Arnside and Silverdale

Arnside and Silverdale National Landscape lies in North West England, where Lancashire meets Cumbria beside Morecambe Bay. It covers 75 square kilometres between the Kent Estuary, the River Keer and the A6 road. Designated in 1972, it is one of the smallest protected areas of its kind. Low Carboniferous limestone hills rise above grassland and woodland. Arnside Knott and Warton Crag are the most prominent summits. The landscape holds fifteen Sites of Special Scientific Interest, including Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve. Leighton Moss, owned by the RSPB, is the largest reedbed in North West England and an Important Bird Area. Bitterns live here and appear on the AONB’s logo. Rare butterflies like the high brown fritillary also live in the reserve. The Landscape Trust, a registered charity with over a thousand members, supports conservation and publishes a journal called Keer to Kent. Visitors find quiet villages such as Arnside and Silverdale, with smaller settlements like Warton and Beetham nearby. Woodland paths wind through ash, oak and hazel, while salt marshes fringe the shifting Kent Estuary. The hills offer gentle walks with wide views over Morecambe Bay. Reedbeds and limestone outcrops create varied scenery within a small area.