MERSEYSIDE CUMBRIA 13 FORMBY POINT 14 BUTTERMERE & FLEETWITH EDGE A NORTH WEST NORTH uDistance: 5¼ miles/8.5km uTime: 3½ hours uGrade: Moderate WEST NORTH uDistance: 8 miles/12.9km uTime: 4½ hours uGrade: Challenging B Formby beach from PLAN YOUR WALK PLAN YOUR WALK FAMILY the sand dunes. FEATURE WALK SEE PHOTO: ON PAGE 33 HOLMES GARDEN PHOTOS /ALAMY* HOLMESGARDENPHOTOS PHOTO: VIVIENNECROW ROUTE Looking down ROUTE Start/parking National onto Buttermere Start/parking Lake District Trust beach car park west from Warnscale Bothy. National Park car park by of Freshfield/Formby at © Fish Inn, Buttermere, lane end after entrance. grid ref NY173169 CHOSEN BY… junction soon curving R. When Free for NT members, CHOSEN BY… your breath back and enjoy Is it for me? Lakeshore grid ref SD275082 paths, short unlit tunnel. STEVE GOODIER fences end continue ahead VIVIENNE CROW the superb scenery. It’s steep, Is it for me? Paths/tracks/ Steep ridge climb with Shady forest tracks, descending woodland track. long stretch of beach Fleetwith Edge is and you’ll need your hands some bare rock; hands dune walking and Continue to rise then descend walking – allow at least surely one of the occasionally, but there are required. Open fell, damp miles of endless sandy beach steeply between ornamental two hours before high tide most photographed features no technical difficulties. in places. Path loose and combine to make this walk fencing. Stay ahead at split for beach section. Check in the Lakes, and yet most The figure-of-eight route stony on descent delightful on sunny days. descending to open area/path www.tidetimes.org.uk/ people with pictures of it in returns via the old Dubs Stiles None formby-tide-times junction. Go ahead climbing Formby sands make a great Stiles None their collections will not be Quarry and Warnscale Bothy PLANNING destination for a day in the into trees. Continue up/down, able to name it – and even before returning to Buttermere Nearest town fresh air. The woods near the L at fork further on to road. PLANNING fewer will have climbed it. village along the lake’s Cockermouth start are home to increasingly Nearest town Formby Look at just about any image western shore. Refreshments Croft House rare red squirrels – they’re ¾ mile/1.1km Refreshments of Buttermere and you will Café, Syke Farm Tearoom, used to being fed and have 2Cross road taking path Formby/at start (seasonal) see this perfectly symmetrical Start Bridge Hotel and Fish Inn, become very tame, so you’ll ahead. Descend to clearing Public toilets Near start ridge soaring skyward from Leave car park and turn R all in Buttermere Public transport 1 Public toilets almost certainly see some. staying ahead at fork (main Nothing to start the lake’s south-eastern along B5289. In a few metres, In car park path). Stay ahead at next fork Maps OS Explorer 285; shores. After an easy stroll turn R along lane between Public transport The Start shortly. Follow main path Landranger 108 along Buttermere’s eastern farm buildings. About 250m Honister Rambler, runs 1Exit car park at entrance passing coniferous plantation shore, ascending this fabulous beyond last building, turn mid-March to October following lane back to first R. Path rises/falls again and L/R around large hollow. shoulder to Fleetwith Pike is R through small gate, later Maps OS Explorer OL4; Landranger 89 or 90; carpark. Just before toilets/ eventually rises steadily Follow main path descending pure joy. A series of rocky picking up lakeshore path. Harvey’s Superwalker after information sign, go R passing through pine trees. to path junction by grassy steps are broken by easier, Soon after tunnel, Fleetwith Lake District North taking ‘The Squirrel Walk’ Continue along elevated area mound ahead. L dropping to grassy interludes, allowing Edge, our next target, suddenly and West between low fences. Go L at passing blue marker to curve fence. Stay ahead exiting woods ➥ plenty of opportunity to get rears up dramatically ahead. ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 600 600 400 400 200 200 metres metres 0 0 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 ✁ NORTH WEST NORTH WEST NORTH CUMBRIA MERSEYSIDE 14 BUTTERMERE & FLEETWITH EDGE 13 FORMBY POINT uOS Explorer map OL4 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapshop uOS Explorer map 285 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapshop 1½ miles/2.4km to open area. Soon go R at 4 2Lakeshore path eventually 1 path crossroads. Stay L almost ends so move onto road. immediately towards dunes. Continue ahead. Follow path crossing access START ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPPING ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2016 IN ASSOCIATION IN ASSOCIATION 2016 COPYRIGHT MAPPING ©CROWN SURVEY ORDNANCE track. Continue ahead taking L 2 miles/3.2km 10 fork at split in scrubland near WITH MEMORY-MAP/BAUER MEDIA’S MEDIALICENCENUMBER042/16 MEDIA’S WITH MEMORY-MAP/BAUER 3About 150m beyond trees. Curve L towards trees Gatesgarth Farm, turn R along soon going L on another path track. Almost immediately, 2 reached. Curve R following R turn L on narrow path. Path edge of trees. Head for low zig-zags up N flank of fell and point of dunes ahead exiting then swings L along ridge. 3 trees and rising through gap 8 ASSOCIATION IN 2016 COPYRIGHT MAPPING ©CROWN SURVEY ORDNANCE Route is on grass at first, but in dunes. Follow path to beach. easily-surmountable rocky 9 MEDIALICENCENUMBER042/16 MEDIA’S WITH MEMORY-MAP/BAUER obstacles become more 1¾ miles/2.8km frequent higher up. 4 3R along beach. Pass signs 5 for ‘Blundell Path/Freshfield’ 1 3 miles/4.8km 7 and ‘Nicotine Sand Path/ 4From cairn on top of Freshfield’ continuing to sign Fleetwith Pike, follow faint path 5 for ‘Red Squirrel Walk’. R here down S side of fell. It heads S 6 you takes you back to start, START at first, quickly swinging SE. otherwise continue on beach 2 Keep to clearest path. When reaching orange topped you see Dubs Quarry just way, this drops to cross bridge 7¼ miles/11.7km signpost for ‘Fisherman’s Path’ below, swing SW at faint over Warnscale Beck. 10Nearing far end of junction of grassy trails. lake, stay on lower path. Cross 3½ miles/5.7km 4¾ miles/7.6km bridges over Sourmilk Gill and 4Leave beach going R. Pass 3½ miles/5.6km 7Follow faint path to clear then Buttermere Dubs. Keep through dunes curving L past 3 5Turn R along broad quarry track and turn L. Turn L at road. straight ahead. At far end of sign – ‘Sefton Coastal Path’. track. Drawing level with Dubs hedgerow, turn L through gate. Continue into woods passing Hut bothy on R, descend L. 5½ miles/8.9km Track leads back to Buttermere red markers. At junction stay fence gap. Continue ahead to 5 miles/8km Near bottom of slope, strike 8At Gatesgarth Farm, village. Turn L after Fish Inn ahead, shortly cutting R at bench going L at crossroads. 5Turn R back to the car off R across damp ground turn L through small gate to return to car park. junction – signed ‘Victoria Road Soon curve R past pond rising park to finish. to ford Warnscale Beck. – signposted Buttermere and /Lifeboat Road’. Follow path over dune to drop into woods. Ennerdale. Broad path soon TRAILZILLA ID: through woodland passing Join path staying ahead at TRAILZILLA ID: 3¾ miles/6km crosses flat area. After several TZID30311 markers. At open area curve R junction. Through woods TZID30310 6Follow clear path uphill, gates, cross Peggy’s Bridge Use the TZID to download the past gate. Pass through dunes curving L at next junction to Use the TZID to download the but not for long: about 150m over Warnscale Beck. walk from www.lfto.com/routes continuing ahead past marker curve R almost immediately at walk from www.lfto.com/routes beyond beck, bear R along or search for it in the Country post climbing sandy bank. junction. Follow path past bin or search for it in the Country indistinct trail. Keep R when 6 miles/9.7km Walking Best Walks in Britain App Continue along dunes. At split to junction by play area. Go L Walking Best Walks in Britain App this forks – to follow Warnscale 9Beyond next gate, bear R uDownload OS maps take L fork curving away from following white/purple marker. uDownload OS maps Beck downstream. Passing along Buttermere’s shore path. for PC, iPhone, iPad and beach into shrubs. Continue to Follow main path curving R for PC, iPhone, iPad and below Warnscale Bothy and At fork in Burtness Wood, take Android from £12.50 fence. Curve R by fence. At fork past bench. Follow white/ Android from £12.50 cutting beneath Hay Stacks’ either option. (Narrower path curve L with fence crossing purple route to next junction dark, northern cliffs along the on R keeps closer to water.) sandy rise to descend through to go half R to road. © Country Walking July 2016 © Country Walking July 2016 ✁.