Cartmel Fell Walk

This circular route takes in the best of the landscape; open hillside, woodland, some traditional buildings and two endearing little tarns. Overall this is quite an easy walk and is mostly flat. Apart from a few marshy areas and stiles, the tracks are all very good.

The focal point is the ramshackle St Anthony’s Church of 1504 which boasts a three decker pulpit and enclosed family pews. The very old glass in the east window is believed (as with some other churches in the area) to have come from Cartmel Priory when that great edifice was partially dismantled on the orders of King Henry VIII.

We’re starting our walk from the car park – go through the church yard, turning left at the porch until we come to a seat, steps and a squeezer stile. We’re following the little path from here that takes us up on to the road.

At the road we’re turning right and continuing on for around 300m. We’re then taking a left at a farm gate and heading up the hill on the wide track. There are rocky outcrops to the right and long views behind, over the Winster Valley to Whitbarrow and beyond.

We’re taking a left at the sign “public bridleway Sow How” sign and towards the gate. At the next fork keep right, and we continue up the hill. Ahead is an old building to your left. At the  ‘T’ junction, turn right and head down into the woodland soon and through the gate. At a former bank barn/cottage (Heights Cottage), bear right to a waymark where we turn sharp left here to head for a waymarked gate into the woodland.

At the next junction the way marked bridleway continues straight ahead. There’s a very short detour along the footpath if it’s wet and this takes you past the yellow waymark to the charming little Middle Tarn.

The path skirts the edge of the water before bearing left through the woodland, crossing a small stream to a  gate. We’re continuing along the foot of a steep bank on the right, passing a waymaker before heading down to Sow How Tarn and its boathouse. At a dilapidated stone wall before the tarn, turn left and follow the line indicated by a waymark, keeping close to the wall in order to reach the bridleway.

Then, turn right, and head downhill passing more waymarks before you reach a stream where we turn right, continuing down the hill, until we reach the rapid waters from the tarn. The bridleway rises towards Sow How (farm) where we go through the gate to reach a signposted junction.

Turn left to follow a farm track and head downhill. As we reach Foxfield hamlet, the path becomes a surfaced road. After the hamlet, in about 400m, we turn left to leave the road at a gate, which takes us down a grass lined path.When we reach the walls, turn right, through a waymarked gate between the stone walls. Go through another gate; the path here is covered in bracken. We cross Spannel Beck.

In a further 150m turn left onto a smaller path, cross a tiny stream and head up the far side of a mini valley. Go over a gated stile into the woodland. Head through the wood, cross the waymarked gated ladder stile, then take the lower path to another waymarked stile. The path now heads down to the minor road and over another ladder stile. Here we join the path we started on – and retrace our steps back to the car park.