The Dales Way - Thwaite Farm, Howgill to Burneside (10 Miles)

 Karen in front of Thwaite Farm Farmhouse

Another sunny day and very warm. After breakfast and packing up our stuff, we left Thwaite Farm at 09:20 and dropped down through a couple of fields to a footbridge across Chapel Beck. This brought us to a path, a bit muddy in places, leading along the River Lune.

 Path by River Lune

Leaving the river bank for a track and a minor road, we arrived at Crook of Lune Bridge, another lovely old bridge, again a bit narrow for modern traffic.

 Crook of Lune Bridge

R

River Lune

After crossing the bridge, we followed the road as it passed beneath an arch of the Lowgill Viaduct, also a remnant of the Ingleton to Tebay line.

 Lowgill Viaduct

This led us to a larger road for a short distance then past a few houses and up a narrow grassy lane filled with wild flowers which led to open fields. Looking back we had views of the Howgills and to one side, the Lakeland peaks, the most prominent being Ill Bell. Also we could hear the noise of traffic on the busy M6 motorway only a half a mile away or so.

 Distant Lakeland Fells

The Howgill Hills

We soon crossed over the M6 on a narrow bridge joining two fields. After more fields and various farms, we reached a footbridge crossing a small beck at Grayrigg Foot Farm. It was just past Noon so we sat on one end of the bridge and ate our packed lunches.
Continuing onwards again on a mixture of tracks and fields we arrived at the small Black Moss Tarn where a family of swans and their cygnets were swimming in a lovely spot. We took advantage of the lovely location to sit and rest in the heat of the sun for half an hour.

 Black Moss Tarn

 Swan Family

As we neared Burnside, our stopping-over place for the night, we saw the town of Kendal in the valley ahead. All that remained was to pass the old mill on the River Sprint, walk through a field waving flies away, then a short section of minor road and again crossing another field to reach the road into Burneside, passing the impressive Buneside Manor and ruins (now a farmhouse) on the way.

 Burneside Manor

Arriving in Burneside at 15:30and after short rest on a bench in the shade to cool down, we bought some ice cream and cold drink in a shop and sat in a small park have them.
Luckily our accommodation for the night, The Jolly Anglers pub, was just around the corner. Although locked up and no answer to the doorbell or knocking, Karen rung them on her mobile form and we were let in.