Land we look after
The Helm
Take a walk up this hill near Oxenholme, south east of Kendal, and check out the stunning 360 degree views of the Lake District fells and Morecambe Bay.
About the Helm
The Helm is situated near Oxenholme, south east of Kendal. Although not a very high hill, it offers stunning 360 degree views of the Lake District fells and Morecambe Bay. It has interesting geology as it’s formed of Silurian ‘Helm Member’ rock, the youngest of the Windermere Group rocks, formed 420 million years ago.
Like all of our land, the Helm is Open Access, so you can visit and explore this beautiful place whenever you want.
Our work here
We have added 1,500 trees to those already there on the southern bit of the Helm to create a new native woodland. We have also put in ten enclosures on the main part, planted with native trees as a tribute to our fantastic volunteer Jean Savage who sadly died in 2023. We created a second pond to feed into the tarn near the top of the site.
A rare breed of Fell Pony, native to Cumbria, and rare breed hardy cows help with conservation on the hill through grazing and by making hoof marks on the ground so that wildflower seeds can germinate. Our volunteers help maintain the dry stone walls on the hill, look after the trees, gut the gorse back, and keep the paths open.
The Helm in numbers
34ha
The size of land we look after on the Helm.
1,700
The number of trees we’ve planted here.
1,200m
The length of dry stone wall we maintain here.
7
The number of fell ponies (and native breed cows) that graze the site.
Visiting the Helm
Th Helm can easily be reached the Oxenholme and is a short walk up the B6254 from the train station. The land we look after is on the far side of the hill, facing away from Kendal, and there are various gates along the permitter of the land.
Parking is available at several places near the hill including at what3words.com/cans.pardon.sculpture.
As well as train services to Oxenholme, a regular bus service from Kendal stops nearby. You can see available bus routed to Kendal here: Buses to and through Kendal – Visit Lake District
The Helm gallery
View from the Helm
It’s worth the easy climb up to discover amazing views from the Helm.
Volunteers at work
Regular workparties take place on the helm. Photo: George Carr Media.
Meet the ponies
The Fell Ponies help with conservation grazing on the hill. Photo: George Carr Media.
Related news & stories
Blogs, features and and news stories about our land.
