North Walney Nature Reserve, Barrow:
Distance:
Route 1: off road pram accessible route, 2 miles (shorter if needed)
Route 2: 4 miles
Parking:
Free parking can be found on West Shore Road, postcode: LA14 3UE
Why we love this walk?
North Walney Nature Reserve is located on Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness. This beautiful nature reserve really is worth a visit. From walks along the sea to navigating through sand dunes this walk has something for everyone, not to mention the incredible history found here. The memorial gate, that can be found as you enter the second route (image 3), is embellished with a flock of metal birds dedicated to the men, and boys, who never returned home from the war. The Nature Reserve was once a military training camp for those training for WW1 and WW2. There is so much history to be explored in this area!
We also love this walk as it is next to the sea, offering stunning views and plenty of places to stop and enjoy skimming some stones…. don’t miss the ice cream van that can often be found on West Shore Road.
For more details please head to the bottom of this page and view our Strava map where you can find a few possible routes to enjoy.
The Route:
There are many routes that you are able to walk whilst visiting North Walney Nature Reserve, many of these routes are signposted as you walk along. On this occasion we walked two of the routes, both starting from West Shore Road parking and following the England Coastal Path up towards the nature reserve.
Route 1: this 2 mile walk is off road pram accessible, although please do take care if the weather has been wet as the path can get boggy and slippery. The route follows the England Coastal Path, running adjacent to the shoreline. You soon enter the grassy, sand dunes of the nature reserve. Here you can explore as much, or as little, as you would like. Please see the Strava map below to view the route in detail.
Route 2: A 4 mile circular route exploring more of the Nature Reserve. Taking the same route as above, continue on the England Coastal Path until you reach the memorial gate (image 3). Here you will see signs for Walney Nature Reserve including some route options if you wanted/needed. To see the full route that we took on this day head to our Strava map below. Please note this second section is boggy in parts and is not pram or wheelchair accessible.
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