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Saunterings: Walking in North-West England
Saunterings is a set of reflections based upon walks around the counties of Cumbria, Lancashire and
North Yorkshire in North-West England
(as defined in the Preamble).
Here is a list of all Saunterings so far.
If you'd like to give a comment, correction or update (all are very welcome) or to
be notified by email when a new item is posted - please send an email to johnselfdrakkar@gmail.com.
218. A Lowland Bowland Walk from Dolphinholme
First of all I must admit that Dolphinholme is not actually within the Forest
of Bowland. The village is about a mile outside its western border. However,
it deserves to be considered within the Forest of Bowland more than some places that are
within it, such as my own village of Brookhouse, by the River Lune.
Dolphinholme lies on the River Wyre (which arises in Bowland), with Hawthornthwaite Fell
(a typical Bowland heather and grouse moor) just to the
south and Ward’s Stone (the highest point of Bowland) to the east. Anyway,
the region of Bowland has existed for centuries, without precise boundaries,
before the borders of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape were defined in 1964.
Dolphinholme can certainly be considered to be within historic Bowland.
The village of Dolphinhome is in two parts – the old part to the south,
where the mills were, and the newer part to the north with more modern housing.
We parked near the row of Corless Cottages built in 1796 for millworkers and
dropped down to the old mill buildings, now all converted to residences, to
join the Wyre Way (other sections of which I have walked along in
Saunterings 53, 103 and
157).
This took us serenely southward past the rather decorative Coreless Mill.
Left: Corless Cottages; Right: Coreless Mill
We then walked around Fox’s Lake and Banton’s Lake, two of a series of lakes
within the Wyreside Fishery. We, by mistake, wandered into the private part
of Fox’s Lake, reserved for those who have paid for the pleasure of fishing here.
The appeal of fishing is lost on me. I can appreciate that skill and experience
is needed to coax a real fish in a natural river onto a hook but here at Fox’s
Lake it seems a sanitised activity to me. Anglers take up their station within
a numbered, manicured pitch beside an artificial lake generously stocked with giant carp
and catfish, which are ugly fish that are not native to Britain. Then, if you are lucky,
you can have your picture taken cradling the fish. I observe, without comment,
that in all such photos that I have seen the angler is male.
Banton’s Lake and Fox’s Lake
We crossed the bridge over the Wyre and took a path south below Street Farm. After
passing another lake, the path became a challenge. The anticipated open aspect
disappeared as we followed a dark, muddy path through what appeared to be new
woodland sprouting up on abandoned pastures. The path went round, but did not
provide a view of, the holiday homes of Foxhouses Park. We escaped along its
access lane.
We then began a trek along indistinct public footpaths over several
sheep fields. At one point a farmer paused his tractor to shout “OK?” as we
were manoeuvring over a stile. A little later we saw him again and he said,
patronisingly, “You’re doing well”, as we persevered along the obstacle course
(perhaps created by him) that purports to be a public footpath. I suppose
these paths began life as convenient routes for the scattered locals. Today
hardly anybody uses them and we seem to be discouraged from trying to do so.
Perhaps we should stop pretending and remove them from the map.
We eventually reached Waste Lane, which is the track to Swainshead
Hall, passing siphon wells and valves on the line of the Thirlmere Aqueduct,
with open, but rather hazy, views of Grit Fell and Ward’s Stone ahead. At a
snack break, my sandwich bag blew away in the breeze and as it bounded down
the slope I bounded after it for some distance before being able to pounce
upon it, to the amusement of Ruth and two passing walkers. I mention this
only because, as regular readers will know, such supreme athleticism would
have been unthinkable for me last year, as I laboured with my back. So that’s promising!
Left: Lane Head; Right: Dolphinholme House (with Clougha Pike and Grit Fell
beyond)
From here it was a simple stroll along the Wyre Way back to Dolphinholme. Here the
Way is well above the River Wyre itself, enabling the open views to be maintained.
The old mill buildings have been attractively converted but it is hard today to
appreciate the industrial heritage of this village in a now sedate part of Bowland.
According to a
history
of Dolphinholme,
it had in 1784 the “world’s first fully automated spinning mill for worsted, using
Arkwright frames”. I assume that all parts of this phrase are necessary to claim
primacy. Or was Dolphinholme the first to have a fully automated spinning mill for
worsted? Or even first to have a fully automated spinning mill? At its peak the
mill employed about 1,400 people, which is, I think, more than the present population
of Dolphinholme, despite all the new housing. The mill closed in 1867 after the textile industry
became concentrated in south Lancashire.
All in all, this was a typical lowland Bowland walk. We walked through
many sheep fields (with no lambs yet), took several challenging footpaths, passed
through a few farms (some probably no longer farming, and some with mysterious new
buildings indicating some necessary diversification), skirted a few new touristic 'attractions',
heard curlews and lapwings,
enjoyed distant views of the surrounding fells, and had some reminders of Bowland’s
heritage. By the way, if you’d like to use the phrase “lowland Bowland” please
bear in mind that the latter is pronounced ‘Bolland’ (at least by real locals).
Date: March 6th 2025
Start: SD517534, Dolphinholme (Map: OL41)
Route: E – Wyre Way – S, SW – Bantons Farmhouse – SW, E around
Banton’s Lake and Fox’s Lake – Street Bridge – S below Street Farm, around Foxhouses
Park, SE – Long Lane – NE – Cross Hill – NE – Taylor’s Farm – NE past Lane
Head – road – N – Swainshead Hall, Lower Swainshead – W on Wyre Way – Dolphinholme
Distance: 8 miles; Ascent: 85 metres
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© John Self, Drakkar Press, 2018-
Top photo: Rainbow over Kisdon in Swaledale;
Bottom photo: Ullswater