National Trail Guides UK

Contents : DALES WAY


		Introduction		Day 5
		Day 1		Day 6
		Day 2		Day 7
		Day 3		Day 8
		Day 4		Day 9

THE DALES WAY RUNS FROM ILKELY (YORKSHIRE) TO BOWNESS (LAKES)

NATIONAL TRAILS GUIDES UK - DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS & GALLERIES

Day 9 :: The Final Day :: Burneside to Bowness on Windermere :: 10 miles

Each of the guide books we have looked at have given different figures for the length of the Dales Way. Our guide book for today's walk gave a total distance of 9.25 miles. We decided today to find out for certain the true length of this section of the Dale's Way. I did this using my GPS and it tracked us accurately from Burneside to the Spinnery Restaurant in Bowness, where the Dale's Way finishes. The distance is just over 10 miles.

Today started with considerable cloud cover but this soon melted away and left us with another blistering hot day, not that I was complaining. The scenery, especially towards the end, was truly breath-taking.

We began just outside Burneside, where the Dales Way runs along an enclosed pathway alongside the road. There is a stile from here leading to a narrow track that took us all the way around the side of a field and eventually to the banks of the River Kent.

We crossed several stiles and fields until reaching the river's banks. It was interesting to see the river full of water, in contrast to those in the Yorkshire Dales, which always seemed dry, probably because much of it had made its way underground through the limestone.



Joining the River Kent just outside of Burneside		River Kent near to Bowston

The track followed the riverbank for some time, with trees sometimes separating us from the water. The track was soft and grassy. We passed a weir with a stone building opposite and then walked along the edge of a field that had absolutely nothing growing on it, not even weeds, and it was flattened unlike any I had seen that had been ploughed.

This was a long field. At its end there was a set of stone stairs leading to a gap in a wall and onto the road at Bowston Bridge. We turned left and crossed the bridge and walked along the road through the small village and turned off onto a narrow track between garden fences at a point opposite to a telephone box.

This soon opened out onto a broader track servicing some attractive houses to our left, while the River Kent flowed on our right. We then joined a road and walked along it in the direction of Cowan Head. We soon approached the first houses making up this hamlet, passed between the cottages and entered a gate at the end of the road which led us back to the River Kent. At this point it was broader and there were attractive new apartments overlooking it; as fine a setting as you could find anywhere. Many locals idled around the Kent.



River Kent between Bowston and Cowan Head		River Kent at Cowan Head



Apartments overlooking the Kent at Cowan Head		Reedy riverbank

We continued on the path, an earthy track with a grass and wild flower verge on the right sporting occasional trees on the riverbank and on our left and on the opposite side of the river, open pasture land. After a while the grass verge changed to reedy scrub. We passed an old bridge spanning the River Kent and walked on. We passed a large barn on our left and our path became raised above the river.

We then came to a gate leading to a woodland but soon passed this to gain another field with a kind field track. My blisters were not bothering me today, but Carol suffered from hers quite badly. Notwithstanding her pain she refused to think about them and wouldn't let them ruin her day.

The path left the riverside and weaved up and down, left and right for a while and then rejoined the Kent. This is the river than flows through Kendal, where it is much broader and deeper.



Dales Way after leaving the woods - towards Staveley		River Kent near to Staveley

We continued until eventually coming to a gate giving access to a field and then continued along the field on an easy track, which came to an end at a wooden ladder stile. We then followed the river on a track along the river bank. We passed through another woodland, leaving it at a ladder stile to join the river bank once more and then passed through a gap in a wall where we turned right, another wall gap and then onto a broad track leading to a gate and stile away from the river and towards Staveley.

we crossed a field to another gate and a narrow track across a field, uphill and to a kissing gate at the field corner, onto a small tree lined lane. This led to the former main road between Kendal and Staveley, now largely superseded by a very busy A591, bypassing Staveley.



Lane approaching A591 to Staveley		Carol near New Hall Farm - not sure what she is doing here!



Dales Way approaching New Hall Farm		View from above New Hall Farm

We walked along the road to Staveley and crossed at Stock Bridge Farm, where there was an obscure Dales Way sign. We walked in front of a terrace of houses along a rutted lane and under a railway bridge where there was a stile to a continuation of the rutted track. At another stile we entered a field and walked along a wall on our right, leaving it at Moss Side. There was a fine view from here of the hills towards Yorkshire. We came out onto Crook road which spans the new bypass, and walked left along it to a lane on our right. This took us pleasantly uphill to some houses, at the end of which we turned left along a hedge lined lane to a gate giving access to a path on the field beyond.

This soon led to another gate and a path along the edge of a wood on our left and then to another gate and field. We walked steeply uphill and could see ahead of us New Hall Farm. Just before the farm the path joined a minor road between unfenced pasture and took us past the farm, through a metal gate and steeply uphill past three young farm boys controlling a large bonfire.

The road seemed to go uphill for a very long time and as the perspiration dripped down my face flies continually buzzed me, seeming to take delight in attacking my ears and eyelashes. My arms eventually tired from swatting them. Carol just ignored her flies.

There were very good views from either side of this road of the Lakeland mountains. Each side of the road had a dense growth of ferns, which seemed to harbour an increasing number of flies. Eventually we crested the hill and walked downhill, where there was a T junction with another road. We turned right and walked past Fell Plain Farm on our left, and continued uphill and past Glen Farm on our right.



Dales Way along a copse near to Crag House Farm		Approaching Crag House Farm



Carol climbing to Crag House Farm		Outrun Nook Farm

Shortly after this we left the road at a signposted green lane which had a very rough stony track, still running between ferns, and still with an over-abundance of flies. We here stopped to eat our lunch - a boiled egg, tuna fish and cucumber sandwich, an orange and dates. We then moved on, the lane seeming to last forever, until leaving it at a gate on the right (not the one directly in front) which took us, happily, away from the ferns and flies and onto open access land with a lovely grassy track.

This went on for some considerable distance, mostly downhill. We passed through a gap in the wall and followed to the left of a copse of conifers. At the end of the copse we then followed a rougher track along the edge of more trees and a stream below. The track became stony at some points but it was mostly dried earth. We walked between gorse bushes and down to a gate, to continue between more gorse bushes.

This was a very pleasant path and the smells and scenery were wonderful. We came to another gate leading to a field of cattle at Crag House Farm. We passed at the side of a stream that was about 6 feet long, seemingly coming from nowhere and going deep underground.

We walked uphill towards the farm, entering by a gate and walked along a rutted track along its right side with a stone wall on our right. We continued on, passing through a gate until reaching Outrun Nook Farm on a path curving to our left which led to a kissing gate through a stone wall where we turned right.



The Dales Way turns left into Hag End Farm		Petros and his family at Hag End Farm and tea room

We followed the lane past the farm. We were not sure where to go from here. Our guide book directed us to Hag End Farm, but it was not signposted. We made a guess, which fortunately was correct, and followed the lane, not turning off at the footpath sign which led in the wrong direction.

We very quickly came upon the access road for Hag End Farm and as we were debating as to which way we should now go, there being no signs or markers, two children shouted to us, asking if we would like ice creams. We quickly agreed, it was just what we did want, and followed them along the drive, which in fact was shared by the Dales Way and was signposted as such.

There was a small ices and drinks shop there and a very helpful proprietor. We consumed ices and drinks for 10 minutes or so, and I must say these were most refreshing and unexpected. This was the only shop we encountered on the whole of the Dales Way. Petros, his wife Helen and their children Lucelia and Martin talked with us while we sat and refreshed ourselves and were most courteous and friendly. They told us they were planning to open an official tea shop in summer of 2007 for the benefit of the scores of Dales Way walkers that passed through their farm each day.



View from above Hag End Farm		View towards Bowness from near Hag End Farm

We left the farm at its rear, passing through a gate, but Carol was so impressed with the proprietors' friendliness that she insisted on running back and taking their photograph, and the whole family kindly agreed to pose for her. Upon leaving the farm we found ourselves again on open access land where we found some of the best scenic views of the entire Dales Way, overlooking the Lakeland mountains in every direction. The foreground was as pleasant to see as the mountainous background.

We continued for ages along a grassy track and eventually became confused as to which way to go, when we found a number of paths and no markers. But there were other walkers and we asked them. They advised us to take the path to our left which would lead us to High Cleabarrow. We did so, passing through many gates, but saw no familiar Dales Way signs.

Our path had changed to a gated lane and the grass verges on each side were alive with dense clusters of wild flowers of all colours. We eventually approached High Cleabarrow and then found ourselves on the B5284. There was a new path running along its side with a stone wall to separate us from the road, which was accessed via a stone step stile over a wall. The track was thickly vegetated on our right, mostly with ferns.

We soon arrived at Low Cleabarrow and followed a lane uphill, across a private road and along another lane to a kissing gate. We then walked along a pleasant field lined with many varieties of trees, and passed through many fields and gates until reaching Home Farm, where there was an attractive lake with colourful duckweed floating thereon, below a copse of coniferous trees. Our path followed the left edge of the lake, through the trees.

We then crossed a stile to a lane, crossed a private road and continued on a track opposite, which took us to a metal garden gate to a track along pasture land which went on for some way. Ascending a flight of stone steps we found ourselves walking along what looked like pleasant park land. And then we glimpsed Lake Windermere in a gap between trees.



Dales Way approaching Home Farm		Lake and duckweed at Home Farm



First view of Lake Windermere		Closing in on Lake Windermere



Entering Bowness on Windermere		The Spinnery Restaurant, the end of the Dales Way

The view was unbelievably magnificent and improved even more as we progressed towards Bowness. We passed a flat alter-like plaque which had been placed there for the benefit of Dales Way walkers, and there was a sign post saying "Ilkely, 81 miles". We finally descended to a road at the top of an estate of houses in Bowness and walked downhill towards the town, photographing the Spinnery Restaurant as we passed it.

We still had another mile to walk to get to our car, which had been parked at the most remote car park possible - all that was left when we had arrived to park earlier on.

So that's it, another long distance footpath completed.


Day 8	Introduction

Author - Roy McKee