Guided Walk: Drystone Walls in Wasdale – A Generational Struggle to Tame a Wild Landscape
Brought to you for the Festival of Archaeology, join our rangers on a walk through Wasdale to see its enormous “consumption” walls. Learn what they tell us about the many generations who have shaped the cultural landscape of the Lake District.
Walking through the history of the first agricultural settlers in Wasdale, we will see up close examples of the walling structures that began to change the landscape in order to house domestic animals; eking out an existence in this harsh environment. We will continue to look at the development of walling enclosures, towards Wasdale Head to get an overview of the first mosaic walling structures, we will then drop down onto the farm inbyes and walk through the historical structures of walls while talking about their various uses and styles. To finish, we will walk back to where we began following Lingmell Beck, giving us an example of the biggest changes that have been made in the valley.
This is a free event and booking is essential. Meet us at the National Trust Lake Head car park in Wasdale, CA20 1EX.
We will cover roughly 3 miles going over rough mountain paths including small rocky steps, kissing gates, footbridges, boggy areas and stiles. 150m ascent. Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy walking shoes or boots. You may wish to bring a water bottle and a snack.
Suitable for children 12 and up.
The car park is pay and display, free for members. Price for 3 hours is £5 All funds go directly to looking after the landscape for everyone, for ever.