Levens Bridge, River Kent and Sedgwick
From Levens Hall along the route of the old Lancaster and Kendal canal
Google Maps Open Source Maps| Statistics and Files | ||
|---|---|---|
| Start: Levens Bridge | Distance: 6.5 miles (10.5 km) | Climbing: 168 metres |
| Grid Ref: SD 49619 85255 | Time: 3 hours | Rating: Moderate |
| GPX Route File | Google Earth File | About Levens Hall |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Start: Levens Bridge | Distance: 6.5 miles (10.5 km) |
| Climbing: 168 metres | Grid Ref: SD 49619 85255 |
| Time: 3 hours | Rating: Moderate |
| GPX Route File | Google Earth File |
Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)
The Walk: Levens Hall, where the walk starts, is an Elizabethan mansion house situated in the scenic countryside of southern Cumbria. The house is surrounded by its famous topiary garden and across the road from the hall is Levens Deer Park, which has a public right of way through it. The route winds through grassland and woods of lime, beech, oak, ash and elm. The River Kent can, in places, be heard through the trees. Beyond the park a stone parapet gives a good view over a series of waterfalls and a natural limestone Salmon leap. On the opposite bank are the remains of a gunpowder mill while further upstream a larger gunpowder mill stands derelict and overgrown.
Levens Hall
Sedgwick
A small suspension bridge takes the path over to the east bank of the river and then upstream, above the ravine. At one point there is a good view to the foundations of the dam which once diverted water into a leat to drive the water wheels of the gunpowder mill. Some paths lead down to the waters edge in various places along the way. At Hawes Bridge a quick visit can be made to see a waterfall from a platform of limestone edges.
Crowpark Bridge spans the driest part of the Kendal Canal. The walk follows the old towpath to Sedgwick, with sweeping views over the River Kent. In some places the canal is clearly evident and some places less so as farmers have filled in some sections. The Lancaster and Kendal Canal was opened in 1819 and drained in 1955.
One of the most attractive sections of the walk is through Larkrigg Spring, a small wood where the canal bed has become part of the woodland floor. In Sedgwick a series of 36 steps lead from the canal to the main street. From Sedgwick the route continues back to Levens Bridge via a back entrance to Levens Park.
Acknowledgments: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia
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