Mungrisdale: Walking and History

Walking routes and historic sites give you concrete starting points for planning a trip to Mungrisdale. The Mungrisdale Round walk begins in the village; a short walk leads from Bowscale over Bowscale Fell to Bowscale Tarn. Other points of interest include the Roman defensive structures south of Field Head Farm, St Kentigern’s Church, and the archaeological and industrial remains on Carrock Fell.

Walking with two distinct points of reference

The Mungrisdale Round walk begins in the village of Mungrisdale and passes through the side valleys of Bullfell Beck and Bannerdale, as well as the deep valley of Glenderamackin. This sequence of named valleys makes the landscape itself a point of reference: the route can be described not only by its starting point, but also by the names of the landscapes it passes through. If you like to know which landscape shapes a walk when planning, the side valleys and deep valley are concrete points of reference for this circular route.

Bowscale is part of Mungrisdale Parish. From there, a short walk leads over Bowscale Fell to Bowscale Tarn. The destination also has a notable history: Bowscale Tarn was a tourist attraction in Victorian times. The two walks offer different points of reference for planning your trip: Bowscale is defined by the short walk and the tarn’s historical significance, while the Mungrisdale Round is defined by its start in the village and its route through named valleys.

Archaeology, a church and mining

The defensive structures of the Roman camp south of Field Head Farm are still well preserved. The earthworks provide a concrete archaeological focus for an interest in history. Together with the other sites, they show a range of interests: alongside the military installation are the history of a church building and the archaeological and industrial remains on Carrock Fell.

The present-day St Kentigern’s Church was rebuilt in 1756. This adds a different historical theme to the defensive structures: a church building with a precisely dated reconstruction. The year provides a clear point of reference if you are interested in the history of the area.

On Carrock Fell, the large single-rampart hillfort is the third-largest hillfort in northern England. The monument also includes two round barrows and a medieval shieling. It is important to be precise about what the ranking refers to: it applies to the hillfort; the round barrows and the shieling are part of the monument’s description, but not of the hillfort size ranking. The monument therefore brings together several named features, while the special ranking applies to just one of them.

Another point of interest on Carrock Fell is the tungsten mine. It is the only example of a tungsten mine outside Cornwall and also features a varied and exceptionally impressive collection of surface remains. The two aspects answer different questions: its rarity puts the mining in a wider regional context, while the remains describe the evidence above ground. This makes industrial history a distinct focus for a trip, alongside the archaeological sites.

Discover more destinations: Brigham, Soulby, Torpenhow, Grayrigg, Portinscale, Carlisle, Cartmel, Stapleton.

For the wider travel overview: Cumbria.