Things to do at Arnside and Silverdale

Arnside & Silverdale are home to over 30 butterfly species, as well as wood ants and bush crickets, and spotter sheets on our website are a great way to get little ones involved.

Why not try a picnic with a view on Arnside Knott or Jack Scout, looking out over big skies? Spend time in nature and watch the world go by.

From the top of Arnside Knott, you can see across the rolling hills and peaks of the Lakeland Fells and the Yorkshire Dales, down into Lancashire and right out over the sands of Morecambe Bay.

Sit and enjoy the view, or carry on along the different paths that take you down to Red Hills Wood or Heathwaite.

The mix of wildlife that you can see across Arnside and Silverdale is like no other place in the country. The area offers the perfect habitats for combinations of species that wouldn’t ever exist together elsewhere.

The coastal climate, woodland, limestone pavement and grassland all help to make this area perfect for so many species. The thin limestone soils are home to a variety of rare and unique plants and wildflowers that are at the very north of their range. These species mix with those at the very south of their range, making the sites here a unique place for anyone interested in wildlife.

Visit in any season, and look and listen out for wildlife all around you.

The limestone hills at Arnside and Silverdale are the most important areas for butterflies in northern England. This is quite a claim, but the coastal climate, limestone pavement and grassland, and the varied woodland all help make this an area rich in wildlife.

Over 50 per cent of all the butterfly species in the UK have been seen here. That's 32 species in total, including clouded yellows, high brown fritillaries, purple hairstreaks, red admirals and the northern brown argus.

Wildflowers flourish in the limestone grassland and spring woodlands across the many different sites at Arnside and Silverdale. We manage the sites carefully so that flowers are able to thrive. Over half of the flowering plants and trees in the whole of England can be found here.

Glance down and you'll see a tiny world beneath your feet. Busying themselves in their hundreds, southern wood ants carry twigs and egg sacks. These insects are very special to this area, and Arnside Knott and Eaves Wood are at the very northern tip of their species range.

If you listen carefully, you can hear their shuffling noises as they climb up trees to collect their favourite treat: sticky honeydew made by aphids.

Wood ants become inactive below 10 degrees and cannot reproduce below 20 degrees, so one of their biggest priorities is keeping a warm nest.

With stations at both Arnside and Silverdale and a network of footpaths which meander through ancient woodland, limestone grassland and along the coast, it's easy to leave the car behind and enjoy stunning views across Morecambe Bay. National Landscapes have some brilliant routes to help you make the most of your visit.

Take advantage of the 51 bus, which runs from Carnforth to Holgates and back, through five picturesque villages. Choose the stop that works for you and discover a variety of footpaths and routes, with historic buildings, woodland and views of the shimmering shoreline.

This circular walk from Silverdale station takes you through ancient woodland and offers stunning views across Morecambe Bay.