For those of you that are thinking of going onto the hills I would strongly recommend that you read the advice given by the Mountain Rescue organisation of England and Wales. To read this advice, which will open in a new page please click HERE. If you would like to make a donation to the Mountain Rescue organisation which is purely voluntary please click HERE. Please make the time to read the advice page.

My original intention was just to do High Dam from the church at Finsthwaite but on seeing that there was a parking space available at Newby Bridge we decided to do Summer House Knott and Water Side Knott as well.

Route Map

We left the car in a lane near Newby Bridge with this view of the weir on the Riven Leven.

A very short walk up the road towards Lakeside took us over the railway line of the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. Just over the bridge take a lane on the left.

Just a few paces along the lane takes you to the fingerpost, your route to Summer House Knott

An initial short section of stepped path soon gives way to a rising path. When you reach the end of this path it zig-zags its way towards the top.

There is a path also to Water Side Knott which we took to look southwards towards home.

We then picked up the main path to lead us to the tower on Summer House Knott.

The tower was built to honour the officers, seamen and marines of the Royal Navy who defeated the fleets of France, Spain and Holland in 1799.

An inscription high on the south wall reads....

'Erected to honour the officers, seamen and marines of the Royal Navy whose matchless conduct and irresistible valour decisively defeated the fleets of France, Spain and Holland and preserved and protected liberty and commerce 1799'.

The tower is sadly in a sorry state of repair.

We followed a permissive path down to join the Finsthwaite - Lakeside path on which we turned left .

We followed this path until it exits the woods at this seat....

Leaving us a walk across the fields to Finsthwaite.

Some familar friends through a gap in the trees.

The western leg of the Kentmere Horseshoe.

Approaching Finsthwaite.

I love the location of this bungalow.

St Peter's Church, Finsthwaite. Built in 1873 - 1874 on the site of a church built around 1724.

One of the graves in the graveyard belongs to the Finsthwaite Princess Clementina Johannes Sobieski Douglas of Waterside, who was buried on 16th May 1771. It is widely believed she was the daughter of Prince Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, by Clemintina Walkinshaw.

A walk up the lane from the church to the road found this path passing between cottages.

The path is waymarked and leads us towards Bell Intake.

After crossing a footbridge to we followed the path upwards and then took a permissive path to the right over Roger Height above High Dam.

The path continues rising albeit slowly to pass around the top of High Dam.

Early Primroses.

Having walked around the top of the tarn we headed down to the calmer western side hoping for a few relections.

It wasn't the best day for reflections but beggars can't be choosers as they say.

Time to make our way back to Finsthwaite.

Gummer's How as we retrace our steps.

These would soon stop flying when Iceland thought we said "we want your ash" instead of "we want our cash"......only joking, we do have some Icelandic viewers.

We returned to the church from where we took a path across the fields towards Wintering Park

The path through the woods is a delight to walk and will lead you down....

..to the lane we started out from but a short distance further along it from where it is but a short walk back to Newby Bridge.

And finally....The Swan Hotel from Newby Bridge. The hotel will reopen shortly after flood damage work.

Next Walk:    13th April 2010 - Local - A walk along the river from the Crook O'Lune

Last Walk:    11th April 2010 - Lake District - Cartmel Fell & Fell Foot park  

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