Our Leaders' Landscape Training Sessions are aimed at outdoor practitioners to help deepen their understanding of Cumbria’s landscapes and enable them to pass on their new-found knowledge to those with whom they work. 

You don't have to be a Mountain leader to book a place on this activity but priority will be given to Mountain leaders if the event is oversubscribed. 

The Westmorland Dales: its natural and cultural heritage
Date:
Weds 14th August 2024 
Time:
10 am – 3 pm
Session content: The Westmorland Dales is a beautiful area of Cumbria which lies north of the Howgills. It has been described as one of the best preserved prehistoric archaeological landscapes north of Salisbury Plain. 
Great Asby Scar is a National Nature Reserve, Knott a local geological site and the whole area bears the imprint of generations of people from Mesolithic times onwards. Although very natural, the landscape has been hugely influenced by the way people have exploited and managed it for thousands of years. The walk will explore this theme, attempting to decipher the layers in the landscape. It will draw on the research and projects undertaken as part of the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme. 

We’ll be walking up past late-Neolithic Gamelands Stone Circle towards Gaythorne Plain, past a giant thunderstone, before entering Great Asby Scar NNR from the west. From here we’ll head east via the magnificent limestone pavements to Castle Folds Iron Age settlement then over the wall to Knott, the high point of the walk at 412m. We’ll then drop down via the Bronze Age cairns to the quarries below, with their stunning fossils, and back via Knott Lane.
Leader:  David Evans, former Westmorland Dales scheme manager, organiser: Kay Andrews – Friends of the Lake District 
Location:  Knott Lane car park, off B6261 to Raisbeck
What3Words: https://w3w.co/motivations.disbanded.weep
Grid Reference: NY 639 079 
Start and finish time: 10am - 3pm. 
Walk grade:  Moderate, mostly on paths but some areas of steeper and uneven ground including areas of limestone pavement, at least one stile to negotiate. Length approx. 5 miles. 
Please bring:  A picnic lunch, drink and walk kit for all weathers, sunscreen. (Note the walk will go ahead in poor weather unless unreasonable or unsafe to do so) A note book and pen to capture the info from the day. 
Please note:  If you are no longer be able to attend the event, please contact us so we can offer your place to someone else.  Any cancellations within 48 hours of the event will not receive a refund.

Leader Landscape Training Sessions are accredited by Mountain Training Association and are recognised as Continuous Professional Development for members.

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