Sedgwick: Walking Routes and Canal History

Sedgwick offers several distinct points of interest for a trip: walking routes, the Lancaster Canal, and historic structures. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay here, considering what you want to focus on can help you choose your destination: should your trip be shaped more by walks and riverside scenery, or by canal and industrial history? The paths and local features show how these themes differ.

Walking Routes and the River Kent

The towpath of the Canal Wildlife Area is part of the Lancaster to Kendal Towpath Footpath. The towpath running through Sedgwick is a public path. Check the path conditions locally before setting out so you can take the current situation into account in your plans.

There are also walking routes around Sedgwick that lead down to the River Kent. This means there are different kinds of route: the towpath as part of a named footpath, and walking routes whose destination is the river. This distinction is useful for planning: one is a section of a named footpath, while the other describes routes by their destination at the River Kent.

Canal History and Historic Structures

The Lancaster Canal through Sedgwick was built in 1819 as part of a 75-mile route between Kendal and Preston. Sedgwick Hill Bridge was built in 1818 by engineer John Fletcher, following the original designs of John Rennie. The bridge therefore dates from one year before the canal was built through Sedgwick.

Another local point of reference is the section of the former Lancaster-Kendal Canal that passes through Sedgwick: it covers 450 m of the drained canal. The Sedgwick section also includes 3.2 acres of mixed woodland and wetland. The figures of 75 miles and 450 m indicate different scales: the first refers to the route between Kendal and Preston, the second to the former canal section in Sedgwick. Sedgwick’s old ice house can also still be seen in fields east of the canal.

Riverside Scenery and Industrial History

West of Sedgwick, the River Kent runs through a gorge and over a series of waterfalls known as Force Falls. This places the canal, as a subject of construction history, alongside the river, gorge, and waterfalls as distinct features of the landscape. The walking routes around Sedgwick lead down to the River Kent, so the river is both a feature of the landscape west of the village and a destination on the routes described.

Another historical point of interest is the New Sedgwick gunpowder works. The northern and central sections are still well preserved and are among the better-preserved gunpowder works in northern England from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The site lies outside the village centre itself. The gunpowder works form part of Sedgwick’s industrial heritage, while Sedgwick Hill Bridge is a structure associated with canal history.

Discover more destinations: Mealsgate, Shap, Appleby-In-Westmorland, St Bees, Spark Bridge, Torpenhow, Great Clifton, Bowness-On-Windermere

For the broader travel overview: Cumbria.