Walk · Cumbria

North Walney nature reserve from Earnse Bay

Barrow in Furness · LA14 3YW

3.3MILES

1h 55mON FOOT

30mCLIMB

CircularSHAPE

Off-road 95% 5% shares tarmac with cars

Field & moor path 70%Lane & track 25%Road with traffic 5%

Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at

Earnse Bay car park, West Shore, Walney Island LA14 3YW

Parking

Free council car park at Earnse Bay with toilets and a cafe nearby; busy on summer evenings but rarely full, and the reserve itself is a further 1.2km on foot

Directions to the start →

A wild, wind-scoured walk up the west shore of Walney from the car park at Earnse Bay to the national nature reserve about three quarters of a mile north, where dune heath, hay meadow and saltmarsh run out to the northern tip of the island. Three coloured waymarked routes loop through the reserve. Natural England requires dogs on a short lead of no more than two metres from 1 March to 31 July because of the ground-nesting birds, and the dune pools are breeding sites for natterjack toads, one of Britain's rarest amphibians. There is no wheeled access into the reserve itself, and nothing at all in the way of shelter once you are out on the dunes.

THE SMALL PRINTNatural England: "From 1 March through to 31 July, ground-nesting birds breed at North Walney. In order to minimise disturbance to these birds all members of the public are required to keep their dogs on a short lead (of no more than 2 metres) during these months."

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed

REGION · CUMBRIA

GRID · 54.1195, -3.2660

SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.GOV.UK/GOVERNMENT/PUBLICATIONS/CUMBRIAS-NATIONAL-NATURE-RESERVES/CUMBRIAS-NATIONAL-NATURE-RESERVES

North Walney nature reserve from Earnse Bay

House rules, decoded

Abbey mill coffee shop

Ambrose Hotel

Asda Café

Dog-friendly cottages you can book

Tell us the pub we have not walked into yet.

Get the new stamps first.

Your patch, watched for you.