National nature reserve
Dog walks in Whitbarrow Scar
Whitbarrow Scar is a national nature reserve of 797 hectares in Westmorland and Furness, 8.5 km from the middle of Kendal. 369 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 24% are under 3 km and 23% are loops.
See every dog walk near Kendal, or across Cumbria.
Three walks in Whitbarrow Scar
From the 369 walks that lie mostly in Whitbarrow Scar, those that start nearest its middle: a 7.9 km loop, a 6.2 km there and back and a 3.4 km one-way walk.
Where these go is in the app
Create an account- Crosthwaite and Lyth loop7.9 km · 135 min · A loop
- Witherslack, Meathop and Ulpha and back6.2 km · 106 min · There and back
- Crosthwaite and Lyth one-way walk3.4 km · 59 min · One way
The land and what it asks of a dog
- National nature reserveWhitbarrowNatural England designations
- Site of Special Scientific InterestWhitbarrow SSSI
- Special Area of ConservationMorecambe Bay Pavements
- Dogs on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any timeThe 450 hectares that are open access landCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
- Open by permission, not by right237 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
- Open by right79 hectares of the woodland
Westmorland and Furness council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Signs on the ground may say more.
What the walks in Whitbarrow Scar are like
Every share is of the 369 walks that lie mostly in Whitbarrow Scar, with Kendal as a whole marked on each bar.
How far they go
Under 3 km: 24% of the walks in Whitbarrow Scar, against 37% near Kendal.
Where the walks fall by length. The five bars add up to the whole, give or take the rounding.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Kendal |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 km | 24% | 37% |
| 3 to 5 km | 25% | 20% |
| 5 to 8 km | 23% | 18% |
| 8 to 12 km | 18% | 12% |
| Over 12 km | 7% | 10% |
What shape they are
A loop: 23% of the walks in Whitbarrow Scar, against 30% near Kendal.
A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Kendal |
|---|---|---|
| A loop | 23% | 30% |
| There and back the same way | 44% | 43% |
| One way, ending somewhere else | 31% | 26% |
What is beside the path
On open access land for a third or more: 89% of the walks in Whitbarrow Scar, against 11% near Kendal.
Shares of walks where the ground beside the path is a given kind for the stated part of the way.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Kendal |
|---|---|---|
| Under trees for a third or more of the way | 77% | 24% |
| Beside water for a tenth or more | 17% | 70% |
| On open access land for a third or more | 89% | 11% |
| Through a park or green space for a third or more | 82% | 5% |
| Off road for four fifths or more | 71% | 9% |
| On roads or lanes for half or more | 4% | 68% |
| Through built-up streets for half or more | <1% | 1% |
What might stop you
Never beside a busy road: 95% of the walks in Whitbarrow Scar, against 58% near Kendal.
Shares of walks with none of each thing on the way. A road counts when it runs within about fifteen metres of the path.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Kendal |
|---|---|---|
| Never beside a fast road | 95% | 87% |
| Never beside a busy road | 95% | 58% |
| No busy road to cross | 95% | 60% |
| No stile, gate or cattle grid | 27% | 38% |
| No steps | 99% | 85% |
What is on the way
Pass a busy beauty spot: 76% of the walks in Whitbarrow Scar, against 33% near Kendal.
Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Kendal |
|---|---|---|
| Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road | 44% | 75% |
| Pass a pub | 1% | 22% |
| Pass a dog-waste bin | <1% | 36% |
| Pass a public toilet | <1% | 18% |
| Pass a drinking-water tap | <1% | <1% |
| Pass a busy beauty spot | 76% | 33% |
Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made
Walks in Whitbarrow Scar, for your dog
If you live in Cumbria, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app what your dog finds hard and it shows you walks that suit, with anything that might stop you shown first.
Anywhere in Great Britain, even with no signal.
Further is the Trekosa subscription. 77% of the walks here run under trees for a third of the way or more. It brings the Further map, 1:25,000, with contours, field walls and every right of way, while you have signal. Press Offline on a walk in Whitbarrow Scar before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops among the trees. Part of Whitbarrow Scar is open access land, where a path on the ground can be faint: drift off your line and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Cumbria is not yours.
The first 250 households have it for good. After that, £4.99 a month or £34.99 a year.
Questions people ask
- Do dogs need a lead in Whitbarrow Scar?
- On the open access land, the law asks for a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time. Westmorland and Furness has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026.
- How many dog walks are there in Whitbarrow Scar?
- 369 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Whitbarrow Scar.
Getting there
1 car park within Whitbarrow Scar or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.