into the sand using high-powered water jets. It’s fabulous, especially when you see a train cross
5. Continue the climb to your left towards the woods…
…passing through the gate
6. The path opens up so keep bearing left…
On the left look for what remains of the ‘knotted trees’. These were two trees that were planted near each other & them knotted together. Today not much of them remain…
7. Slightly ahead you reach the highest point of the Knott where there’s the most wonderful bench. Hopefully they’ll be someone there to take a picture of you with the Lakeland Fells in the background like there was for us
Follow the arrow slightly left down to a stone wall…
On reaching the wall bear right…
8. This is a fabulous wood full of old yew trees…
Follow the path as it continues down through the wood
9. Eventually you’ll arrive at another stone wall…
Bear right & follow it down the hill
10. Just before the bottom of the hill look for a path on the right (the one above the one next to the wall)…
Now follow this along a wonderful woodland track…
If you have a look to the left through the trees you might just catch a glimpse of Arnside Tower…
Arnside Tower was built in the second half of the 15th century. Tower houses were built throughout the border regions of northern England & southern Scotland because of the threat posed by Border Reivers. Constructed of limestone rubble, the tower was originally five storeys high, measuring 50 feet by 34 feet. The tower was built with an adjacent wing of equal height built onto the side of the tower in a style common in Scotland, but rare in English tower houses
11. Pass the scree slopes on your right. Take deep breaths to smell the wild marjoram & oergano
12. To finish this walk it’s now simply a case of continuing to follow the well marked path through various gates to arrive back at the car park
So that’s it. We loved Arnside Knott – such a beautiful spot &, on a clear day, incredible views over the Lake District Fells
Also if you visit Arnside Village head for the ice cream shop & try one of Wallings Whisky & Marmalade Ice Creams – simply awesome
Go Walk!