At the southern tip of Windermere (the lake), is Lakeside, a small hamlet of scattered houses, a large hotel and the terminus of both Windermere Lake Cruises, and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. The railway runs for three miles, from Lakeside to Haverthwaite, a small village situated close to the main A590 road that links the M6 motorway with the industrial towns of Ulverston and Barrrow in Furness.
The route of the A590 is a modern one. In days past it not only ran through the village of Haverthwaite, but also crossed the river Leven by a narrow bridge close to what is now the Whitewater Hotel, in the village of Backbarrow. To the 21stC motorist, being able to avoid the queue inducing bridge is a bonus, especially as, at first glance, the village of Backbarrow has little to offer the visitor. But, as we shall see later, Backbarrow is not all it seems, especially if you have an interest in history and industrial archeology.
For most visitors, the cruise down the lake from Bowness or Ambleside, followed by a ride on the short, but very pleasant railway to Haverthwaite, is an enjoyable day out. However, aside from a visit to the small engine shed, a quick snack in the cafe, a browse around the tiny gift shop and, if you have children, a visit to the small kiddies playground, there is little to do at Haverthwaite. Consequently, those passengers that start their journey at Lakeside have a tendency to get the next train out of town, and head back the way they came.
One alternative to catching the train both ways is to walk one way, preferably the outer route from Lakeside to Haverthwaite, then return to Lakeside by train. The walk is just four miles by the route outlined below, and on a fine day is utterly delightful. Although not totally flat, there are no big hills to climb. The route follows a specially made off road footpath for the first mile and a half, before taking to a minor road for the remainder of the walk. You'll never be too far from the railway, and will pass through a parkland style setting on the early part of the walk. Once beyond the hamlet of Newby Bridge, the minor road runs through pleasant woodland before dropping down to the village of Backbarrow, a small riverside village that is not as it first appears.
The walk starts at the ferry pier. Walk away from the lake and turn left to walk past the Aquarium and on to the far end of the car park,
Simply follow the path for the next mile, enjoying the views as you go.
You'll know when you are approaching Newby Bridge, as a footbridge crosses the railway.
Having arrived at Newby Bridge, the path follows the road that runs along the front of the Swan Hotel.
At the junction, cross the road to take the minor road that continues alongside the river, with the railway to your right.
Pass by Newby Bridge Station, and continue along the minor road to cross the rail bridge.
At first there are views to the left, out across the Leven Valley, with the railway following the course of the river. Beyond that, running behind the trees in mid picture, is the main A590 dual carriageway. The Leven Valley is only 6 miles from Windermere to the sea. Nowadays there is little industry in the valley, but in days past it was a hive of activity, as we will see later.
The minor road runs
gently uphill for just under a mile. Privately owned woodland obscurs
any views of the valley, however, on a nice sunny afternoon it is
not unpleasant as the road tends not to be very busy.
The highest point of the walk is this junction, where you need to turn left, following the cycleway sign to Haverthwaite.
Shortly after is another junction, where again, you need to turn left. It is downhill all the way now to the village of Backbarrow.
The woodland you are walking through used to be coppiced. The trees were cut down to allow new shoots to grow from their base. About once every seven years the new shoots would be cut away and used to make charcoal, a substance that was in high demand during the past century. It was used in the iron and steel making industries, as well as for making gunpowder.
On the right hand side of the road there are several areas where rock has been taken for use in building work. Over the years, these mini quarries have been reclaimed by nature, and make a pleasing feature as you continue down the hill.
After almost three quarters of a mile of descent, you reach the bottom of the hill, and a rail bridge. Note that the track here used to be double, the bridge abuttments for the track that is no longer in place still exist, but the overbridge part has been removed.
If your timing is right, you may just catch a glimpse of a passing train!
It is a short distance from the railway bridge to the houses on the edge of the village of Backbarrow. The railway line can be seen running centre of picture.
After another quarter of a mile, the road runs alongside the river. Three things to note here, first the drainage pipes from the garden running through the wall, second the new houses on the other side, and third, in the distance on the right hand side of the river, a low brown building that is part of the Lakeland Motor Museum. The museum was built in an old cooperage. It made barrels for the mills and dolly blue works, of which more in a moment. Later it became the packaging department of the Dolly Blue works.
A little further down, the river narrows and runs under a stone bridge. The buildings on the other side were formerly the aforementioned Dolly Blue works. Originally known as the Lancashire Ultramarine works, the mill opened in the late Victorian period and for 90 years manufactured the little tablets of blue dye that most housewives in the early and middle part of the 20th century put into their clothes wash to make the white things appear white, and not yellow. It wasn't a bleach, but a colouring, and those of us of a certain age can well remember it being widely for sale in shops.
The old Dolly Blue works is now the Whitewater hotel. Some public areas of the hotel still display items signifying the history of the site. The mill closed in 1981.
The power of the water going under the bridge can be sensed in this shot. The River Leven drains Windermere, so when the Lake District has heavy rain, about a quarter of all the water that falls from the sky ends up going under this bridge. In 2005, 2009, and again in 2015, the village was flooded and in both 2009 and 2015 the bridge was severely damaged and the hotel flooded. Also, the A590 used to run over this bridge. The new section of road by-passing the village was built in the 1960's in order to ease traffic congestion.
Don't cross the bridge, but turn right and follow the left hand pavement, which is actually a painted line on the road, for a short distance to reach the remains of Backbarrow Ironworks. The first sign of their existence are the 'paddles' at the sluice gates used by the works to control the flow of water. They are in remarkably good condition.
A little further on, a display board beside the road offers plenty of information about the site.
It is not a big site, and work is currently being undertaken to tidy it up as it has stood idle and derelict since the works closed in 1966. According to the web site associated with the site, the iron made here was of very high quality, which enabled it to compete with much bigger sites. Singer sewing machines were made with high quality iron from Backbarrow, so if you have an old one you own a bit of Lake District history.
The telegraph pole from the railway can quite clearly be seen in the gap between the houses, some of which are social housing, and others privately owned. The village also has a junior school, and a doctors surgery, but no shop.
Close to the end of the walk, and Haverthwaite station. The minor road through the village meets the modern, and usually very busy A590 road here. There is no need to cross the road to reach the station. To the left of the hedge is a little footpath, which avoids the need to walk along the grass verge!
100 yards further on, to the left, the busy road, on the right is the car park for Haverthwaite railway station.
Depending on your timing, you may have time to visit the delights of the station. It has a small cafe, an engine shed, a small book and gift shop, plus a kiddies playground set amongst the trees. Note that if you arrive at Haverthwaite after the last train has departed you can catch a number six bus back to Windermere from a stop close to Haverthwaite station. This is often a double decker, and a top deck seat on the journey along the A592 from Newby Bridge to Windermere is a very enjoyable experience, especially if you sit on the left hand side of the bus.
However, nothing beats the train ride back to Lakeside.
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