Forest bathing at Smardale Gill

Smardale Gill is a 49 hectare Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve in the valley of Scandal Beck, near Kirkby Stephen. An old railway line runs along it, past the restored Smardale Gill Viaduct, with steep wooded slopes on either side and flower-rich limestone grassland in between. Woodland has probably grown in the gill since medieval times, and many of the trees are multi-stemmed, a sign of old coppicing.

Start at the Smardale car park and walk along the railway line; the surface is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs as far as Newbiggin-on-Lune, with benches along the way to the old limestone quarry. It is about three miles there and back to the viaduct. This is a much quieter place than the central Lakes. Summer brings the wildflowers and butterflies, and the woods give some shelter on a cold day. Cattle graze at times and dogs must be on a lead.