The Woods Around Satterthwaite and Rusland

Although a serenely peaceful place today, it is not that long since the forest and the streams that course through it supported a whole range of industries, many of which had been undertaken for centuries. Little more than 100 years ago, you would still have been able to find working watermills in the valleys and see woodcutters at work coppicing the trees. The air was once heavy with the smoke of charcoal burning or the acrid smell of iron smelting and the silence was disturbed by the dull thudding of forge hammers or the echoing screams of saws slicing timber into planks and spars. Strange as it may seem, if it had not been for that industrial tradition, the rich forests and woodlands that today lend so much character and beauty to this corner of Lakeland, might have disappeared long ago, replaced by the open sheep walks prevalent throughout so much of the countryside.

Before the Dissolution of the monasteries, the monks at Furness Abbey managed extensive iron ore mines and needed a constant supply of charcoal to reduce it to iron. The woodland here provided a ready source of timber, but simply to fell the trees would have exhausted the stock before a new crop could be grown. However, by coppicing the boles a steady supply of small timber was guaranteed, since new wood could be harvested every 15 years or so. Bloomeries were established deep within the forest, for it was more economic to bring in the ore than take out the charcoal. After the monks were expelled, the estates passed into private hands and the industries continued to grow.

By the 18th century, new techniques were being developed that needed power to drive machinery. Mills sprang up beside the streams, here powering bellows and forge hammers that beat impurities from the metal, which was being produced in ever-larger and more efficient furnaces around Backbarrow. This walk passes two former mills, Force Forge and Force Mills, as well as a reconstructed charcoal burner's hut in the forest beyond Satterthwaite. Keep your eyes open, to spot some of the trees that were once coppiced.

Although the industry here has now disappeared, the forest remains an important resource, managed to provide a renewable supply of timber for today's manufacturers. It is also a rich wildlife habitat and valued as a recreational retreat by us humans. In many ways, the forest is being made to work just as hard today as it has ever done, and long may it remain for future generations to enjoy.

While you're there

Coppiced wood was used for a wide assortment of products, including barrels, baskets, hurdles and tanning bark. Another important industry was bobbin manufacturing, supplying the Pennine spinning and weaving sheds, which used them by the million. Nearby Stott Park Bobbin Mill operated from 1835 to 1971 and is now a working museum, where you can step back in time to see bobbins made just as they were in Queen Victoria's day.

What to look for

In a quiet corner behind Rusland's church lie the ashes of Arthur Ransome (1884-1967), loved by many for his wonderful stories of the Swallows and Amazons. He spent his childhood holidays at High Nibthwaite above Coniston and developed a lifelong passion for the area. Ransome worked for much of his life as a journalist, but came to live in the Lakes in 1925, where he wrote his famous children's books.

Where to eat and drink

Along the route, you'll pass the Eagle's Head at Satterthwaite, but even if you are not hungry at that stage, the home-cooked food is good enough to tempt you back at the end of the walk, it is only a short drive away. Alternatively, pop up to the tea rooms at Grizedale Visitor Centre, higher up the valley.