Exploring Arnside

One of the not so great things about living in the Pennines is the long distance from the sea. Even though we live in Yorkshire, the closest coastline is actually in Lancashire. For a Yorkshireman that’s a fairly grim prospect. I grew up visiting my grandparents in Filey and spent most of my childhood there and in other familiar Yorkshire coastal haunts like Whitby and Scarborough. I can’t ever remember visiting the Lancashire coast, except once to go to Blackpool pleasure beach.

So I was more than a bit surpised when I realised that there are some amazing places to discover on the Lancashire coast (and just over the border into Cumbria).

One of those places is Arnside. It’s unusual because it sits just over the border in Cumbria, but also just outside the Lake District National Park. Becuase of that it is slighly off the beaten track and although there are often plenty of people around, it’s never quite as busy as the major Lakeland honeypots like Keswick or Windermere.

Arnside is a beautiful, tranquil village situated on the Kent Estuary where it meets Morecambe Bay. It retains a charming Victorian seaside feel and is designated as part of the Arnside and Silverdale National Landscape. Silverdale is a nearby village that clings to the Lancashire side of the border.

Although it does have a seaside feel, Arnside is not a typical seaside resort. It’s got a slightly upmarket feel to it, with many of the buildings being restored Victorian villas. There are some fantastic cafes and restaurants along the seafront, and the village has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, with lots of dog walkers and families out enjoying the fresh air. There are also some very classy shops and boutiques in the village for anyone who’s into a spot of browsing.

The estuary is stunning, with a backdrop of lakeland hills and the Arnside Viaduct stretching across the river. We heard from one of the locals that when the viaduct was recently renovated, they planned to add a walkway and cycle path that would have allowed visitors to cross the estuary on foot or by bicycle. Unfortunately, this plan was not realised and they seemingly ran out of money before it could be completed, which is real shame. I can imagine that would have been fantastic and would have made Arnside even more attractive to visitors.

A popular walking route from Arnside village is Arnside Knott, which offers stunning views of the estuary and the surrounding countryside. That’s where we decided to go for a walk, and honestly, it did not disappoint. We were lucky because the weather was perfect and the views from the top were breathtaking. You can see Morecambe bay to one side and the Lakeland hills and Mountains to the other. The walk itself was well worth it and although quite strenuous, the path winds up the hill through stunning woodland, and we noticed an ususual mix of trees including lots of magnificent yews.

After making it to the summit, we took a new route back down to the village. We chose a route that wound through the woodland on another path, giving us a different perspective on the estuary and the surrounding countryside.

Once back in Arnside, we visited the Sandpiper cafe for coffee and sandwiches. It was a great little place and we really enjoyed it. After lunch, we did a spot of browsing around the village before taking a little stroll along the estuary. The tide was out and the estuary was calm, but we did notice a lot of warning signs about the tide coming in. This part of the river is famous for the tidal bore, a powerful surge of water that rushes up the estuary when the tide turns. We could easily see the town of Grange-over-Sands.

All in all it was a perfect day and we highly recommend Arnside Knott for anyone looking for a scenic walk with stunning views.

This part of the world has really cast a spell on us - we’ve been exploring nearby Morecambe and the City of Lancaster itself. I never realised before that Morecambe and Lancaster are so close to each other that they almost join, and that you can easily walk between the two. Lancaster itself is a lovely city, with quite an unusual slightly alternative vibe. It also has one of my favourite restaurants: the Whaletail Cafe, a proper old school vegetarian restaurant that sits above a really great wholefood shop. I know quite a few people in Hebden bridge who have connections with Lancaster, it seems the two places share a certain hippy heritage. We will certainly be back to explore more.