Arncar one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Arncar here.

Starting from Carnforth the route proceeds on the road north past the Steamtown railway site and across the River Keer to Millhead and then across fields to Warton with good views of Warton Crag. These fields regularly flood in the winter in which case the road may be followed. Passing through Warton the route heads north uphill along Coach Road and affords good views back over to the Lune valley.
The route bears left on the Occupation Road through the woods to exit at Crag Foot. It is a very pleasant track but a bit stony in parts and can be slippery when wet. From Crag Foot there is a short road section, then the track heads west towards the RSPB hides. At Quaker’s Stang, the diagonal path across the fields, as shown on the OS Map, has effectively been replaced by a well-used path along the top of the grassy embankment, built as protection against the tides. We recommend using the embankment - it’s easier, you get better views and two of the stiles in the field are very difficult / impossible to use. They have been reported. The embankment path is scheduled to be the route taken by the English Coastal Path. The next section can be wet and prone to flooding at very high tides and leads to Brown’s Houses. Despite the notices the route at the bottom of the house gardens is an official Public Right of Way. This path is much safer to use. It exits onto Lindeth Road which is followed into Silverdale. There are good views across the estuary. Taking the route to The Shore it then goes onto the beach round to the Cove. This floods at high tide and at the time of our visit was very unpleasant to walk. After the stones, the surface was wet, slippery mud, rather smelly but with a firm base. The path across the fields (The Lotte) is much to be preferred. There are good views from both paths. Quiet roads and tracks are then followed onto Heathwaite and round the side of Arnside Knott. Again views are excellent across the estuary to Grange-over-Sands and the Lakeland Hills. The route then heads onto the promenade at Arnside with its cafes etc and finishes at the railway station. Note that busses from Arnside are virtually non-existent, at the time of writing.

Important note: There are two sections which could be covered by the sea at high tide. The beach section at Silverdale can be avoided by using a walled path from Cove Well which becomes a footpath across fields. The section from Brown’s Houses (Jenny Brown’s Point) to Quaker’s Stang cannot be bypassed but will only be covered at the highest spring tides, so it is worth checking the tides before setting out.
This is a very pleasant route indeed. All the road sections either have pavements or are quiet, and a lot of the route is along well-defined footpaths, often with moss-clad limestone dry-stone walls. Some go through pretty woodland; some have glorious views across the estuary and bay.
There are some nice views to be glimpsed from the path around Arnside Knott giving a taster of what can be seen from the summit. The beach section approaching Silverdale was not as nice as it appeared when I walked it, because the sand was overlaid with semi-dry silt, which was a bit slippery. I’m not sure that this is always the case though. However, the views were beautiful. Silverdale offers several lunch options and is a good place for a break. Rounding Jenny Brown’s Point is a lovely section, and is followed by some beach which has tidal rivers and a sloping land perimeter of limestone which is fun to walk. The optional section through someone’s front garden bypasses the start of this which has the most rocks. This is followed by a grassy section. At Quaker’s Stang, the diagonal path across the fields, as shown on the OS Map, has effectively been replaced by a well-used path along the top of the grassy embankment, built as protection against the tides. I recommend using the embankment - it’s easier and you get better views. All this area is excellent for birdwatching – the RSPB has a site here. The path over Warton Crag (Occupation Road) is quite stony and lumpy and could be slippery if wet – classic limestone territory. A detour onto the highest point would reveal excellent views, but this path is surrounded by trees and is slightly lower. The route descends into the historic village of Warton, before crossing fields into Millhead. I think these fields sometimes flood after heavy rain, in which case, the alternative would be the road, which has a narrow pavement along it.

This is a good enough route to get from Arnside to Carnforth, although there are a myriad of variations that could be used. There are lovely views of Morecambe Bay, along with interest from the RSPB reserve close by.
This route includes footpaths which are close to Morecambe Bay, so be careful if you stray onto the shore, be aware of the quick incoming tides and the possibility of quicksands. At Jenny Browns point the property owner will discourage you from using the public footpath that runs through their front garden, but the shoreline here is very rough and at high tide can be under water. My advice is to persist with using the actual footpath.
Nevertheless, this can be a lovely walk.

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