Cunswick and Scout Scars from Kendal
This walk has great views over its seven and a half
miles, but is a desert as far as any refreshments are concerned and therefore
as I estimate it will take most people about four hours to complete then arming
yourself with at the very least a drink is strongly advised. When you reach the
bottom of Captain French Lane there are numerous places for a drink or a meal.
Full walk 7.5 miles or 12Klm. Short walk 3.3 miles 5.5Klms.
Starting from the Victorian Town Hall on Highgate cross
the road into Allhallows Lane. Here you will pass by an interesting collection
of independent shops and food outlets on the right hand side, whilst the left
hand side is dominated by three public houses, the most striking is probably
the Miles Thompson with its 70 foot high chimney, originally a municipal bath
and laundry, and later used as council offices. As the road turns left by the
Black Swan turn right into Low Fellside, and then very shortly turn left into
Sepulchre Lane, a steep cobbled way the hand rails being here for that reason.
At the top of the lane is an interesting plaque by The Kendal Civic Society
telling you about the burial ground which you can step into through the old
door way. From the top of the lane carry straight on for 50 meters then bear
right downhill into Cliff lane passing the former Allhallows Church now converted
into housing. Go down the steps and across the little square with benches. Turn
left up Fountain Brow and note the steps over the cobbled surface water drain
to the front doors of the cottages. Keep on up the steps turning right at the
T junction by a high stone wall, and then left into Rosemary Hill. When you
reach road cross over and take the steps opposite and then turn left uphill.
When you reach the road junction at the top turn right, being careful as you
have to step into the road slightly at this point, after about 120 meters a
broad track comes into view on the left with a finger post signed to Helsfell
Nab. Walk up this lane which levels out by a television transmitter, the views
across from here are exceptionally good. Walk straight on from here with a
stone wall to your right ignoring the paths to your left, when you reach a
wooded area the path becomes very rocky and climbs steeply to a disused quarry.
The path becomes a little indistinct here but head out diagonally right. Almost
immediately there is a wall stile on the right with a small iron gate, take
this path following a stone wall on your right going downhill towards a wood,
keep on this path until it reaches an open field with an electric pole on your
right, keep onto another wall stile and then head for a wall gap to the right
of what appears to be a farm barn ahead.
Once you reach the barn you can see that
this used to be both a farm house and a barn at one stage, its earlier windows
having been filled in with stone. Bearing half left behind the behind the
building climb up to a wall on the skyline amongst some trees, by the time you
reach the wooden kissing gate half way up you will have noticed just how steep
this little rise is, so take some time looking at the views which are good in
all directions. The Kendal by-pass is running past to the right of you, and you
will probably hear HGV’s struggling up this steep section, but you can’t see
them. The way is straight forward here you pass through a wooden gate on your
right then through a kissing gate into a large field. Walking straight on a
foot bridge over the by-pass is reached, cross over here pausing to look half
right to the summit cairn of Cunswick Scar the next objective. Looking straight
ahead from the bridge you can see the Langdale Pikes in front.
The walk can be
shortened here quite dramatically, instead of crossing the bridge head on up the
middle of the field parallel to the by-pass until you reach a track straight
ahead. Keep on the track which reaches some houses becoming a tarmac road past
a large quarry and down to the road. Turn left down this road, to your left as
the pavement begins are some lime kilns and a view point. Keep on straight down
this road eventually reaching the town hall.
The path up to the cairn is straight forward, after the
two gates by the bridge there is only one wall stile to climb through.
Linger
at the summit and take in the views of the Lakeland Fells, the Howgills and the
flat top of Ingleborough. Looking south there is a mast on the skyline and to
the right is a gap in the fells where you can see the Kent Estuary and
Blackpool Tower on a good day. We are making our way to the mast ahead so
retrace your steps keeping straight on past the path which you climbed up. The
route is again obvious, there are two paths and it doesn’t matter which one you
take, I normally keep to the left, there being more sunshine away from the
trees. When a row of electric poles are reached at a junction of paths turn to
the right following the path to Scout Scar car park marked on a finger post.
The official footpath route keeps close to the wall as the finger post in the
top right hand corner indicates, but a broad short cut has been made across the
field leading to a kissing gate. Once through the gate turn right almost immediately,
and as you exit the wood into a clearing beware of the steep drop to your
right, the car park being a disused quarry. Make you way clock wise round the
edge of the quarry to reach the road. Going downhill to your right is a metal
kissing gate on the left, pass through this gate taking the broad path ahead.
There are two benches on this path and the second one on the right has a good view
back towards Cunswick Scar.
The path turns round on itself and another bench to your
right affords wonderful views across the Lyth Valley, with a very steep drop off
the edge, so don’t get too close. Walking straight ahead with the valley on
your right a structure not surprisingly named the mushroom, comes into view on
your left. It was constructed in 1912 as
a four way shelter and around the inside of its domed roof a topological frieze
names the summits and features for the full 360 degrees.
After visiting the mushroom keep on along the edge of the
scar for about a mile until a farm appears on your right in the valley below,
shortly after a huge low cairn comes into view at a cross road of paths. Turn
left past the cairn, this broad path makes its way through acres of beautiful limestone
and stunted trees, and after a while Kendal comes into view.
There are two
metal kissing gates on this section the first one was built for today’s man,
the second leading onto the old Kendal racecourse was not, to save face
consider removing any rucksack and breathing in deeply before entering its trap
like confines. You are now on the old race course which opened in 1821 its
history after that is of some interest and it continued in various guises until
the early 1990’s. Make your way half left across the field the path is pretty
clear and on reaching the stone stile in the wall turn left down the road. A
pavement is soon reached on the left and takes you back over the bypass.
As
this pavement comes to an end a turning is on your right, cross over taking
this lane until just before some houses, by a walled lane on your left, turn
down this lane bearing left at the path junction. Turn right onto the road here
and after a short distance a pavement is reached. Keep straight on past houses
taking the no through road to the right. Cross over the road at the end and
continue straight on past the old school down Captain French Lane. At the
bottom of the road turn left back up towards the Town Hall.
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