This second walk in the series Walks from the Lakes Line' starts from Burneside station. It is really just a halt but, after recent refurbishment, a rather splendid, streamlined halt. Make sure when organising your trip that your train stops at the halt - some don't. Once it had a bustling goodsyard and a private tramline which connected with several mills. These sprang up in the valley, making full use of the water power of the rivers Kent and the Sprint. To the left of Burneside St Oswald's church is a public toilet for use by locals, wheelchair users and walkers. To access it look for directions on the side of the church gates. This provision is a community effort after the public toilets were closed very recently. These still stand opposite the church...

1 Leave Burneside platform and turn left through the gate and go down the lane past the old goodsyard. On your left you can see a short stretch of the tramway which connected the line with the former rag paper mill at Cowan Head. Cross the main road and walk right to reach Burneside's fine St Oswald's Church. Opposite, in front of the old toilets, is an area for parking. Walk on to pass the Jolly Angler's Inn and, at the sign for the school, turn left to walk along Hall Road. Cross the bridge and continue on, with care, and then take a hedged footpath, on the left side of the road.

2 A short way along take the signposted footpath, leading left, to walk the side of a pasture, with Cropper's huge paper mill, obscured by trees, to your left. Follow the path round to its end at a stile into a pasture and a fine view of the lovely countryside. Then take a little path dropping down towards the river and continuing on, below a high bank. When you reach a large metal stile over a wall, ignore it and climb up the high bank, where others have climbed before, and continue beside the wall (on your left) to join a narrow lane by a stile. Cross and take the stile opposite and walk ahead up three pastures, keeping parallel, but a little away from, the wall on your left, to come to an unsigned gate onto a wide bridleway.

3 Turn left. A short way along, leave the track, right, keeping a bungalow to your left. Wind a little left, and then right, to pass the back corner of Braban House. Go on to a gate where the waymark is difficult to spot. Beyond, stride left, across the middle of a field to go through a waymarked farm gate to walk a delightful hedged bridleway. At the narrow lane, turn right and walk on to take, on the left and just beyond a layby, a signed bridleway. Climb the reinforced way to its end and then go ahead to a signposted gate, the left of two. Beyond, climb steadily. Ignore a signposted left turn, and follow the way as it curves a little and becomes grassy. Look right to see where water from Ghyll Pool sparkles as it tumbles over a small dam. Go on up the indistinct grassy trod to go through a gap in the wall. Climb the next stile and then head towards the large dam of Potter Tarn, remaining on the left of the overflow stream. At the foot of the dam, turn left and go on to a large ladderstile. Once over, climb gently. Walk ahead, following the waymarks, and then wind slightly right before descending to go through a gate. Bear right with the good track, go through a purpose-built wall gap and turn sharp left. Walk the narrow winding footpath, to descend to a wall at the bottom of the slope.

4 Turn left to walk a lovely wide grassy trod, shadowed by oaks. Pass through a gate and carry on to a tiny cottage. Here, leave the track and wind round left to the front of the cottage. With your back to its front door, pick up another pleasing grassy trod that goes straight ahead into another pasture. At the corner of woodland, on your right, the track soon begins to swing left to a farm. Here leave the track and drop down the pathless slope to a stile in the bottom left corner; this gives access to a narrow road. Walk left and at the start of the first dwelling on your right, Hagg Foot, go through a signposted gate, the signpost obscured by bushes.

5 Wind round left, beside the retaining wall, and, after a few steps, take a hedged track bearing right towards the River Kent. Cross the wooden bridge (no one seems to agree on the status of this bridge though all the maps give it as a right of way) with care, and turn left to walk the Dales Way (DW), a flower-lined narrow path beside a lovely stretch of the River Kent. Go through a gate and then on by the mill pool and between cottages, with the huge complex of Cowan Head towering over all. Carry on at the back of the complex, once the route of the old tramway, either on the tarmacked road, or just inside the fence (DW), where the narrow grassy path, just above the steep bank of the river, has been carefully cut. Where this ends, go ahead along a continuing track to pass the bungalows at Bowston. The track passes, on the right, Winstanley Row, four pleasing houses with long front gardens and named after James Winstanley Cropper who bought the paper mills at Cowan Head and Burneside and provided the cottages for his workers.

6 Join the road and walk left to take the second turn on the left. Notice as you go, the houses on the opposite side of the main road, Winstanley Place. Follow the left turn and where it winds round right and then left to cross the fine stone bridge over the river. At its end go through the stile, on the right, to walk beside the lovely Kent once more. Go over a stile and stroll on. Then make a bee-line for the high metal stile you ignored almost at the outset of the walk. Carry on along the narrow path and then climb the bank to a stile to the footpath that winds round the paper mill. Turn right at the track end, and soon join Hall Road. Once across the bridge over the river you may wish to turn right to come to the graveyard of the church. Pass through it to the gate to the main road. The parking area lies opposite and for Burneside Halt, turn right and walk on for a short distance.

Information...

Distance: 6.5 miles.

Time: 3-4 hours.

Terrain: Mainly good footpaths and tracks. Very little road walking. Some climbing, but this is gently graded.

Map: OS Explorer 7.

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.