Cruising to Kendal?- Walking the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal. Tewitfield to Hincaster
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- čas přidán 9. 11. 2022
- A walk along the towpath of the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal, from Tewitfield to Hincaster, passing beside the villages of Burton in Kendal and Holme. Along the way are various obstructions, and a flight of disused locks. The Lancaster Canal Trust's plan is to restore the canal to it's former glory, so that once again narrow-boats can make the 14 mile journey to Kendal, the gateway to the English Lake District. But the key question is: can it be done? Or will this really only ever be a unique canal-side walk.
To reach the Lancaster Canal from the main canal network, by boat, you need to use the Ribble Link. For more information see www.ribblelink.co.uk/
For more information about the navigable sections of the Lancaster Canal, see waterways.org.uk/waterways/di...
For more information about the Lancaster Canal; Trust, see lctrust.co.uk/
The length of this section of the walk is 9 miles, however, if returning to Tewitfield by bus from Levens Bridge, add on an extra mile to cross the deer park (see below). The start point at Tewitfield has a small amount of car parking close to the The Longlands Hotel. (longlandshotel.co.uk) Boaters on the Lancaster Canal can moor at Tewitfield, where there are services, (www.tewitfieldmarina.co.uk).
The Stagecoach 555 bus runs from Kendal to Lancaster via Tewitfield. The bus stops close to the Longlands Hotel. To reach the canal, follow the road that runs along the front of the hotel, then continue on, past the entrance to Tewitfield Marina. (Bear in mind that not all buses on this route pass through Tewitfield as some summer services are routed via the M6 motorway). Check timetable for details. See www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables, and enter 555 into the search box.
For shorter versions of the walk, the 555 bus also runs through Holme. Leave the walk at Bridge 149, (the one after the Cinder Ovens) and turn left to walk into the village. The bus stop is close to, and on the same side of the road as, the Smithy Inn.
Note that there is no bus service from Crooklands, Stainton or Hincaster to Tewitfield. At the end of this section of the walk, if returning to Tewitfield, turn right and follow the lane to the entrance to Levens Deer Park, then turn left into the park and walk to Levens Bridge (approx 1 mile), which is also served by the 555 bus. To reach the bus stop for the 555 back to Tewitfield, turn left when you leave the deer park. The bus stop is in a small lay-by opposite the main entrance to Levens Hall. To get the bus to Kendal from Levens Bridge, leave the deer park, cross the road, then turn right and walk around the corner. The bus stop lay-by is a short distance from the corner.
Absolutely love the lancaster canal and the history behind it. Planning on kayaking sections of the northern reaches this year so may upload some footage myself 😎
Thank you. I have to say that I have always been surprised by the lack of kayakers and paddle board enthusiasts on the canal. I've taken many walks beside it over the years and rarely seen anyone. It is a valuable resource, so I hope you have a great time, and look forward to seeing your footage.
I was just walking down the canal from crooklands up to stainton at 4am in the morning in the moonlight. Nice 7 hour round trip from Kendal to brigsteer to natland to barrows green to stainton the to crooklands down the canal and back home for 6.30 am. loved it!! I've been to hincaster tunnel too a couple of months back. Great walks.
That sounds like a really interesting moonlit walk. It's a good few years since I last did one - Ambleside to Windermere via Wansfell Pike, Troutbeck, Far Orrest and the Common. The cows in the fields freaked me out somewhat, although possibly that's what I was doing to them.
Amazing 😊 so glad to see your back as I really enjoy watching your videos thanks so much for sharing. Hope you’ve been keeping well.
Thank you. Yes, ageing nicely. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, it is a lovely walk save for the noisiness of the M6!
Nice sharing my friend 👍👍👍..love to visit this place one day
I hope you enjoy it as much when you are here.
We are so excited to see you back. We enjoy your videos so much! Cheers from across the pond.
Thank you.
Great to see you again eric ...weve actually walked this .. and have some great memories of this ...we climbed farlton knott too ...hope to catch more of your videos ..regards Frank & Lee ..lancashire walks.....
Thank you both. Sorry for the delay in replying, I've had a dose of the flu over Christmas. Farleton Knott is an interesting fell. So many folk recognise it as it is close to junction 36 of the M6, but very few people that I have spoken to have actually climbed it. Rather like the canal, I think the big drawback with it is the noise from the motorway, but it has great views. Have a great New Year. Atb Eric
@@jonathancraigguides The Thing About Farleton Knott is once your on top of it you cant hear any noise but the views are to die for...all the best Eric...Frank & Lee...
Great to see you back Eric. Nice walk with plenty of history thrown in too. Hope you get a chance to do more of your fabulous walks on the fells again soon. Have plans to be back in the lakes in March....hopefully to do the Cathedral Cavern walk from Tilberthwaite....unless you beat me to it ( !!! ) among others.
Good walk that. When I did Slaters Bridge I pondered over whether to inlcude Cathedral Cavern, and decided against. Been lots of film crews in there over the years. I was watching 'Snow White and the Huntsman with family members when Cathedral Cave appeared on screen. I thought it looked pretty spectacular, as did Blea Tarn in the same movie.
Yet again great vid .
Thank you. It was different, and good fun to do.
Great to see your return would imagine before the motorway the canal would be a quite peaceful and serene place
I spoke to a chap who remembers it in his childhood in the 1940's, although he couldn't ever remember it being open. He said that he and his mates used to fish in the canal, close to where the M6 now crosses it, and said it was a lovely peaceful spot. Some of them also used to swim in it, although they had to be careful as the current could be quite strong evidently. He also mentioned a pipe through which part of the canal ran, possibly in the 1950's. His take on it was that they needed to keep water in the canal south of Crooklands because the feeder from Killington Reservoir, which as built by the canal company, fed much of the Lancaster Canal, and not only the Northern sections.
Hi Jonathan/Eric, These are very informative videos, I've always wondered what was exactly left of the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal, now I know, thanks to you. Not much!! I'm the webmaster for the Ribble Link Trust website and have put your videos on the front page, hope you don't mind. I also love your Lake District videos, they are full of very interesting information on the area. Thanks once again and happy Near year.
Thank you. I don't mind you using my videos for your website, in fact I feel quite honoured. I watched a few videos of the Ribble Link after speaking to a chap who had made the crossing. He said that some parts were quite scary, and was glad to reach Savick Brook, only to discover that his adventure was far from over! He got stuck, although managed to extricate himself with the aid of the boat that was following him. He said it was not for the faint hearted. Take care, and all the best for 2023.
@@jonathancraigguides I first made the crossing from the Rufford Canal down the river Douglas and river Ribble back in the 1980s, I was in a 36ft Narrow Boat, very scary. There was no access to Savick Brook in them days, we sailed to Preston Dock instead. I grew up on the Savick and played down Savick brook for most of my Childhood, hence my obsession with the Ribble Link. Anyway Eric, I don't want to hijack your channel but I really enjoyed your videos. Whether the Northern Reaches will ever be achieved in my lifetime, I don't think so, but then again I never thought the Ribble Link would be achieved, but I was wrong. When I was a kid, If anybody would have said to me, that one day I will be sailing down Savick Brook in a 45ft Narrowboat, I would have said they were crackers and had lost their mind!!.. But it happened...Regards Rob
@@whitebear15 Sounds like an interesting, if somewhat scary, experience. I suppose the motto needs to be 'never give up hope'. As soon as everyone says it cannot be done, then all that hope is lost. As long as enough people believe then there is always the chance. Take care and all the best for the coming year. Eric
Hi Eric,
You asked for walk suggestions so I asked around and have come up with the following:-
Whitbarrow Scar
Tilberthwaite Ghyll
Claife Heights
The old railway track out of Keswick
Gable Girdle
Caldbeck Fells
Crummock to Ennerdale
I notice you have better equipment than you did when you first started, so perhaps consider doing walks done in the early days perhaps six months out of season or back to front, tricks we have been dining out on in my walking club for years.
Cheers
Graham
Thank you Graham. An interesting and much appreciated list. First of all, I've done two videos of Claife Heights, although I would be the first to admit that they are not my best. At the moment the path up there is sorely in need of some work. I went with a friend in September, and I have to say that the tree clearances and erosion have made for some interesting route changes. I'm going to look at it again some time in the summer.
Both Whitbarrow Scar and Tilberthwaite have been on my provisional list for a couple of years, as has a walk around Caldbeck. Crummock to Eskdale looks an interesting suggestion, I haven't looked at that one before.
As for the Gable Girdle, well I saw that in Trail magazine a while ago (I think it was Trail) and suddenly wished I was 20 years younger. It is not the climbing, or the filming while I am doing it, more the thought of wild camping for a couple of nights. I've reached that time of life when the thought of climbing into a nice soft bed for a good nights sleep is more appealing than pitching your tent and spending a couple of nights on the mountain. The thing is, I wouldn't want to do it without wild camping, as there will be good early morning and late evening shots that could be very impressive. It's a great suggestion though.
As for the old Railway track from Threlkeld to Keswick, well I've got a half written script from my early days of filming somewhere on my old Apple iMac. It was a viable route before Storm Desmond took out some of the bridges, and my plan was to walk from Keswick to Threlkeld Station, a walk I had done on number of occasions. When Storm Desmond struck that script was aborted, so maybe I might just dig it out again.
I also have a script for an update of my Orrest Head walk. The original was done in 2010, and much has changed around there since then. The local council have reinstated the old carriage path, and it is actually possible, if you have permission, to drive a car to the top! It is an interesting area, with much hidden history.
Whatever my choices, and wherever I roam, (and it might not be limited to the Lake District) I shall enjoy making the videos, and also reading my viewers comments and suggestions. Their input really does mean a lot to me. Many thanks, and have a really good New Year. Eric
hello Eric.. nice change from the hills.. good to see you back 👍 ATB From Ontario Canada.. Merry Christmas to you 🍻
Thank you. Sorry for the delay in answering. I've had a dose of the flu so not been online for a few days. Glad you enjoyed it. Easier to walk than most of the routes I do, but the noise from the Motorway certainly added to the challenges. I like a bit of peace and quiet, which is why we take to the fells. Hope you've had a good Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you and yours.
@@jonathancraigguides hi Eric, any more videos planned? ATB Kenny
@@kennybrydges9084 One currently in production.
@@jonathancraigguides great thx Eric
Brilliant. Loved this :-)
Thank you. It was great fun to do. You can walk so much further when the ground is flat!
Happy to see you back Eric, hope you have been keeping well. Best Regards from deepest Sussex 😃
Thank you. Been keeping a bit too well, I think. Put on a bit of weight over the summer. A pre Christmas diet might be the order of the day.
Hi Eric,
It really is great to see you back on our screens again after what seems like an age, well a year anyway. Restoring the Lancaster canal would indeed be a major feat but I suspect would be very popular.
Do you have any thoughts on where your next adventure might be?
Cheers
Graham
Hello Graham. I've a few thoughts in mind. It will very much depend upon the weather, however, I it will almost certainly be in the Lake District, and involve a hill or mountain. For it to be another flat walk it would have to be somewhere with a good deal of history attached to it. Suggestions will be gratefully received.
Good to see you back
Hi Eric, just checking in to make sure you are OK and to ask if you have another adventure in the pipeline?
Cheers
Graham
Thank you. Just published my latest work. I'm fine thank you, if ageing a little too quickly for my liking. Hope you are well. atb Eric