Today was the last day of the kids Christmas school holidays, and the weather was cold but stunningly gorgeous sunshine.  So we headed off to Arnside Knott.  It’s somewhere we’ve been meaning to go for ages, and I’m so pleased we finally made it, as it’s a brilliant family walk.

One of the great things about this walk, is that you can drive up half of it, which made it infinitely easier for our 3 year old’s little legs!  Although if you want to, you can of course walk from Arnside village itself.

There’s a National Trust car park at GR450774.  There are numerous well trodden routes up and around the Knott.  We walked out the car park the way we had driven in and took a path on the right, which started at an information board.

This is quite a steep and rocky path up, but it’s not very far (I’d guess about 400 metres).  And once you’re up, there are spectacular views, plus that’s all the uphill out the way!  The kids enjoyed playing at the viewpoint, and climbing the winter trees.

It was bitterly cold, so we tested out our new shelter, and it was fantastic!  It’s a bit like a small tent without poles, that you just put over your head and under your bums!  We immediately warmed up, and had our picnic out of the wind.

We headed through the gate at the top of the hill and down the hill the other side, through the woods and then out into the open to yet more spectacular scenery.  Remember to take the right fork near the bottom of the hill to loop back to the car park.

I’d estimate that all in, it was under a mile.  You could extend the walk further if you did a longer loop around the Knott.  There are several clear footpaths to follow.  It was steep at the start, but our 3 year old walked the entire way herself (with a bit of chocolate coin encouragement!).

I’m also told there’s an amazing fish and chip shop in Arnside village.  Sadly today we had other commitments, so still haven’t managed to try it out yet.  There are also numerous other cafes and pubs and a playground in Arnside.

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