Jenny Brown's Point Walk, Silverdale: Circular Route, Parking & the Chimney

South of Silverdale village

Jenny Brown's Point, Silverdale

Jenny Brown's Point is a headland on Morecambe Bay just south of Silverdale in Lancashire, with a lone stone chimney standing on the shore. It is inside the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape and outside the Lake District National Park.

Cass and I walked it anticlockwise on a bright October lunchtime: down the lane to two benches with some of the finest views of Morecambe Bay I have seen, through the gates at the end, along the shore to the chimney, then up through the woods and back along Hollins Lane to the cafe. Just under 3 miles, about 1 hour 20 minutes with photo stops.

Dogs: Cass, our Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was on the lead throughout. Signs along the way ask for dogs to be kept under control.

Read this before you set off

Tides and safety on the shore

The shore section of this walk, between the gates at the end of the lane and the fingerpost after the Point, is tidal ground. The Morecambe Bay Partnership board by the chimney says: "At the highest tides, the site is covered by the sea", and warns: "There is quicksand and the tides come in fast."

The Morecambe Bay Partnership says the shore "can be cut off quickly by incoming tides": check the tide times and keep to the footpaths. The Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape warns that "channels can backfill several hours before high tide", and asks walkers to "stay close to the shore and do not walk out over the sands".

The footpath sign at the end of the lane gives two lines to Crag Foot, "via gates" or "via foreshore". Check the tide times before you commit to the shore. Limestone is slippery when wet (Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape), and so is the rock slab on the left fork after the Point. More on the bay's tides in our Morecambe Bay safety guide.

Where to start

Jenny Brown's Point parking

The layby by The Wolf Cafe. The layby on Hollins Lane, by The Wolf Cafe, is the one most people use, and it holds a fair number of cars. It is where we started and finished: ///searching.craftsman.struggle.

If it is full. There is a larger layby a little way back, with a fingerpost for "Silverdale Green via Cliff Path" and a National Trust Woodwell Cliff marker. It is also where people park for Heald Brow and Quaker's Stang. There is no what3words for this one.

Not at the gates. The gates at the end of the lane are signed "No parking in front of gates", and the lane is narrow.

Wooden fingerpost reading Public Footpath, Silverdale Green via Cliff Path, with a National Trust Woodwell Cliff marker behind it — The overflow layby: the footpath sign for Silverdale Green via the Cliff Path, with the National Trust marker for Woodwell Cliff.

Cars parked in a tree-shaded layby on Hollins Lane, Silverdale — The layby we started from, by The Wolf Cafe.

A wide tree-lined layby on a lane near Silverdale with a footpath fingerpost on the right — The first, larger layby. Use it if the one by the cafe is full.

The Wolf Cafe

The Wolf Cafe is on Hollins Lane, right by the start, at ///sardine.unicorns.spike. It is good for walkers, and dogs are welcome in the courtyard. The Bau, the room at the end of the garden, takes larger walking groups. It is not open every day, so check before you rely on it.

Gravel garden with picnic tables at The Wolf Cafe, Silverdale, with a long green timber building signed The Bau behind — The garden seating at The Wolf Cafe. The Bau is the green building at the back.

Long pine tables and stools inside The Bau garden room at The Wolf Cafe, with fairy lights and dried hops along the rafters — Inside The Bau, the room at the end of the garden that larger walking groups use.

Step by step

The Jenny Brown's Point circular walk

Anticlockwise: the lane and its viewpoints first, the shore and the woods second. It took us about 1 hour 20 minutes.

1

Park

Park in the layby by The Wolf Cafe on Hollins Lane, ///searching.craftsman.struggle, or the larger layby a little way back if it is full (see parking).

2

To the junction

Walk to the junction by Gibraltar Farm and turn left, following the Jenny Browns Point road sign.

Lane junction near Silverdale with a Hollins Lane street sign, a Jenny Browns Point road sign and the Gibraltar Farm entrance ahead, with Cass on the lead in the foreground — Turn left at the junction by Gibraltar Farm, following the Jenny Browns Point sign.

3

The lane

Tarmac under trees all the way to the house at the end. Between the lane and the sea lies the National Trust's Jack Scout (more in the history below). Keep an eye out on the seaward side for a small gap in the trees: it is easy to walk past.

A narrow tarmac lane running under a tunnel of trees towards Jenny Brown's Point — The lane to Jenny Brown's Point. Tarmac all the way to the house at the end.

A narrow path leaving the lane through a gap in ivy-covered trees towards the sea, with Cass on the lead — The gap off the lane that leads to the first viewpoint. It is easy to walk past.

4

Viewpoint 1

Through the gap, down a couple of steps, to a bench at ///clever.sonic.paused. It is one of the finest views of Morecambe Bay I have seen: Morecambe to the left, Grange-over-Sands to the right. A rope swing hangs above the shore just beyond.

Limestone ledges and a wind-bent tree above the waters of Morecambe Bay — The first look at the bay from the first viewpoint.

A wooden bench against a drystone wall on a grassy slope at the first bay viewpoint — The bench at the first viewpoint.

Cass, a black Staffordshire Bull Terrier on the lead, on a grassy clifftop above limestone ledges and the waters of Morecambe Bay — Cass at the first viewpoint, one of the finest views of Morecambe Bay we have seen.

A rope swing hanging from a tree on a grassy bank above a shingle and boulder shore — The swing above the shore.

Morecambe Bay glittering in the sun beyond a drystone wall, wind-bent trees and a shingle shore — Morecambe Bay over the wall, between the two viewpoints.

A limestone outcrop on a shingle shore with Morecambe Bay and the sun behind — Down on the shingle between the two viewpoints.

5

Viewpoint 2

Further along, a second bench faces the bay at ///marine.battling.shins.

A bench facing Morecambe Bay at the second viewpoint, with Cass on the lead in the grass in front of it — The bench at the second viewpoint.

6

The end of the lane

The lane ends at the house at Jenny Brown's Point; the gate is signed Dyke House. A Peak & Northern Footpaths Society sign (No. 605) reads "Public footpath to Crag Foot via gates, or via foreshore".

A leaf-strewn tarmac lane running between a grassy bank and trees, with the shore visible to the right — The lane carries on above the shore to the house at the end.

Green Peak and Northern Footpaths Society sign number 605 reading Public Footpath to Crag Foot via gates or via foreshore, and Silverdale — The footpath sign at the end of the lane: Crag Foot via the gates, or via the foreshore.

7

The gates: go through them

The five-bar gate is marked Private and "No parking in front of gates", but the public footpath goes through the gates. Once through, take the gate on your right down to the shore. Do not carry on up the drive: a sign there reads "Private. Public footpath is through the gates behind you and along the shore."

A five-bar gate marked Private and No Parking in Front of Gates beside a stone house, with a public footpath fingerpost and the estuary to the right — The gates at the end of the lane. They are marked Private, but the public footpath goes through them.

A gravel drive with a wooden gate in the wall on the right leading to the shore, with Cass on the lead in the foreground — Once through, take the gate on your right down to the shore.

8

Along the shore to the chimney

Shingle and limestone slabs, with saltmarsh alongside. This is the tidal stretch: read the tides note first.

White sign reading Private, Public Footpath Is Through The Gates Behind You And Along The Shore — Go no further up the drive than this sign.

Cass, a black Staffordshire Bull Terrier on the lead, on a shingle path between limestone slabs and saltmarsh — Cass on the shore path.

9

The chimney

The chimney stands on the limestone shore, with an information board beside it. Its story is below.

A tall, tapering stone chimney standing on the limestone shore at Jenny Brown's Point, backed by trees — The chimney at Jenny Brown's Point.

An information board titled The Chimney on the Shore mounted on a stone plinth, with the chimney and Morecambe Bay behind — The information board, with the chimney behind.

10

After the Point: the fork

After the Point the ground is boggy and can be slippery. At ///catchers.streaking.uplifting the path forks. Left goes up through a gap in the trees and across a slanting rock face, which I would call slippery and dangerous in wet or windy weather. Right is the main way and leads to a gate. Both come out at the same place. I recommend the right fork.

Wet, boggy grass with a pool and stepping stones leading towards trees, with Cass on the lead in the foreground — After the point the ground gets boggy.

11

The gate and the fingerpost

At the gate and fingerpost, turn left, signed Heald Brow and Hollins Lane. If you took the left fork, simply carry on. Do not go through towards the nature reserve: that path heads out across the marsh for Leighton Moss.

12

The climb

Up through the woods on the Heald Brow side. This is the one real climb of the walk. There were squirrels everywhere: I counted five.

13

Back along Hollins Lane

The path comes out on Hollins Lane at a sign reading "Public footpath to The Shore & Brown's Point", ///asks.pound.outbound. Turn left and follow the lane back to the layby and the cafe, about a quarter of an hour on the road.

A wooden fingerpost for Heald Brow and Hollins Lane beside a metal gate that opens onto a raised path across saltmarsh — Turn left at the fingerpost for Heald Brow and Hollins Lane. The gate ahead leads out across the marsh towards Leighton Moss, which is not this walk.

A leaning white sign reading Public Footpath to The Shore and Brown's Point where a leafy track meets a lane — Where the path comes out on Hollins Lane.

Which half is harder?

The trickiest part of the walk is the stretch between that road sign on Hollins Lane and Jenny Brown's Point: the woods, the bog and the shore. The easiest is the cafe side. I would start and finish at the cafe, as we did. If you only want the views, walk out and back along the lane to the viewpoints and the gates: it stays on the lane apart from the few steps down to each viewpoint.

The chimney, the name and the wall

The history of Jenny Brown's Point

The chimney. According to the Morecambe Bay Partnership board on the shore, the chimney is all that remains of a furnace built in the 1780s by Robert Gibson, lord of the manor of Yealand, to roast copper and iron ores from Warton Crag and Heald Brow. It was short-lived and probably did not work much past 1790; Gibson himself died around 1790. Between 2014 and 2019 it was the subject of a National Lottery Heritage Fund community archaeology project. Older ideas that it was a beacon or a lime kiln have been set aside. The chimney is Grade II listed (Historic England, via Wikipedia).

The name. Nobody knows for certain where it comes from. Wikipedia, citing the Mourholme Local History Society, records it as Jenny Brown('s) Point on an 1829 estate plan; before that it appears as Brown's Point (1812), Silverdale Point (1818) and Lindeth Point (1828). The Morecambe Bay Partnership notes that two Jenny Browns, a mother and daughter, lived at Dykehouse farm in the 1600s. The stories you may hear, of a nanny, a lost sailor's sweetheart or a steam engine, are legends.

The ruined wall. The ruined wall running out into the bay is Walduck's Wall, an 1870s scheme promoted by Herbert Walduck to reclaim land from the bay. Work stopped by 1879 when the money ran out, and the tide now covers it twice a day (Morecambe Bay Partnership).

The Matchless. In 1894 the pleasure boat Matchless capsized off the Point; the inquest recorded 25 drowned (Morecambe Bay Partnership).

Jack Scout. Between the lane and the sea lies Jack Scout, a National Trust site of limestone grassland and low cliffs. The National Trust describes its Giant's Seat, a limestone bench "big enough to fit four", and a lime kiln at the north end.

Wolf House. The gallery sign by the cafe is dated 1975 to 2025, and the board on site describes the gallery building as restored in 2025 as a holiday cottage. The cafe carries on as The Wolf Cafe.

After the walk

The nearest pub: The Silverdale Hotel

The nearest pub is The Silverdale Hotel on Shore Road. Its bar is signed The Low House Tap, the board outside reads "Dogs & mucky boots welcome", and there is a beer garden.

Getting there from the layby: drive up past the cafe, turn right and follow the road into Silverdale, then turn left at the sign for The Shore. The Silverdale Hotel is about 20 yards down Shore Road on the right. Check opening and food times before you go.

The grey-painted Silverdale Hotel on Shore Road, with a stone arch signed Garden Entrance and a board for The Low House Tap — The Silverdale Hotel on Shore Road, the nearest pub.

Picnic tables and a timber shelter in the gravel beer garden at The Silverdale Hotel — The beer garden at The Silverdale Hotel.

Good to know

Jenny Brown's Point FAQ

Why is it called Jenny Brown's Point? Who was Jenny Brown?

Nobody knows for certain. The name is recorded as Jenny Brown('s) Point on an 1829 estate plan; before that it appears as Brown's Point (1812), Silverdale Point (1818) and Lindeth Point (1828) (Wikipedia, citing the Mourholme Local History Society). The Morecambe Bay Partnership notes that two Jenny Browns, a mother and daughter, lived at Dykehouse farm in the 1600s. The stories about a nanny, a lost sailor's sweetheart and a steam engine are legends.

Where is Jenny Brown's Point?

South of Silverdale village in Lancashire, on the shore of Morecambe Bay. It is inside the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape and outside the Lake District National Park.

Where do you park for Jenny Brown's Point?

We parked in the layby by The Wolf Cafe on Hollins Lane, what3words ///searching.craftsman.struggle. It holds a fair number of cars. If it is full, there is a larger layby a little way back, by the footpath sign for Silverdale Green via the Cliff Path. Do not park at the gates at the end of the lane, which are signed No parking in front of gates. The lane is narrow.

How long is the Jenny Brown's Point circular walk?

Just under 3 miles (about 4.5 km). It took us about 1 hour 20 minutes at a steady pace with photo stops. There is around 40 m of climbing, nearly all in one climb from the saltmarsh up through the woods to Hollins Lane.

What is the chimney at Jenny Brown's Point?

According to the Morecambe Bay Partnership board on the shore, it is all that remains of a furnace built in the 1780s by Robert Gibson, lord of the manor of Yealand, to roast copper and iron ores from Warton Crag and Heald Brow. It was short-lived and probably did not work much past 1790. Older ideas that it was a beacon or a lime kiln have been set aside. The chimney is Grade II listed.

Is there a cafe near Jenny Brown's Point?

Yes. The Wolf Cafe is on Hollins Lane, right by the layby where the walk starts and finishes. Dogs are welcome in the courtyard. It is not open every day, so check before you rely on it.

Can you take dogs to Jenny Brown's Point?

Yes, under control. Signs on the walk ask for dogs to be kept under control, and the National Trust asks the same at Jack Scout. Cass, our Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was on the lead throughout.

Is the Jenny Brown's Point walk safe at high tide?

Not along the shore. The stretch between the gates and the fingerpost is tidal ground: the board on site says that at the highest tides the site is covered by the sea, and warns that there is quicksand and the tides come in fast. The Morecambe Bay Partnership says the shore can be cut off quickly by incoming tides. Check the tide times before you set off and keep to the footpaths.

Keep exploring

Jenny Brown's Point circular walk from Silverdale