Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership

The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme finished in early 2024 with projects successfully delivered by a wide range of project partners, community groups and individuals. Over the coming months, we’ll be updating this site to highlight what’s been achieved, so please keep checking back.

Welcome …

… to the Westmorland Dales website.

The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme aimed to unlock and reveal the hidden heritage of the Westmorland Dales, enabling more people to connect with, enjoy and benefit from this inspirational landscape. Specifically, its objectives were to:

Reveal the area’s hidden heritage.
Conserve what makes the area special.
Engage people in enjoying and benefitting from their heritage.
Sustain the benefits of the scheme in the long-term.

This was achieved through a programme of projects developed and delivered through the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, led by Friends of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, and mainly funded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It ran over a five-year period from March 2019 to February 2024.

Here you can discover what makes the area so special, find out about the scheme’s projects, and view and download resources produced.

The Westmorland Dales

The Westmorland Dales is a beautiful area of Cumbria lying north of the Howgill Fells and within the north-west corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It stretches from Tebay in the south-west to Kirkby Stephen in the east and to Maulds Meaburn in the north-west. At its heart are the limestone fells above Orton and Asby, rich in natural and cultural heritage, and with magnificent views to the Pennines, the Howgills and the Lakeland fells. It drains into the Lune river catchment to the south and the Eden river catchment to the north. Relatively overlooked compared with its better-known neighbours, our projects have aimed to reveal its heritage for more to enjoy without detracting from its unique qualities. (Click on map for larger image)

Contact information

Friends of the Lake District

Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 7SS

Main Telephone: 01539 720788

Email: [email protected]

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 3EL

Main Telephone: 01969 652300

Email: [email protected]

The Hidden Heritage of the Westmorland Dales

Our ambition to reveal the hidden heritage of the Westmorland Dales runs deep. To discover more about the history of the area we've created a number of projects designed to help us interpret the area's rich archaeological heritage, much of which has remained undiscovered, unrecorded and under threat.

It has been a year of catching up on lost time and taking every opportunity to deliver project work designed to reveal the hidden heritage of the area. You'll see from the amount of news, the volunteering opportunities, workshops, events and talks that are scheduled, that we've been making the most of our time to get our project work back on track digging into the rich history of the Westmorland Dales.

I do hope that some of you will consider volunteering to help us with the second round of excavations, visit our open day or attend one of our talks or workshops to learn more about the project work in progress and the history of the area that is being revealed thanks in large part to the efforts of staff, partners, our apprentices and wonderful volunteers. More information is available via the link.

Read our full update on news, events, volunteering opportunities, open days and heritage walks in the Westmorland Dales>

Hannah Kingsbury
Cultural Heritage Officer
The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme

Latest

23 April 2024: The Helm, paths to summer adventures

We were joined by a big group of volunteers with clippers, loppers and saws this week for bramble, bracken, and gorse management, to keep paths clear and create fire breaks.
Leaders' Landscape Training: The Westmorland Dales: its natural and cultural heritage

The Westmorland Dales has been described as one of the best preserved prehistoric archaeological landscapes north of Salisbury Plain. The landscape has been hugely influenced by the way people have exploited and managed it for thousands of years. The walk will explore this, attempting to decipher the layers in the landscape.
Leaders' Landscape Training: Understanding Tranquillity

Tranquillity is one of many components that come together to create the overall character of a landscape, and it is something that many visitors to the Lake District and Cumbria come to enjoy but it is often misunderstood or not fully understood even by those tasked with protecting it.
Leaders' Landscape Training: The Thirlmere Resilience Project

The Thirlmere catchment, characterised by steep sided, wooded slopes, is an iconic part of the Lake District. A new style of progressive land management around Thirlmere, is balancing the pressures of recreation, farming, and conservation in hostile upland environments.

Pies, Peas & Pudding Night

A wonderful social evening for Fell Pony Breeders young and old at Tebay Club with friends and all of you that are passionate about the Cumbrian Fell Pony.
Delve into the Westmorland Dales Landscape

The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme has developed a range of free resource and guides that it is now offering to local tourism businesses, residents and visitors to the Westmorland Dales.
'Love Your Landscape' Grants

One of the ways we achieved this was by running a small grants scheme from 2020 - 2023 called 'Love Your Landscape'. It has enabled local communities and organisations to deliver their own projects to help us meet these aims.
The Sights and Sounds of the Singing Drumlin

Filmmaker Jon Chappel captures the sites and sounds of an Aeolian sound installation sited atop an ancient ‘drumlin’ at Bowber Head Nature Reserve in Ravenstonedale in a short film released this week.
Kendal College Students Learn the Art of Drystone Walling

Students from Kendal College Agriculture Course took part in drystone walling training over six days under tuition from expert wallers Josh Shields, Stephen Lord and David Law in the heart of the Westmorland Dales near Ravenstonedale.
Little Asby Through the Keyhole - Webinar 3rd October 2023

Our Little Asby through the Keyhole project drew to a close with an online event to celebrate what has been achieved. Andy Phelps from Oxford Archaeology, who have led the project on our behalf, summarised the work undertaken across two seasons of excavations and the main findings from prehistoric to post-medieval times.
The Singing Drumlin

Enjoy a free Aeolian Sound Experience and Heritage Celebration at Bowber Head Nature Reserve in Ravenstonedale; an installation of 20 sound sculptures on top of this Glacial Hill or Drumlin
A Day to Celebrate

We were blessed with glorious weather as we celebrated the Westmorland Dales Scheme's achievements at Shap Wells. As the scheme draws to a close it was a great opportunity to bring people together and to share the story of our changing landscape.
Westmorland Dales – Valued Places Survey

The character and qualities of landscapes are valued for many reasons. It may be their distinctive character, nature and wildlife, recreation or a connection with the past. Complete our survey and help us to build up a picture about what you value
A Soundtrack for the Steam Age

A brand new film is celebrating the work of our ‘Brass, Drums and Trains’ project. Over one year, the project has been celebrating the age of steam, bringing musical performers and audiences together alongside real-life steam trains at Stainmore Railway.

Volunteering

Learn new skills and join our army of volunteers helping us to make a practical difference to the Lake District all year round.
Join Today

Play your part in protecting the Lake District by becoming a member today.
Our Purpose

We are an independent charity and the only membership organisation dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cumbria's landscapes for future generations
Elterwater Quarry Adventure Attraction plans resubmitted

Just before Christmas, revised proposals were submitted for a visitor attraction at Elterwater Quarry. We have reviewed the plans, we remain opposed to the scheme, and you can read our formal response here.
The Helm

Situated near Oxenholme, just south east of Kendal, and although not a very high hill at 185m, it gives beautiful views.
It's Time To Save Roanhead - Response Guidance

A NEW planning application has been submitted for the major resort development proposed at Roanhead. It will still have a huge impact on this sensitive coastline, even with a reduced number of lodges. Please join us again to challenge the proposal. Previous responses won't count and new responses need to reflect latest plans.
Aerial Flight at Honister Slate Mine

We received the disappointing news that the Secretary of State will not ‘call in’ the proposed zip-wires at Honister and so the Authority’s approval stands. The Secretary of State is no longer required to give reasons for his decision.
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High Borrowdale

High Borrowdale is situated 8.5 miles north of Kendal. The best way to access it is from the A6, south of Shap. There is open access at all times. Take a VIRTUAL TOUR