This is an excellent walk over the prominent limestone hill known as Warton Crag, through the woodlands on its heights and down to the RSPB bird sanctuary at Leighton Moss.  There are extensive views from the top of the Crag - Morecambe Bay to the south west, the Kent Estuary with the southern Lakeland Fells behind in the north west and Ingleborough with the Yorkshire Dales to the east; close by, between the rocks of Warton Crag and the Kent Channel, lie salt marshes which are a continuation of Leighton Moss and the broad sandbanks of Warton Sands; these are home to a wide variety of wading birds

• Distance – about 7 miles, with a moderate ascent to 163 metres.
• Terrain – generally firm underfoot over the limestone rocks but changes to softer going as the marshes are approached; if the intention is to roam the marshes then the going can be distinctly wet! Strong boots are advised even for the limestone walk as the path is quite uneven in part and ankle support is sensible.
• Limestone pavement is very slippery when wet – beware
• Refreshments – an excellent pub ('The George Washington') is located in Warton, about 100 yds from the small quarry car park. The RSPB Visitor Centre at Myers Farm, near Silverdale Station, has a restaurant as well as a well-stocked shop.
• Toilets – just down the road from the Warton car park, next to the Church Rooms, and in the RSPB Centre (above)
• Map – Landranger 97, Kendal and Morecambe

Click on this image to order the map for this walk direct from the Ordnance Survey

Getting there: -
 From the South; exit the M6 at J35, head north on the A601 to the A6; 0.6 mile after joining the A6 take the first left hand turn (Borwick Lane) to Warton (1 mile).  Turn left at Main Road and go down a gentle incline towards the centre and on the right, just before the church, is The George Washington pub; turn right up Crag Road, immediately next to the pub, and after 100 yds turn right again into a little, disused quarry which is the Warton Council car park.  If this car park is full, carry on for another 500 yds or so to come to a much larger disused quarry which now houses a large car park in front of impressive limestone cliffs; this quarry is owned by Lancashire CC and is a nature site full of interesting flora and fauna. Walk down the hill back towards the smaller quarry.
 From the North:- come off the M6 at J36 near Crooklands and turn east along the A65 (Kirby Lonsdale) for 200 yds then right (south) down the A6070 (Carnforth/Lancaster) for about 6.5 miles to come to the A6; go left (south) on the A6 for 200 yds and turn right up Borwick Lane to Warton as above.

1. From the small quarry turn right and go up the road for 150 yds then turn right again into the Warton Crag Nature Reserve (signposted) through 'Ged's Gate'; you can access a point directly above this gate from the car park but the track is dark and gloomy.  Follow the path through the reserve directly uphill and after 90 yards turn left, at a rounded boulder in the track, up a narrow path with a gentle incline along the lower terrace to the fence above the main quarry; take care here - you are a long way up! Cross over a small stile and, after 20 yds, take a narrow right hand fork in the path towards the top of the Crag.
   Note that a delightful short diversion from this path is to continue along the terrace for 200 yds or so rather than take the right hand turn; this will take you to the Northern end of the terrace where the views are quite breathtaking.  Retrace footsteps and turn towards the peak of the crag

1 - Follow the narrow path upward to the first limestone terrace; after 8 paces to the left, turn right onto a very narrow path and carry on forward, always progressing towards the summit of the crag, over another small stile and then up a limestone scramble to the summit.  At the top there is a wooden replica beacon on the site of the original 13th Century beacon which was probably a stone pillar on which a bonfire of wood and other combustible material was lit to warn of the approach of invading forces. There was once an interlocked chain of such beacons across the country

2 - If food and drink are to be consumed on this walk, then you could do little better than to turn right at this beacon and go down a narrow track for 100 yards, passing a triangulation point on your right, to come to the top of a small limestone escarpment looking out over Warton and its surrounding countryside. A picnic here on a fine day is an experience not to be easily forgotten - the view is spectacular!
When lunch has been eaten and the view enjoyed, then return to the Beacon by the same path; at this point turn right and carry on past the Beacon as though the diversion had never happened.  Within 30 yds take the right hand fork of a Y - junction, signed posted 'Coach Road / Warton', and descend down a gentle slope through the dappled shade of the broad-leaved trees of this area; this attractive part of the Crag is known as Strickland Wood and was once grazed; as you walk through the wood look out for the remains of dry stone walls which once divided it into allotments.  Most of the trees are hazel and quite young; originally they were coppiced (cut back to ground level to encourage the growth of a number of small straight stems) but this practice was stopped some years ago and only recently has been resumed to some extent.  The presence of some older and mature trees suggest that the area was once open ground.
At the bottom of the slope there is a Y-junction where you should take the sharp turn to the left by a post with a little white trail marker (arrow) on it.  Carry on along this path going down steadily and finally swinging to the right; you will soon come to a gate/stile onto an old bridleway - this is Occupation Road. Facing you is a signpost and you should turn right here ('Coach Road/Warton'), go up the slope and after 40 yds. come to a gate on the left hand side which opens to a short footpath connecting Occupation Road with Coach Road. Follow this path across open pastureland with Leck Hill Wood on your right hand side to come to the gate onto Coach Road with a farmhouse on your right.
Turn left along this lane, passing the Lodge-house and driveway to Leighton Hall on the left; note that there is no footpath down this drive, which is private land.  Carry on along the lane to the end of the trees (about 300 yds.) and a signpost on the left to 'Summer House View'.

3 - This entrance has recently been improved and now has a stile together with a wide gate to the side of it for wheelchair access; a well-surfaced path leads up the hill through another wide gate and stile to a flat area with some seats at the main viewpoint.  From here there is a superb panorama of Morecambe Bay with Leighton Hall and its grounds in the foreground.
Descend the steep bank in front of you towards the Hall; at the foot of the incline join onto the main driveway and turn right towards a Y-junction where another right hand option will take you between the Hall entrance on the left and the tennis courts on the right. Carry on along this lane passing Home Farm on your left and then after a while reach Grizedale Farm on your right.
Go through the farm area onto a double rutted track for 75 yds to come to a large stone barn on your left; at this point bear right, off the track, onto a path which goes gradually down across a pasture and comes to a wooden gate which is the entrance to Leighton Moss bird sanctuary. Go through this and follow the stone causeway which stretches in a straight line in front of you, across the reed beds of the moss - the largest reed beds in the North of England. About half way across you pass one of the hides of the sanctuary which looks over a large pond busy with ducks, waders and migrant birds; the bittern and the marsh harrier may be seen at appropriate times of the year.  The area is a breeding ground for otters.  Carry on along the causeway to arrive at a lane.
Turn left at this lane and after 1/4 mile come to the RSPB visitor centre.  This is well worth a visit as it is laid out in an attractive way with a comprehensive range of goods, mostly relating to bird welfare and bird watching, together with a good restaurant on the first floor. After this diversion carry on along the lane to come to a T-junction with the station on your right and the clubhouse of Silverdale Golf Club in front of you.  Turn left at this busy little intersection and walk along Red Bridge Lane for 1/4 mile or so to come to a Y-junction and take the left hand fork sign posted 'Warton / Carnforth'.

4 - Follow this road down a gradual incline and over a railway crossing; after 1 mile you will come to another Y-junction where you bear left into a lane signposted 'Warton 2'; at this fork in the road there is a bench where the weary walker can stop and look out over the salt marshes in front, where ducks, geese and a variety of water birds enjoy a leisurely swim in the tidal waters.  Just before the Y-junction you pass by a large chimney on your left which is all that remains of the pumping house built in the early 19th Century to drain the marshes; this project was abandoned at the end of World War 1 and the area has slowly reverted to a moss. The lane gradually ascends along the side of the crag for about 1 mile and then slowly drops down into Warton passing, on your left, the large quarry which was mentioned earlier as a possible overflow car park if the smaller Warton quarry park was full; this quarry has been laid out as a landscaped amenity area by Lancashire County Council and is well worth a visit. A variety of birds, including some raptors, nest in the towering limestone cliffs. Another 500 yds down the slope will take you back to Warton car park, passing the entrance to Warton Crag Nature reserve on your left.