Explore with Amie

Ever since moving to the area, Alex and I have wanted to do the Guide-over-Sands walks. They’re so unique to any other walk in the Lake District that it is well worth considering if you’re visiting Cumbria – especially in the summer.

Guide-over-Sands are a charity that have been providing safe crossing over the sands of Morecambe Bay since 1548. The first guide was even appointed by King Henry VIII and, today, Michael and Raymond are paid £15 a year for all the walks they do plus, they’re gifted a farm. The day before the walks are due to take place, Raymond and Michael walk across the bay and place laurel branches, or small flags, along the route to ensure that they take a safe path with the group. Quicksand, or sinking sand, is incredibly common in Morecambe Bay and it is also incredibly tidal. Sadly, this has even caused deaths when in 2004, 23 Chinese cockle pickers sadly drowned after being caught by the rising tide. Therefore, it is not recommended that you attempt any of these walks without a guide as it is too dangerous. That is why the lovely charity of Guide-over-Sands exists so that they can ensure everyone is safe and sound.

As well as Guide-over-Sands being a charitable organisation itself, each walk is also hosted in collaboration with another charity or to raise money for a specific cause. For example, St Mary’s Hospice, Scout Groups or, in the case of our walk, the Grange Lido.

There are two walk options available: Arnside to Grange-over-Sands and Ulverston’s Canal Foot to Chapel Island. We have now completed both! They can be booked via the Guide-over-Sands website which gives instructions on who to email and how to make your payment. Each walk costs £15 per person and £5 for a dog. The process may vary slightly depending on who is supporting the walk but, on both occasions for us, it was an easy process.

Arnside to Grange-over-Sands

The first of the two walks that we did was from Arnside to Grange-over-Sands and, as I mentioned, our money went towards the Grange Lido.

Parking/Getting to the Start

This walk is a great option for those who don’t drive as you can get to the start point at Arnside from Lancaster, Barrow, Carlisle and Manchester direct on the train. Arnside and Grange-over-Sands are also both on the same train line which means getting between the two to return to your car or your accommodation is particularly easy.

You have the option of either: parking in Arnside and getting the train from Grange -> Arnside to finish the walk or parking in Grange and getting the train to Arnside to begin the walk. It’s ideal! I would say that there are slightly more parking options in Grange but both are fairly limited so ideally you should get there in good time.

Footwear

As you’re crossing the sands and wading through water, we opted to do this in bare feet. We wore trainers and took these off once we reached where the tractors were waiting. All you need is a plastic carrier bag to go inside your rucksack and you’re good to go. Others did the walk in swimming or beach shoes that were waterproof whilst some opted for sandals. The guide, Michael, walked straight though with his shoes on… I wouldn’t personally recommend.

The Walk

Our walk wasn’t off to the best start as our plan was to get the train from Grange to Arnside so that we could leave the car at the end point. Traffic later and we had to drive straight to Arnside and run across the Promenade to get to the check-in point. We were slightly late but, the people kindly got their papers back out to sign us in. I would suggest not following our example but it all worked well in the end.

We were surprised to find just how many people were in Arnside. There must have been around 150-200 waiting to begin the walk across the bay! I had expected around 30 but clearly, I was very wrong. There were Marshalls scattered around in their yellow t-shirts and plenty of cute dogs.

After a quick safety briefing which mainly consisted of: don’t stop walking when you go through the river and follow the guide, we were off! The route follows the edge of the coast towards Blackstone Point and then, it gets a lot more interesting. Instead of heading straight across the bag to Grange, you take a very indirect route which I imagine is due to the conditions of the sand and the water channels but from then on, we were on the sands. It is such a weird feeling to be at sea-level essentially with the horizon so flat going out towards the sea. It looks very odd and it really does seem like the world just drops off and disappears at the end of the horizon. Maybe that was due to the haze.

The walk passed without incident. Because there are so many people, it requires a lot of stopping and starting to allow for everyone to stay together. The pace is slow to account for the huge group of people too so you don’t need to be worried about being left behind. The Grange-Over-Sands trust also have a tractor and, sometimes, quad bikes too that follow alongside the group keeping an eye out for anyone that is in trouble.

There were two water crossings on this occasion. One was knee deep which was a lot of fun! They tell you not to stop walking here and that if you feel yourself sinking, get the help of a Marshall. Don’t try and help each other. We didn’t have any problems even though the ground felt incredibly weird on occasions. I described it as feeling like walking on a drum, almost like the ground was dropping beneath you. Alex said it was like walking through cornflour. Whichever analogy you choose, it did feel strange and I found it incredibly amusing for some reason. But, it was only one or two instances where we felt that or anything remotely like quicksand – it felt very safe.

The walk rejoins Grange-Over-Sands right at the end of the Promenade, passing through some marshland before rejoining the tarmac. Then, its a short walk into Grange town to have a mooch around before getting the train back to Arnside, if required.

In total, the route was 8km and took over 2 and a half hours. The distance can vary depending on the route and the conditions too but, the walk is completed by people of varying ages so I think it’s perfectly manageable for most walkers.

Overall, it was a great day and a fabulous walk. It was just something different that is well worth a few hours out of your day. The Guide-Over-Sands trust did a great job at making this feel like a real occasion and it was quite something to look back once we’d reached the end to see so many people still crossing the sands.

Canal Foot to Chapel Island

I believe at one point, the Chapel Island walk went from the other side of the bay towards Flookburgh however, in recent times the walk has changed to a out and back route from Canal Foot, Ulverston to Chapel Island. The advantage of this is, like Arnside and Grange, Ulverston is on the train line, making the walk more accessible to those without a car. It would be around a 4km walk from Ulverston train station to the start point.

Chapel Island is a limestone outcrop off the coast of Ulverston which is a nesting site for birds including Egrets and Eider Ducks. It is a haven for them, covered in bird poo and nests. Because of this, walkers aren’t allowed onto the island until August – luckily, we were able to.

Footwear

For this walk, we also opted to go with bare feet but, you do need to bring shoes for going on Chapel Island itself. Others in the group wore wellies or sandals. There is much less water to cross on this walk – well, there was less when we did it but the conditions are changeable so there is no guarantee.

The Walk

We had a very different experience on this walk to the one before and it was much more lowkey. There were around 8 of us in total such much fewer numbers and there was much less ceremony to the whole thing because of it. I don’t think that is usual for this walk though as it was a Sunday and the guide had mentioned that there were 150 people on the walk the day before. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it quite as much with so many people as this walk is much shorter and the island is so small that 150 people would have felt a hell of a lot to fit on there.

The walk was around 6km and passed from the Bay Horse Inn pub at Canal Foot, down onto the sands. We didn’t feel as much quicksand on this route and, as I’ve already mentioned, there was less water. But, there was phenomenal views to make up for it! Seeing Ulverston from this distant vantage point withn the bay was very cool and we were greeted with fabulous views of Hoad Hill and the Sir John Barrow Monument. You could see many of the Lake District fells, including the Old Man of Coniston, too. The train crossing the bridge over the bay is always worth getting a photo of too.

The island was really interesting and I couldn’t help but think that my dad, who is an avid birdwatcher, would really enjoy it. The island was alive with bird sound when we approached and which was incredible to hear. As soon as we had left the island, we saw all of the birds return, too and it is quite a sight to see so many white Egrets in the trees.

The route circled the limestone and then headed back to Ulverston where the pub was now open to use their facilities – and grab a drink if you wish!

I’d highly recommend doing both of these walks if you can! If you only have time for one, my preference would be Arnside to Grange though I’m sure Alex would say Chapel Island. With one vote to each, you’ll just have to try them both and decide for yourself!

I keep saying it but, its something different and it was a great way to spend a weekend exploring the bay.

Are you thinking of doing a Cross Bay Walk?

Amie x