Your guide to the flora and fauna of the Westmorland & Furness Way

From moorland and mountain to river, forest and coast, wander through an impressive variety of habitats as you explore the Westmorland & Furness Way.

We spoke to Joe Murphy, Head of Reserves at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, to get his expert advice on what to look out for when it comes to wildlife and plant life along the trail.

Enjoying the wildflowers around Kirkby Stephen

Over the moorlands of the North Pennines

The North Pennines are covered in large swathes of heathland and blanket bog giving miles of heather covered slopes, home to short eared owls, and black and red grouse, plus our smallest bird of prey, the merlin. Keep an eye out for flower rich limestone grassland in amongst the heather too.

Red grouse in the North Pennines

Along the River Kent and River Eden

Keeping your eyes on the river should bring you great views of the small brown dipper bobbing in and out of the water plus grey wagtail flitting around the banks. A flash of iridescent blue and a piping call will reveal kingfisher. The beautiful saw billed duck, goosander can be seen diving for fish in deeper waters, while staring into the clear water could reveal the rare, white-clawed crayfish or the migratory fish, sea trout, salmon or lamprey. If you’re very lucky you may even spot an elusive otter.

Keeping your eyes on the river for dippers

Wildflowers around Kirkby Stephen

Some of the roadside verges here hold the remnants of flower rich grasslands that would once have been common throughout the countryside. Look out for species such as greater burnet, rockrose, wood crane’s-bill, melancholy thistle & lady’s mantle.

Wildflowers near Kirkby Stephen

Woodland birds in Grizedale

If you are very lucky you may spot the elegant raptor, red kite, introduced into the area from 2010. Some of the other birds of the woodland to look out for are great spotted and green woodpeckers, goldcrest, treecreeper, jay and coal tit.

Looking out for woodland birds

Coastal birds between Ulverston and Barrow

A wonderful stretch of coastline for birds at any time of year, be on the lookout for redshank, curlew and oystercatcher, especially at high tide when the birds can no longer feed on the extensive mud flats and are chased to shoreline. Brent geese gather in small numbers from late summer while eider, shelduck and ringed plover all breed along this stretch of coast. Look out for rafts of eider with young in the late summer.

A wonderful stretch of coastline for birds

Cumbria Wildlife Trust manages 43 nature reserves across Cumbria. They work to restore natural landscapes, fight climate change, and engage local communities. You will find several of their reserves close to the route of the Westmorland & Furness Way such as: Smardale Gill near Kirkby Stephen, Staveley Woodlands, Next Ness near Ulverston, and Foulney Island near Barrow-in-Furness.