Chairman's Walk

Now generally accepted as an annual event, this walk always starts and finishes on Arnside Front, with 'refreshments' to follow in The Albion.

On the morning of the walk, after a very stormy night the night before and not much respite forecast for the day ahead, the question was who would turn up and brave the elements? In a group like ours there is a core of hardy souls and today we weren't disappointed as a group of 9, somewhat smaller than usual, assembled on Arnside Front. Partially sheltered from the wind, conditions weren't too bad, but as we made our way along the shoreline to New Barns, the gale force wind was full in our faces. Here we left the coast and and in the shelter of the trees, headed up through woodland onto Arnside Knott. After dropping down from there, we made our way past Arnside Tower and through the caravan site, then upwards again to the Pepper Pot, overlooking Silverdale. Here we took a well earned break for morning coffee.

Duly refreshed we descended back down to The Cove, where we realised just how strong the wind was as it roared and battered the coastline. We didn't, however, stay in it for long as we headed inland again, through the village of Silverdale and Silverdale Green to Burton Well. From there we took a series of paths to our lunchstop in Gaitbarrows Nature Reserve, near Hawes Water. Sat there in the shelter of woodland it was quite atmospheric listening to the wind roaring in the trees overhead.

The next point of interest on our walk was at Fairy Steps, where the path goes up a narrow cleft in a 20ft. high limestone outcrop. It always creates a certain amount of banter, particularly as the stouter members of the group, thrutch their way up. It was once on a coffin route between Arnside and Beetham. The thought of them hauling the dear departed up there conjures up all sort of pictures in ones mind. The way back to our cars took us through a section of Dallam Park, then through Sandside and along the disused railway track along the coast to Arnside.

Yes, it was windy at times, but nowhere near as bad as we thought it might have been. What was more, apart from a few spots of rain rear the end, it stayed fine all day. The walk was around 15 miles in length, but boy, was it cosy in the Albion afterwards.