to Hows Wood
Welcome to Hows Wood
Hows Wood in Eskdale was one of the early purchases of Friends of the Lake District in 1987. One of the rst Forestry Commission coniferous woods to be sold o , it was bought to demonstrate how it could be restored to native woodland. ere is an easy circular path for you to enjoy the wood and beautiful views up to Hardknott Pass.
Look out for: birds and bats at dusk, Bark Peelers Hut, views out to Hardknott Pass and Harter Fell from the viewing platform.
Getting Here
Hows Wood is situated near Boot in the Eskdale Valley. You can take the La’al Ratty railway from Ravenglass to Dalegarth, stay at one of the nearby campsites or access it by car. Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL6 covers Ravenglass and the Eskdale valley.
From the Dalegarth railway station the woodland is approximately 800 metres up the road. Turn left out of the station car park and walk along the road past the Brook Inn and Eskdale campsite until you see a kissing gate in the dry stone wall on your right which marks the entrance for Hows Wood. Look out for our NFC/QR code signs if you want more information via your phone.
Explore and Discover
e Eskdale valley is a beautiful unspoilt area of the Lake District. Set in the shadow of Scafell Pike, Hows Wood is a stunning woodland surrounded by plenty of walk routes, waterfalls and local landmarks. Below is a suggested route which can be adapted depending on the desired walk length and di culty. You can also use the La’al Ratty railway to reach Boot and then start your walk from there. If you would just like to do a circular walk around the wood, omit numbers 4 - 8 on the route below.
Walk Length: 3 miles approx.
Ascent: 154m
Time Required: 1 hour approx.
Postcode: CA19 1TG | Grid Reference: NY 18002 00801
1 Start o at the La’al Ratty railway station at Dalegarth. Turn left out of the carpark and walk down the road for around 800m until you pass the entrance to the campsite on your left. Shortly after, you will see the entrance to Hows Wood on your right. Pass through the gate and into the woodland. e path round the woodland is circular so you can choose which way to walk this route. We will follow the path to the right, at rst. Walk up the hill into the woodland following the path.
2 is area of the woodland has interesting rock formations which are characteristic of Eskdale granite, with intrusions of granophyre of the Borrowdale Volcanic Series. Continue up through the woodland and you will reach the bridges which have been carefully built by volunteers which cross the drainage ditches. is area is densely covered with young trees. Any that are thinned are repurposed as bridges or as deadwood habitat.
3 As you reach the top of the woodland you will see a gate in the dry stone wall leading out of the woodland. Take this path across the open fell down towards the River Esk.
4 Follow the path westerly along the river bank towards the Church until you reach a fork in the path. e River Esk is a popular spot with wild swimmers and Eskdale is known for the crisp clear water in the river.
5 Take the track leading south across the girder bridge
and admire the stunning river and geological features or go further to the Gill Force waterfalls. e bridge was paid for by Friends of the Lake District in memory of its former Secretary/Chief Executive, Geo rey Berry, who led the organisation from 1966 -1976.
6 Over the bridge, stay on the south bank of the river and head west again towards the stepping stones and the Church. Cross the stepping stones and take a small detour to St Catherine’s Church if you wish. e Church has beautiful stained-glass windows and a chapel has stood on this site since the 1100s. Friends of the Lake District gave a Landscape Grant in 1988 to help with the restoration of the churchyard and also funded the path for those with limited mobility, that leads north back to the road.
7 From the church take the path back along the north bank of the river and rejoin the path back to Hows Wood. Legend Suggested Walk Route
8 Along this path is the site of the local landmark Holy Well. is small spring was used by locals for baptisms in the 19th century and was restored in 2014.
9 Once back in the wood, take the path in the opposite direction, going down the hill to the viewing platform. is gives wonderful views towards Hardknott Pass and Harter Fell.
10 Continue down the hill along the path and you will come across the remains of a bark peelers hut. ese huts were common in Cumbria in the late 19th and early 20th century, when the bark was used in the tanning industry.
11 Continue down the hill to the gate and back along the road to the station. You may notice the bird and bat boxes we have put up and enjoy the sound and sightings of the birds.
Why
did Friends of the Lake District buy Hows Wood?
e 8-hectare / 19.8-acre wood used to be an upland oak woodland which was managed for several centuries to supply woodland products from coppicing, charcoal burning and bark peeling. In the mid-1800s a small area of conifers was planted and in the 1920s a band of ornamental conifers was added along the northern edge. After its purchase by the Forestry Commission in 1967 half of the broadleaved trees were felled and replanted with conifers including Japanese larch, sitka spruce and lodgepole pine. e result was a mixed woodland with coppiced oak and birch on the rocky knolls and conifers on the deeper soils of the slopes and hollows.
Friends of the Lake District felled all the conifers in 1994, and removed many by horse logging. is has left a mosaic of clear-felled areas with oak coppice on the knolls. e wood was made stockproof, there was some limited planting of broadleaved trees, small-scale coppicing of dense birch regeneration and a footpath has been created and maintained through the wood.
Entrance to Hows Wood
Views from the fell path
Our Top Achievements
Since purchasing Hows Wood in 1987, Friends of the Lake District has:
• Demonstrated good practice through its conversion back to native woodland.
• Created a wonderful example of natural regeneration of a native woodland in the absence of signi cant management.
• Enhanced the landscape, wildlife habitats and carbon sequestration, slowed the ow of water and improved water quality in the catchment.
• Created a new public right of way – a circular path around the wood, and dedicated the wood as open access.
• Introduced volunteer workparties.
• Supported the local community to produce a booklet about the wood and local area.
Bridge repairs
History
‘How’ is a Viking word for hill, and Hows Wood sits on a rocky knoll. Before the Forestry Commission bought the wood, in the 1920s, it had a history of coppicing, bark peeling and charcoal production. ere is the remains of a bark peeler’s hut when the bark was used in the tanning industry. You can see the stone wall base and a small hearth at the back. ese traditional woodland practices occurred since the medieval period. Bark peeling is now fairly uncommon as 20th century modern techniques of tanning leather have taken over.
Small forestry practices are now few and far between as timber is produced on a large scale rendering small woodlands such as Hows Wood obsolete in terms of timber production. Now woodlands serve as havens for wildlife and recreation for the public.
Bark Peeler’s Hut
Viewing platform to Hardknott
Views of Hardknott
Current Management
Friends of the Lake District largely manages the restoration of this ancient semi-natural wood through non-intervention, with the exception of removing conifer regrowth and small-scale birch coppicing. is allows natural processes to shape the habitats and the wood is a fantastic example of what can happen in terms of natural regeneration with a mosaic of woodland types, ages and structures.
Much of the woodland is still maturing but it now is an oak woodland with areas of birch, rowan and holly. e ground ora re ects that with bilberry, wood sorrel, ferns, and bryophytes. It forms a home to a range of birds such as willow warbler, garden warbler, chi cha , blue tit and wren, as well as other species. You may notice bird and bat boxes and piles of deadwood to provide habitats for wildlife.
e walls and fences are maintained to keep sheep and deer out, and the circular access path is kept clear of overhanging trees. We have created small bridges over the wet areas using some of the cuttings. e whole wood has been dedicated as open access, a Public Right of Way created to link from the road through the wood to neigbouring land linking to the path to the delightful River Esk.
Hows Wood appears to be a young woodland. However, the ages of the trees reflect management over the years. e woodland was previously an oak coppice, then a conifer plantation when Friends of the Lake District acquired it. e conifers were felled, and the birch population could then thrive but there are still some older oaks within that.
Explore Hows Wood virtually! Visit: https://app.lapentor.com/sphere/hows-wood
Lichens
Lichens like light and also grow on older trees and walls. Hows Wood has seen a lot of change in the last few decades which would suggest it would be poor in terms of lichen interest. Surprisingly this is not the case. Two species (Menegazzia Subsimilis and Parmelinopsis Horrescens) were found that have only been previously recorded once elsewhere in Cumbria, suggesting that the wood is of considerable conservation importance.
Want to learn more about our land and the species you can nd there? Look out for our other guides! www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/property-guides
Menegazzia Subsimilis: the holes in the thallus make this instantly recognisable. © Pete Martin
Views of Harter fell
About Friends of the Lake District
Established in 1934, Friends of the Lake District is a membership-based charity committed to looking after the landscapes of the Lake District and Cumbria.
&
www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/our-land
We own land in order to enhance the landscape; carry out practical conservation projects; increase access and model best practice in land management. Our land includes valleys, native woodlands, moorlands, uplands and commons, and is open to the public for all to enjoy.
Scan here to become a member today. Join us and over 6,000 people who are passionate about this magni cent place.
For more information on our land and volunteering opportunities, or how to join us and help to maintain these beautiful Cumbrian landscapes, please get in touch or sign up to our email newsletter.
Friends of the Lake District, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7SS
Tel: 01539 720788 | Email: info@fld.org.uk Website: www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk Friends of the Lake District @friendsoflakes
Registered Charity Number: 1100759