Burnmoor Tarn walk (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Burnmoor Tarn walk

11:10am Friday 27th May 2011

• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

Park in the car park, grid ref 174006, at Dalegarth, the terminus for the La’al Ratty, Eskdale (£3 all day).

In parts this is a challenging walk. It starts from Boot in Eskdale, the latter looking glorious in its spring garb.

After visiting the stone circles on Brat’s Moss, the walk continues up beside the River Mite, which has gathered its waters just south-west of Burnmoor Tarn.

When the tarn is reached walkers will be able pause and enjoy stunning views. This is one of the largest of Lakeland’s tarns and on a sunny day its waters are a fine deep blue. The return is made over Eskdale Moor, occasionally looking down on Whillan Beck that flows out of the Tarn.

1 Turn left out of the car park and walk along the sometimes busy road for 200 yards. Turn left again into a narrow lane immediately beyond Brook House. Stroll up past several cottages, cross the bridge over the Whillan Beck and go on up the reinforced track to pass through the gate onto the fell. Follow the curving path as it goes ahead and then follow it, still ahead, as it carries on as a very stony, rocky track for half a mile where it is hard going on your feet until you begin to approach the ruined peat huts. Two of them have been restored. There are several paths going on uphill. Keep on the main one, generally grassy and a delight to walk, heading for the nearest stones of the Neolithic stone circles on Brat’s Moss, where you will want to explore.

2 Beyond the last, and probably the most complete circle, on your right, press on ahead on the grassy path over the high moorland. Follow it as it gradually bends left, keeping parallel with a wall to your right but well away from it. Gradually it moves nearer and winds around the wall to go through a gap in it and then passes through a gate. Descend with extensive clearfell to your left. Go through a wall gap and drop down to a reinforced path, where you turn right with a fence to your left. Pass through a gate and on through sheep pasture with glorious deciduous woodland climbing steeply up the fell to your left. Cross several streams where it can be muddy. Then you reach the open fell with the narrow River Mite, on your left, tumbling through the valley beside you and with grassy towering slopes on either side.

3 Join the little path that generally keeps beside the beck. The way is grassy in places, but stony or rocky in most. It climbs twice to avoid ‘cliffs’ that impede progress and in a couple of places you may need to cross to the opposite bank. As you near the head of the gill (one and a quarter miles), make sure you are on the right side (east bank). Pause here to look at the delightful cliff-girt hollow where the Mite tumbles down in a magnificent waterfall. Then go on along the path that soon curvess right and brings you to the back of Burmoor Lodge, overlooking the tarn, a lonely building with some scaffolding, but within its boundary walls the turf is wonderfully green, where sheep seem happy with their lambs, and a few trees thrive.

4 Here you might like to follow one of the several paths that lead down to the water’s edge, or to find a sheltered spot if the wind is being troublesome, to have your picnic and enjoy the superb view of the Lakeland Fells. To return continue on the path from behind the lodge until you meet a wide grass track coming in on your right. Join it and turn right to begin a steady climb up the ridge of Eskdale Moor. This walk avoids the path leading to Lambford Bridge. The ridge walk is exhilarating and the stony path is mainly in good condition. Occasionally there are stretches of fine turf. As you reach the far side of the moor there are several gates to negotiate and the path comes beside two areas of mature deciduous woodland. Follow the path all the way to a gate on to the winding path down towards Eskdale Mill and the bridge over the Whillan.

5 Turn left, downhill, to reach the busy unclassified road through Eskdale and turn right for Dalegarth station and the car park.

Information

Distance: 6-7 miles

Time: 4 hours

Terrain: Long hard stony path to start. Brat’s Moss is pleasant but could be boggy after rain. The path up through the Mite Valley needs care and is challenging in a few places. The return path is stony for much of the way but relatively easy.

Map: OS Explorer OL 6

NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.