LevensKendal

Levken four
Verified route

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

By Mary Oz on 01 May 2022


Distance

13km/8mi

Ascent

-

Descent

-

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Description

This is the same as LevKen One but with the accuracy ans safety issues corrected

This is the same as LevKen One but with the accuracy ans safety issues corrected

Status

This route has been reviewed by 3 people.

There are no issues flagged.

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Information

Verified route

Route status - Live

Reviews - 3

Average rating -

Is this route good enough? -  Yes (3)

There are currently no problems reported with this route.

Downloads - 10

Surveys

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Geography information system (GIS) data

Total length

Maximum elevation

Minimum elevation

Start and end points

Levens
Grid Ref SD4843385628
Lat / Lon 54.26371° / -2.79319°
Easting / Northing 348,433E / 485,628N
What3Words acquaint.adjusted.townhouse
Kendal
Grid Ref SD5162592942
Lat / Lon 54.32975° / -2.74537°
Easting / Northing 351,625E / 492,942N
What3Words songs.strut.wide

Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.

reviews


Alison Cairns

17 Oct 2023 (edited 21 Oct 2023) Autumn

I live in Kendal, so know much of this route like the back of my hand! Which has both pros and cons as I know the alternatives as well...

The second part of the route as described from the Brigsteer road onwards is a delight, all of which I do on a regular basis, but I didn't really enjoy the initial part from Levens as it was very wet and in places unpleasantly muddy - there is a much better way using a footpath & bridleway to the east which takes you along a higher route to Wells Garth. Or you can continue to stay high, and take in the glorious views from Helsington Church then follow the edge of Scout Scar in its entirety. But this would miss out the admittedly lovely Honeybee Wood.

The 'mushroom' on Scout Scar is a very slight deviation to the right from the path along the edge - it's a superb viewpoint, don't miss the panorama along the underside of the roof! It provides welcome shelter on a windy day so is a popular lunch spot. Note the actual summit with its trig point is off to the right a little to the south, by a wall that crosses over the hillside.

I would also urge you not to miss out the summit of Cunswick Fell - another lovely spot with yet more fantastic views, and only a short deviation from the suggested route. You can even make it a circular by staying low and left to follow the fence along the (by now quite low) escarpment to just below the summit cairn, then come down the broad ridge to pick up the main route down to the footbridge over the bypass.

Once over the bridge and onto Kendal Fell with its golf course, it is usual and perfectly acceptable to deviate slightly off the footpath to take in your third summit of the day, and enjoy some more glorious views from the perfectly positioned bench - another of my favourite places.

The right of way as marked on the map goes straight across two of the fairways, so the golf course have signposted an alternative which starts slightly to the left, drops down the hill a little then traverses round (follow the upper path above the benches) to enter Serpentine Woods a short distance below the ROW. Take the left hand path at the fork and follow it down to the steps and thence the road.

Take care going down the steep steps and cobbles of the ginnel - they are extremely slippy when wet!.

  • Mary Oz

    Mary Oz

    20 Oct 2023

    Please could you let me know where you feel the route is inaccessible, causing you to fail the route. One of your co-walkers seemed happy enough, although you both commented that it was very muddy through Brigsteer Park.

  • Alison Cairns

    Alison Cairns

    21 Oct 2023

    I've tried to answer fully but the system won't save my response

  • Alison Cairns

    Alison Cairns

    21 Oct 2023

    Hi Mary
    Firstly apologies, I really didn't mean to be overly critical of your route, and appreciate the time & effort you've put in to creating this and other routes.
    However, as a first time reviewer for Sloways I *am* critical of the way they collect responses and then subsequently present them. I did the review and answered the questions asked honestly and thoroughly, but after submission it came across as far more damming than I intended.
    I am not now able to go back through the entire review process, but from memory the specific questions asked as part of the generic 'Is this route good enough?' included:
    - would you recommend it to friends?
    - would you walk it again?
    To both of which, in all honesty, I had to say no, not as described, so I ticked 'Maybe', and added the following explanation:
    "It's a lovely route but please see my comments above for how it could be even better - especially an alternative to the initial section. According to friends who live in Levens the forest track is almost never dry, and will be even wetter later on in the winter - it does rain a lot in this part of the world! They don't go along that route, and I wouldn't choose to go that way again."
    I then had to choose a reason for not approving the route, none of which was wholly appropriate so I used 'Access' as the closest.
    It was only after submitting that I realised that this presents on the route Overview as having flagged the route as unsuitable due to an access problem, plus there appears to be no way anyone can see my explanatory comment.
    In view of this I have now edited my review to remove the flag, and reproduced the comments here.
    I do think that part of the route could well become impassable at times (without literally wading) as its right on the edge of the Lyth Valley flood plain (it's quite likely flooded as I write!), so there should at least be a warning about this, even if you decide not to change the route as I have suggested.
    Also I do hope that someone within the Sloways organisation takes note of my comments re the review process.
    Kind regards,
    Alison.

  • Alison Cairns

    Alison Cairns

    21 Oct 2023

    OK I think it was refusing to submit originally as it won't accept emojis!

  • Mary Oz

    Mary Oz

    21 Oct 2023

    Thanks Alison, I agree with all you say here. The route is just a slight variation of LevKen One which I tweaked as I walked it, to create LevKen Four. Thanks for editing your review to verify/"snail" it. I'll try and point Dan and Cristie in the direction of your comments, because they are helpful.
    Hope you soon get to enjoy and review some more routes!

  • Slow Ways Cristie

    Slow Ways Cristie

    24 Oct 2023

    Hi Alison, thank you so much for your comments on the review system. We've made a note and really appreciate the feedback.

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Chris Doyle

15 Oct 2023 Autumn

Lovely walk with outstanding views of the Kent Estuary, Lakeland Fells and across to the Howgills.
Points to note from our walk.
The path through Brigsteer Park was wet and boggy, however, this was after a period of prolonged and heavy rain. Locals we met en route suggested that there were alternative paths to get you from Levens to Wells Garth, where you can pick up the route again. The 'mushroom' shelter is a good place to take a break and take in the views. Continue to follow the route to Kendal, if time permits it's worth taking a small detour on Crunswick Fell up to the Cairn for more excellent views of the Lakeland Fells. Retrace your steps back down Crunswick Fell and rejoin the route to cross the A591via a footbridge and progressing on to Kendal Fell and the golf course. Take care to follow the designated signage on the course and in particular to follow the alternative route sign just after the summit. This descends (slippy in wet conditions) towards Serpentine Woods and into Kendal though a stepped footpath and interesting side streets before reaching the centre and finish at the bus station.


Mary Oz

01 May 2022 Spring

This was a lovely route, even on a dull, damp autumn day. After walking through the lower part of the pretty village of Levens, the route goes along the bottom of the wooded slope of Brigsteer Park, with views across the marshes towards Whitbarrow and the River Kent estuary. The path can be a bit muddy. On leaving the wood through a gate follow the edge of the field with the woods on your left along an obvious rising path. At Parkend Lane follow the footpath signs up to Wells Garth. Just after the stream and gate, the most straightforward path is to the right ie south east. It is a bit steep and rubbly but will soon bring you to the very pleasant wooded and then moss-walled lane. A footpath off the next farm track leads into the gorgeous Honeybee Wood which is full of beech trees. Footpath signs at Barrowfield Farm direct you around the buildings and up through the field to more woods and the steep path climbing up Scout Scar. Even on a dull day the views from the top are phenomenal! The drop down the scar could be dangerous but there are paths well away from the edge. There is a “mushroom” covered shelter with seats at the viewpoint.
After the easy descent, cross the road and use the wooded footpath by the old quarry car park around to the mast. The path leads onto a long section of easy walking across open, grassy sheep pasture, and around the corner into a field which leads to a footbridge over the busy A591 Kendal Bypass.
There are good views of Kendal from the golf course, but I found the footpath signposting to be unclear, but the trodden paths take you in to descend through Serpentine Wood, which is very nice but watch out for the steps. From Queens Road, it is easy to miss the entrance to the steep cobbled footpath down the hill! The route then follows a quick and pleasant path through Nobles Rest Park to the bus station.
See LevKen One for my survey, as this is a more accurate version of route One.


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