Cross Bay Walk

Written by Gill

Location: Morecambe Bay
Venues: Arnside, Grange-over-Sands
Duration: Half-day

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cumbria Tourism, the team at CT are trying out 50 tourism experiences we haven’t tried before. Follow along as we continue our journey across the Lake District, Cumbria throughout the year! On this experience, a group of people from the Cumbria Tourism team take part in a charity cross-bay walk.

The Cumbria Tourism party prepares to embark on the cross-bay walk.
Photo: Route North Photography.

As experiences go, a guided walk across Morecambe Bay is right up there, filled with extraordinary vistas, a real sense of excitement and camaraderie, a deep sense of history and of course achievement.

I have lived in and around Morecambe Bay for over 30 years and I know each section of the coastline intimately. I’ve regularly ridden and walked many stretches of the beaches that lie around it but i've never actually crossed the bay…until now.

The Morecambe Bay Sands are renowned for their quick sands and fast flowing tides and crossing them has always been dangerous. The Guides Over the Sands is a charity providing guided safe passage across both the Kent and Levens Estuaries.

The guided crossings actually date back to 1548 when, at the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, the Duchy of Lancaster acquired (amongst others) the Cartmel and Conishead Priories. With them went an obligation to appoint guides for travellers over the sands of Morecambe Bay.

Today, the King’s Guide to the Sands is Michael Wilson, a local fisherman who knows the Sands like the back of his hands and plans out the routes laying the traditional laurel branches, or brobs, as way markers.

King's Guide to the Sands Michael Wilson and his team. Photo: Route North Photography.

The walks raise thousands of pounds for charities each year with a variety of charities choosing it as an unforgettable fundraising experience. As Cumbria Tourism celebrates its 50th year we have launched our own charitable fund, supporting young people as they begin their career journey in the sector. It seemed so apt therefore for us to choose this extraordinary walk as one of own fundraising endeavours.

On a brilliantly sunny and warm August day 500 walkers, representing five different organisations, gathered in Arnside. Many had travelled by Northern Trains across the Arnside Viaduct to the starting point in the quaint village of Arnside, right on the  edge of Cumbria, offering independent shops, galleries, artisan food, great pubs and restaurants and the most beautiful views across to the Lake District mountains. Arnside is in the Arnside/Silverdale National Landscape (formerly known as AONB - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

King's Guide to the Sands Michael Wilson gives a safety briefing before we all set off.
Photo: Route North Photography.

After the all important loo stop, a coffee from one of the shops and some Kendal Mint Cake in my pocket, it was time for a safety briefing and then we all strode off, quickly falling into a long line that meandered along behind our guide on an eight mile journey of wonder, taking in the sheer scale of the expansive Sands, their setting amongst the Lake District Hills, the pretty villages and hamlets along the shores and of course the natural beauty of the sands themselves.

The cross-bay walk group makes its way across the sands. Photo: Route North Photography.

It wasn’t long before the shoes came off and 500 people strolled bare foot, feeling the curves and shape of the sand beneath their feet. There were a few channels to cross. The first one barely ankle deep but the next two required knee deep wading by the humans and a welcome cooling swim for the many brilliantly behaved dogs enjoying their best lives alongside us all.

Crossing one of the water channels in Morecambe Bay. Photo: Route North Photography.

There was a short stop for a picnic, a chance to sit and once more take in the scale of the scene, to look back to Arnside and to look across to our end point, the beautiful Grange Over Sands. Refuelled, the gathering continued their journey, with lots more wonderful conversations to be had, until we reached our destination of Grange-over-Sands. Certificates handed out, it was a gentle stroll back along Grange Prom, a stop for an ice cream, a peep through the fencing to see the progress of the restoration work at Grange Lido,  and then back to the station, stopping off at various shops along the way.

Aerial shot of the walk across Morecambe Bay. Photo: Route North Photography.

Looking back across the vast expanse of Morecambe Bay, from one coastline to the other, I reflected on the world class location this is and the world class experience I had just enjoyed, right here, on my own doorstep. No wonder Michael Wilson won Cumbria Tourism’s Unsung Hero Award and went on to win the Visit England national award.

Several times a year through the summer months, organised walks take place across the sands of Morecambe Bay. Usually organised in aid of specific local charities and featuring up to 600 people each time, the walks are a great way to enjoy the beauty of Morecambe Bay from a different angle. Morecambe Bay is notoriously dangerous however, with areas of quicksand among its perils, so please only ever join an organised walk led by official guides.
Find out more about cross bay walks and upcoming events below.

Guide over the Sands Trust website

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