Arnside lies at the mouth of the River Kent
and forms part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
(AONB). It is a perfect area for keen
walkers, with wooded walks around Arnside Knott, a hill on National Trust land
just outside town, and a walk to a distinctive Victorian jubilee monument
called the Pepper Pot near Silverdale, as well as coastal paths. Or just take a stroll along the promenade,
enjoying the views across the estuary towards Grange-over-Sands and the Lake District peaks.
It is an area of towers, such as the ruined pele towers Arndale Tower
and Hazelslack Tower.
The pele towers were built to provide protection from Scottish invasion,
and these are just two of many such towers in north-west England. Then there is Lindeth Tower,
where the Victorian novelist Mrs Gaskell regularly took up residence while
holidaying in the area, taking the opportunity to write some of her works
there.
Murmuration is a word we've been hearing a
lot on the BBC this week. This year the
ever-popular Autumnwatch has been beamed onto our screens from the Leighton Moss RSPB reserve just to the east of Silverdale, and one of the most memorable
sights viewers have been treated to is that of the starlings doing their
'murmurations'. This incredible display
takes place each day just before dusk and the one at Leighton Moss involves
some 30,000 birds according to Martin Hughes-Games of Autumnwatch. The birds flock together and wheel around in
the sky, weaving themselves into a constantly changing shape. It is thought that they do this to protect
themselves from predators by presenting the illusion of one gigantic creature
in the sky. When they are ready to
settle down for the night they swoop down en masse into the reed beds and
suddenly it's all over. There are many
places around the country where this impressive spectacle can be observed, but
Leighton Moss must be one of the best. Autumn
is also a good time to see the charming bearded tits (no sniggering at the
back), who made a guest appearance on last night's Autumnwatch.
Live streaming webcam view of Arnside Pier.
Map of the area.
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| Arnside123. Photo by GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons |
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