Semerwater and Raydale Circular

The payoff is the contrast: a low, water-level first half, then a raised return with wide views back down over the lake and the length of Raydale.

• Low Blean parking to Semerwater Bridge, then along the lakeside path
• Through the nature reserve ground to Stalling Busk and on to Marsett
• The climb out of Marsett past High Ash Gill Scar onto the high west side of Raydale
• The high route by Swallow Hole, Carlows and the Green Scar area
• Down to Countersett, back over Semerwater Bridge to the start

This is a moderate to hard day walk, not a flat lake stroll. The first half beside the water and through the reserve is relatively gentle. The pull out of Marsett is reasonably steep and sustained, and it is the section that sets the effort level for the day. The route links public footpaths, bridleways, tracks, quiet lanes, gates and field paths, with uneven and potentially muddy ground, livestock fields, and a stream and ford context on the lower section. The access track from Marsett is extremely uneven with large loose boulders, which matters if anyone in the group has limited mobility. Do not assume a consistent surface anywhere on the loop.

Most navigation questions come in two places: leaving Marsett to find the correct line onto the high ground, and the field-path descent toward Countersett, where paths cross farmland and gates rather than following an obvious made track. Carry the map and confirm each gate. The high section is open and unsheltered, so wind and low cloud are felt more there than by the lake. Within the reserve, keep to the public footpaths, since leaving them is hazardous.

Semer Water is a naturally formed glacial lake in Raydale, unusual in this part of the Dales. The reserve around it holds fen, marsh, species-rich meadows, willow carr and mixed woodland. Recorded breeding and wintering birds include curlew, oystercatcher, lapwing, redshank, sand martin, wigeon, teal, mallard and snipe, with osprey occasionally noted. White-clawed crayfish are present, and yellow water-lilies show in July.

Primary access is the lakeside parking at the end of Semer Water by Low Blean Farm, with daytime parking on the foreshore and tickets obtained from the farm. Limited informal parking is also reported at Marsett and Stalling Busk. Dogs are legally permitted on this public-footpath route, but reserve guidance requires a short lead at all times to protect breeding and overwintering birds, and close control around livestock is expected throughout, particularly from March to July.

If the steep climb is not wanted, a shorter low-level circuit of the lake gives the water and the nature reserve without the high ground. It is a genuinely different route from the one described here, so plan it separately rather than treating it as a shortcut off this loop.