I recently had a very enjoyable wander around Arnside Knott on 24 April 2024.
I’d spent the evening in the camper in a nearby pullout reviewing photos and footage from other recent trips. To be honest though, I spent most of the time preparing a short upload of some rather poor footage of 3x Roe Deer that I chanced upon during the day. Since I’m just starting out on this venture, there’s a lot to learn, and I learn most lessons by reviewing footage and photos, realizing the simple mistakes I’ve made, and opportunities missed.
Deer Me!
I’d spotted the Roe Deer in a field next to the road I was travelling along. The road wasn’t particularly busy or wide, but it had enough width to qualify for marking as two lanes in places. There weren’t any specific ‘pull in’ spots, so I simply pulled over and turned on the hazard lights.
No sooner had I done this than a few cars came past and gave me strange looks. Thankfully no angry horn blasts to scared the deer away though.
I grabbed my camera and jumped out to grab some footage. The footage as you can see if you’ve watched the clip (if you haven’t, why not!) isn’t great. It’s shaky! Since the footage is handheld and taken from afar, it doesn’t show the deer up close. I saw them just a few meters from the road when I first arrived, but as soon as I got out of the van and made some noise, they bolted to a safer spot.
The lesson for me here are that I shouldn’t have reacted so quickly. Had I composed myself a little I could have parked the van a further distance away and walked to the location. This would probably have caused less disturbance and allowed me to get closer to my subject. I could also have picked up the tripod which I had with me (hits forehead with palm) and that would have produced much more useable content than managed to get.
Hind sight (no pun intended) is a wonderful thing though, the sighting of any species which is out of the norm always excites me and I forget myself.
New Barns
The following day I met up with my Wife for a stroll with the pooch around Arnside Knott.
Arnside and Silverdale have long held a place in both our hearts. It’s a place where we have been visiting as a couple since we first met, 30 wonderful years ago. Unbeknown to both of us at the time, we’d both holidayed in the area as children. Myself at New Barns caravan park in Arnside and my Wife stayed across the Kent estuary in Grange-over-sands. Neither of us knowing about each other or having any inkling that our soul mates were just a few miles across the sand.
The sun shone brightly, warming the dry but cool air. With boots secured on our feet, we set off down the road towards New Barns Caravan Park. It had changed considerably since my childhood; far more caravans dotted the landscape, yet the entire place seemed much tidier than I remembered.
What looks like a new addition is the Bob Inn café. It doesn’t look much from a walking distance but I strongly recommend that if you are in the area, drop in. The seating area outside is delightful, but not as delightful as the cakes.
Memories…old and new
After having fed and watered ourselves, we sauntered on through the caravan park to the shingle beach. This beach evokes vivid memories of my childhood. The sound of the limestone pebbles crunching underfoot, a symphony once so familiar, brings a smile to my face. The coppiced hazel and yew trees lining the shore, their forms sculpted by the prevailing winds, add a touch of character to the landscape.
My earliest memories are from staying in a caravan owned by my Dads’ Auntie June, both of whom are sadly no longer with us. Auntie Junes caravan was one of the closest caravans to the shingle beach. From the caravan I remember watching Red Squirrels on Auntie June’s bird table, and once saw Uncle Charlie (June’s husband) preparing a beached Salmon that he had rescued from the Black Backed Gulls. It’s funny how these things stick with you.
Auntie June’s caravan is sadly no longer where it used to be. A newer model has taken its place, while the old wooden structure that once housed the outside portable toilet still stands nearby. Another caravan now also sits between it and the beach. I expect it won’t be long before a caravan is placed in front of that too.
New Barns Bay
Beyond the shingle there was a grassy area which in my lifetime I recall it receding completely where there was no grass at all to now were the grass has reclaimed a significant foothold in that bay. This is a similar story throughout the whole estuary.
The sands are constantly shifting, creating an ever changing and somewhat dangerous landscape.
We tried to navigate this grassed area but struggled to find a suitable path, so we headed back towards the shingle and skirted around it to join the dry sandy area where we let the pooch off his lead to have a few mad minutes of mayhem. A few minutes earlier we’d heard the siren for the bore so we knew the tied was on its way in but thought we might have time to walked the coast at its lowest level. Despite how it looked the tide coming in at a steady rate and covered our route so we had to retreat up the low limestone embankment and join the wooded path.
This path opens up into Holgates Caravan Park, one which at the moment appears far superior to New Barns with many if not most of the caravans enjoying open views across Morecambe Bay, though I suspect this comes at a significantly higher cost than New Barns too. Still, it’s always enjoyable to wander through here and dream of retirement, watching the best and worst of the weather as it approaches from across the Irish Sea.
Flora and Fauna
Amongst the limestone chippings which acted as a path to one of the holiday homes was a hazelnut shell. While finding a hazelnut shell isn’t uncommon, the way it was opened clearly indicates it once provided a meal for a dormouse.
After leaving Holgates we ascended the path to join the route which circumnavigates the lower edge of Arnside Knott. ‘The Knott’ sits within the AONB of Arnside and Silverdale and has some very interesting geology. Within the limestone you can find signs of much earlier life. It is also host to a good variety of flora and fauna. On this particular day we noticed Pill Woodlouse, Hawthorn Fly, Early Purple Orchid, Hart’s-Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) and Lords and Ladies (Arum Maculatum) emerging from last autumns leaf litter and plenty of wild strawberries hugging the ground.
The Knott is also well known for its large colonies of Southern Wood Ants (Formica Rufa) which later in the season can be easily spotted travelling along footpaths to their nests which take the shape of a large mound, often of pine needles or in this case, Yew Tree needles. They are a sight worth seeing and they are part of the reason the Green Woodpecker does so well in these parts. On the North eastern elevation of the Knott, there are a large number of mounds which don’t appear to be the work of the Wood Ants or even Moles. I have tried to research these and I am awaiting a reply from a local expert which I will hopefully be able to share shortly.
Interestingly though, these mounds are host to a variety of low growing plants and mosses including the wild strawberries and wild thyme. Unless you take the time to get down to their level, these plants will go un-noticed. I did notice however, that one of these unidentified mounds was home to some earth dwelling insect. I didn’t see the inhabitant(s) but there was a significant amount of newly excavated earth which looked like the work of either a colony of ants or possibly bee’s or wasps.
As we continued towards the end of the walk and we neared our vehicles, we agreed that the ideal way to end the walk would be a relaxing beverage at the Bob In café, and maybe another cheeky cake.
If you haven’t visited Arnside, Silverdale or the surrounding area then I would question why? It’s a truly enchanting place that feels like you have stepped back in time. For me it is more than just a feeling as it brings back so many memories (Myers Gift Shop for one). There is so much to see and do, and it is a particularly wonderful place to visit when you don’t want to see or do anything, but just be somewhere pleasant and relaxing.
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