High Arnside Knott

Rising from the Kent estuary to form a defiant outpost of resilient limestone, the heights of Arnside Knott are part of the Arnside-Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Bedecked with magnificent oak and mixed woods, rocky scree, hummocky grass, scattered bushes and the airy delights of steep open hillside, the hills also have the salty tang of the Kent Estuary, which floods out into Morecambe Bay. Above the trees, to the north, the panoramic view of the high fells of Lakeland is spectacular. There are many spots where you can enjoy this view, but none better than the toposcope (view indicator) below and west of the summit.

On the sands

The little town of Arnside, with its station, viaduct crossing the estuary, and elegant white limestone buildings, exudes a quiet feeling of Victorian affluence. Local children used to be thrilled by the tales of the Arnside Bore, a wave that runs in at the front of a rising tide; it still presents a dramatic sight but also great danger out on the sands, as the tide floods in at a gallop. A warning siren is sounded at the start of an incoming tide – heed its call.

On selected days every summer, Arnside is also the starting point for the famous Cross-Bay Walks. Usually hundreds take part, following the guide on a carefully planned course across the sands of Morecambe Bay, wading through channels to come ashore at Kents Bank for the 10-minute return journey by train. The ever-shifting sands mean that the route is never exactly the same twice. It’s all done for pleasure now, but before the days of roads and railways this was a regular route of travel. The dangers were such that the office of Queen’s Guide to the Sands was created in 1548. Cedric Robinson died in Nov 2021, having retired in 2019 after 56 years. The current holder of the King’s Guide to the Sands is Michael Wilson.

Walk along the promenade. At the end of the surfaced road, by the entrance to Ashmeadow House, a walkway to the right continues above the sands. Continue along the path until it joins the foreshore. Continuing beneath Grubbins Wood, the path crosses mud, pebbles and a polished limestone outcrop before it rounds a little headland to join a track. Depending on the tide, it may seem attractive to walk along the sands on the foreshore. This isn’t recommended as quicksands are prevalent here and are undetectable until you sink.

Turn right to New Barns Caravan Park; before the buildings, bear right past a barrier, initially following a clear track and then along the foreshore. Round Frith Wood, following the path beneath the trees, high on the pebble beach. Keep on to rocky Blackstone Point. You may have to wait to round it if the tide is high.

Having rounded Blackstone Point, enter the little bay of White Creek. Keep to the back of the little bay, past a shingle bank and a limestone outcrop with two benches on top of it. About 150yds (137m) beyond this outcrop, a break in the low cliffs allows you to clamber up into the trees and join a reasonably clear path. Turn right on this – along the coastal fringe of the woods of Arnside Park.

Round Park Point and continue along the edge. Eventually a stone wall slants up the slope. Go up to the left to join another track in the woods, signed ‘Far Arnside, Silverdale’. Go right and continue through the gate, soon entering a caravan site. Take the left, higher road and then keep straight on, along Pebble Row and Cliff Drive, to exit the site. Continue to a squeeze stile and gate on the left, signed ‘Public Footpath Arnside via The Knott’. Follow the fenced path to Hollins Farm and exit by a stile.

Go left through two gates, then bear right, following the path up the hillside of Heathwaite. A gate leads through the wall and out onto a track in the woods. Go straight across and ascend the stony track, curving up a steep section. At a fork bear left, soon reaching a little gate. Once through this, bear right to climb steeply to the toposcope. Follow the path through a gate and back into the wood. Keep to the clearest path and then turn left at a junction. Continue up to a bench near the summit of Arnside Knott. Paths on the right lead to the trig point, hidden by trees.

Bear left from the bench and descend to a gate in a wall. Follow a wide green path down the open field of Red Hills, bearing right to the bottom corner of the field where a gate enters the woods. Descend the track through the woods to a road. Turn left; soon the road doubles back and descends to a larger road. Go right along this to Silverdale Road. Turn left down to the seafront.