A Countryside Lover’s Guide to Arnside & Silverdale

20 September 2019

Sat on the border between Cumbria and Lancashire, right on Morecambe Bay, Arnside and Silverdale are well deserving of their status as an ‘Outstanding Area of Natural Beauty’.

Known as being home to some incredible wildlife, stunning scenery and great walks, our Pure Leisure parks are perfectly located for lovers of the great outdoors.

Enjoy our Guide to Arnside & Silverdale. 

Arnside Knott

Just outside of Arnside, this hill stands at an elevation of 159 metres, making it a nice easy walk to take in some of the beautiful local countryside.

There are multiple routes up to the top, and when you get there, you’ll see why the hill has its name: two old tree stumps that have somehow knotted together into one arch!

Arnside Tower & The Pepperpot

Just to the south of Arnside Knott, you’ll find this old medieval tower house (known as a Pele tower), which was built in the 15th-century but has laid in a state of disrepair for the last 300 years or so.

Unfortunately, it’s unsafe to enter the ruins, but you can get a good view of the tower if you take the footpath which runs alongside it.

A little further on, you’ll come to the ‘Pepperpot’, a tower which was built to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee. Again, you can’t go in, but you’ll get some great views.

RSPB Leighton Moss

This large nature reserve of wetlands and reed beds is home to many different kinds of wildlife and is a site of international scientific importance.

Some of the birdlife you can expect to see on a visit here include bitterns, marsh harriers, avocets, bearded tits and water-rail, while on land the reserve is home to otters, deer and more.

It’s only a few minutes walk away from Silverdale train station and is one of the main attractions in the area.

Beetham Fairy Steps

The village of Beetham is worthy of a visit in its own right, home to the 12th-century St Michael & All Angels Church and the restored Heron Corn Mill, but outdoors lovers will want to head out of town to the ‘fairy steps’.

After walking to the nearby hamlet of Slack Head, you’ll want to head up Whin Scar until you hit this set of stone steps, carved into the limestone into a tiny gap through the rock.

You may notice some small iron rings on your visit, which believe it or not, were used by pallbearers to haul coffins up the rock face on their way to the church using ropes!

Morecambe Bay

The area is located right on the sands of Morecambe Bay, offering fantastic views over towards Grange-over-Sands in the west and Morecambe itself to the south.

If you fancy, you can even take a walk across the bay, although you are only able to do so with a guide, as the quicksand can be deceptively dangerous in the changing tides.

Royally-appointed ‘Queen’s Guides’ have been taking people across the bay as far back as 1500 and only these knowledgeable guides have the knowledge of the ever-changing landscape of the bay to safely take you from one side to the other.

It’s a great way to see the bay and the surrounding areas, but bear in mind that the whole trip can take around three to four hours! Thankfully, you can just catch the train from Kent’s Bank back up to Arnside and Silverdale once you’re safely across though.

Fell End Nature Reserve 

Last but not least, we wanted to give a special mention to our very own Fell End Nature Reserve. The Arnside and Silverdale AONB is very special to us, so we are doing our bit to preserve the fantastic wildlife that calls the area home.

The reserve is home to fallow deer, marsh harrier, moorhens, wrens, and plenty of other wonderful flora and fauna. We’d love for you to pay a visit and wander through the reserve or enjoy the views from the John Wilson Hide so that you can see for yourself.

Our nature reserve is open to the public, so you can pay a visit whether or not you are staying with us at our neighbouring  Fell End and Hall More parks.

Having Arnside and Silverdale right on your doorstep is one of the best things about staying at our Pure Leisure holiday parks, so if you fancy getting out and about in one of the country’s most beautiful areas of countryside, why not check out our availability today?