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.

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Just a short afternoon walk along the River Lune at Kirkby Lonsdale starting from the Devil's Bridge which is a very popular spot with picnickers, walkers and of course the motorbike fraternity.

I stopped on our way to Kirkby Lonsdale to get some pictures but.....

these nosey chappies put paid to my plans.

Parked up now at Kirkby Lonsdale and looking down on the River Lune from Devil's Bridge dating from around 1370.

In common with many bridges of the same name, legend holds that the Devil appeared to an old woman, promising to build a bridge in exchange for the first soul to cross over it. When the bridge was finished the woman threw bread over the bridge and her dog chased after it, thereby outwitting the Devil.

The more modern road bridge which carries the A65 over the river.

We first followed the River Lune upstream towards Kirkby Lonsdale.

Approaching The Island.

We carried on along the river....

.....with a few reflections until we reached....

The Radical Steps....named after the liberal views of a Dr Pearson, who had them built around 1830.....There are 86 of them leading up to The Brow and I was rather chuffed to do them in one go. Mind you, I was gasping at the top and got some dark looks from the boss-lady for failing to have a breather part way up.

Now on The Brow and the view ahead, part of which is shown here is known as "Ruskin's View".

This view was made famous by Turner who painted and made it famous. The view was described by Ruskin as "One of the loveliest views in England' in his 'Fors Clavigera'

From The Brow we took a path which took us down through the woods towards Underley Park....

Our path would take us round to Home Farm....

....crossing a rather small but ornate stone bridge over a stream.

Brownthwaite Pike across the valley.

Barbon Low Fell with the tower of Underley Hall just visible. Underley Hall is about a mile from the town. It was built in 1825 by Alexander Nowell, who sold it to Alderman Thompson, a member of an old Westmorland family long settled in Grayrigg parish, who became Lord Mayor of London and was at one time M.P. for Westmorland. It has been described as "a fine mansion in the Tudor style considerably embellished in 1867 and enlarged in 1873 by the addition of a tower, etc.; the park is well-timbered and bounded by the river Lune."  It is now a school.

Building work at the Estate Offices.

We were left with a short road walk back to Kirkby Lonsdale along a quiet road with some fine buildings along the way.

I assume that this once fine gateway was once the gatehouse to the Underley Estate

Once the workplace of Jonty Wilson (1921-1981) the subject of a book by W.R.Mitchell once the editor of The Dalesman

Back now in Kirkby Lonsdale and the beautiful St. Mary's Church.

Market Square, Kirkby Lonsdale.

A look across the playing fields to Barbon Fells.

Hmmm.....Ice Cream or Burger?.....I have so many hard decisions to take on these walks!  ;-)

Next Walk:      3rd July 2011 - Yorkshire Dales - Along the Turbary Road above Kingsdale

Last Walk:      30th June 2011 - NW Lancs - Sunderland Point & Sambo's Grave

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