Furness Way

Furness lies between the mountainous heart of the Lake District and the great sandy estuaries of Morecambe Bay. For centuries it was owned by the monks of Furness Abbey who grazed sheep on the hills, controlled fishing rights, grew crops, planted orchards, made charcoal, smelted iron, dug peat for fuel and manufactured salt. It is an area of low hills, old coppice woodlands, lush meadows, reedy tarns and sparkling rivers.

The Furness Way meanders across this tranquil corner of the Lake District from Arnside on the eastern side of Morecambe Bay to Ravenglass on the Irish Sea. The route visits the beautiful Lyth, Winster, Duddon and Eskdale valleys; crosses Whitbarrow, Hampsfell and Muncaster Fell, all of which offer breathtaking views of the mountains of the Lake District, the Isle of Man and the Furness coastline; and passes through a succession of attractive villages including Brigsteer, Lindale, Cartmel, Coniston and Boot. It also takes in several magnificent stately homes including Levens Hall, Sizergh Castle and Muncaster Castle.

The magnificent topiary gardens at Levens Hall, Cartmel's beautiful priory church and gatehouse, the oldest working corn mill in the country, ancient packhorse bridges, a Roman bath house and the narrow-gauge steam railway known as La'al Ratty add to the interest of this delightful walk.