If you’re looking for the Cat Bells route, it no longer meets our Miles Without Stiles standards and has been replaced by this route at Sizergh.
A 1.9km circular route from Sizergh Castle
Description:
This new route leaves the bottom end of the car park beside the café and information centre at the National Trust’s Sizergh Castle and is a great addition to your visit to the historic castle, garden and estate.
Running up to Holeslack through farmland and ancient woodland, the trail is a 1.9km circular route, suitable for prams, buggies, off-road mobility scooters, wheelchairs and visitors with reduced mobility. This estate path has been designed for visitors to enjoy, with accessibility in mind. All of the gates are easily accessible and a large part of the route is fenced off from livestock. The benches along the route were made by volunteers, using wood felled on the estate.
Proceed straight ahead up the gentle slope to Holeslack Farm, then turn left on to the new path which drops back down through woodland, past a pond and joins a bridleway, where you turn left again to return to the start.
A walk through this ancient woodland is a feast for senses throughout the year. In the Spring, the smell of wild garlic is all around, and beautiful bluebells carpet the wood. Trees and walls are carpeted in lichens and mosses, and fungi in weird and wonderful shapes and colours thrives here. Huge ancient trees are home to hundreds of birds, bats and invertebrates. Visitors might spot Hawfinches flying overhead, or spy ducks and moorhens from the willow bird screen at the pond.
The field, running alongside the path, provides food and forage for birds and small mammals throughout the year, and the traditional Westmorland orchard on the route is full of apples, pears, plums and damsons. From here, you can glimpse views back towards Sizergh Castle.
Two Trampers (a type of mobility scooter) are also now available, in partnership with Outdoor Mobility. They can be pre-booked online.
© National Trust Images/Steve Barber
Postcode: LA8 8AE
Grid reference: SD 49721 87848
W3W: ///exotic.accented.jump
Cafe and information centre at the start point at National Trust Sizergh Castle, LA8 8AE. Accessible toilets with level access.
From Kendal, take the hourly X6 bus or the 555, 755, 551 and 530 bus services to the Heaves / Brettagh stop (ask the bus driver for Sizergh). Plan your car-free visit with ‘Good Journey’ and enjoy a free regular size hot drink when you show your bus ticket: https://www.goodjourney.org.uk/attractions/sizergh/. All bus timetables available at https://www.golakes.co.uk/bybus. Once at the Heaves/Brettagh take care crossing this busy road and use the crossing place. Continue walking in the direction of the bus, and then turn right down Nannypie Lane following the brown sign to Sizergh Castle. Take care on this country lane. Walk past the Strickland Arms pub and continue along the driveway to Sizergh Castle (20 mins walk).
