Sizergh Fell Walk

A circular walk of 2.5 miles (4 km) total for the full loop, starting and finishing at the Sizergh Castle car park. Allow 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. It is waymarked with orange arrows and also signed as the Sizergh Wildlife Walk, so navigation is straightforward once you pick up the first arrows.

From the car park you head south through a footpath gate into a field with a wall on your left, then cross a second field that can be muddy. Ignore the gate on the right and climb toward a clump of trees and a log bench on Sizergh Fell. That bench is the payoff: open views over Morecambe Bay, with the Howgills and Pennines behind you and the Lakeland fells ahead. The path continues past the trees, with telephone lines on the left, over the top and downhill to a gate in a wall. Turn right across a bumpy field full of anthills, then through a gate and steeply down with woodland on your left to the road near Lane End Farm. Field edges and gates lead on through a wet field to Ashbank Lane, where a stone track runs beside the historic deer park wall and past a veteran ash tree before a final narrow track returns you to the car park.

Rated moderate, and the rating comes from surfaces rather than height. The climb is short and does not feel like a mountain ascent, but expect grassy paths and tracks, short steep sections, uneven ground, and several gates. Fields can be wet or muddy, and the anthill field is genuinely lumpy underfoot. There is no exposed ridge and no scrambling. Boots or shoes with grip are worth having, and after wet spells the grass and field crossings are the slow part.

This is limestone country, and the unimproved limestone grassland supports wildflowers, butterflies, and birds through the warmer months. Native cattle graze some of the fields, so keep an eye out and give them room. Loose limestone marks prehistoric burial sites on the fell, and there may be faint traces of a Romano-British settlement. The dry-stone deer park wall along Ashbank Lane and the veteran ash beside it are the best of the built and old-growth interest.

Start from Sizergh Castle car park (grid reference SD498878, postcode LA8 8DZ), signed from the A590. Toilets, a cafe, and a shop are at the castle. The mapped route begins at a footpath access a short walk from the car park. Access involves steep, uneven surfaces and gates. Dogs are welcome on the estate walk but should be kept on leads because livestock are present in some fields; dogs are not allowed in the formal garden, and assistance dogs are welcome throughout.

The Park End Moss walk on the same estate is longer and swaps the fell-top panorama for wetland scenery and a bird hide, which is the better pick if you would rather sit and watch birds than climb for a view.