Scout Scar
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Scout Scar is an amazing 771ft tall hill, with an awe-inspiring cliff-edge and views all around the county. Featured in Alfred Wainwright’s series of classic mountaineering and rambling books, the Scar makes an ideal target for walkers with stronger stamina based in Kendal. Nearby is the village of Underbarrow for provisions.
For those starting from Scout Scar itself, it’s possible to take a short circular walk that offers a visual panorama across the Lakeland Fells on Scout Scar near Kendal. Simply pass up the path from the nearby car park and you’ll find yourself at the top of the scar, where there’s a ‘viewing mushroom’ containing an identifier so that you can pick out the other peaks in the distance. The path comes back round to the car park. Heading south from the Scar gets you to the Barrowfield woods.
The scar is a few miles due west of Kendal and its base can be reached by car. Continuing westerly – and if you’re in the lake district already, why wouldn’t you – will eventually bring you to the awe-inspiring Lake Windermere, a world-renowned site of natural beauty that must be seen to be believed.
On the east bank lies Bowness on Windermere, a picturesque town with plenty of options for food and drink on your way, and continuing north and over the water you’ll find Wray Castle, which is a National Trust property and a fascinating example of Victorian Neo-Gothic architecture. From this point you might circle back to Kendal, or you can attempt the mighty Claife Heights mountain peak.
Meanwhile, continuing south from Scout Scar will eventually bring you to Sizergh Castle, another beautifully preserved manor house, the earliest parts of which date from the fourteenth or fifteenth century.
Whether you’re using Scout Scar as a short trip or as a springboard to the rest of the lakes, the ridge makes an impressive chapter in your journey.
