Sir John Barrow Monument walk

This is a lovely short, circular walk near Ulverston. The Sir John Barrow monument walk includes many of the things that make a great family walk, a playground, a cafe, a bit of a challenging climb, an interesting monument and it’s less than 2 miles (3 km). I’ve done this walk a few times with my family and we all love it. It’s one of our favourite things to do in Ulverston. Find more fantastic Family walks Lake District here.

Where does the Sir John Barrow Monument walk start?

This short circular walk to the Hoad monument (Sir John Barrow monument) starts and ends in Ford Park, Ulverston.

Where to park for this Hoad monument walk

There is a small car park in Ford Park, right opposite the play area. A £1 donation is recommended for parking and there is an honest box. There is on-street parking around the park too.

Ford Park’s address is Ford Park, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 7JP

Ford Park play area

There is a fantastic play area right opposite the play area. The equipment was recently replaced in May 2022 and there is a good mix of equipment for all ages. There are slides, swings, climbing frames, obstacle courses and more.

There is also a large field for ball games etc.

Ford park facilities

As well as the play facilities there are small gardens to explore, a community orchard, a plant nursery and Base restaurant. The restaurant is open at lunchtime and evenings. Check the opening times before you visit. They don’t open on Sundays for example. Find full details here – Base Restaurant.

Sir John Barrow monument opening times

The monument is open every Sunday between Easter and the end of October from 1 – 5pm. It is looked after by volunteer lighthouse keepers and is owned and managed by Ulverston Council. Find out more here – Sir John Barrow Monument (Hoad)

Sir John Barrow monument walk – short circular walk directions

This walk starts from the car park in Ford Park. Start by turning right from the car park (i.e. carrying on in the direction you were driving before you parked up). This path takes you through the centre of Ford Park, past the walled garden, restaurant and plant nursery.

You’ll come to the park gates where you come out onto a narrow lane. You’ll see the Sir John Barrow monument above you on the opposite side of the road, it’s obvious really which way to go most of the way if you look at the monument. When you exit the gate turn left, cross the road and head up the path that leads up the hill.

You’ll soon come to a fork in the path, take the option on the left which continues up the hill.

The path gets steeper and steeper but it isn’t a scramble so it is doable with kids. We first did the walk when our youngest was 4 years old. We did see someone struggling to push a pushchair up once but it isn’t ideal.

Once the path ends follow the grass path on the left, keeping the monument to your left and the field gradually turns towards the monument without any scrambling.

You have now reached the top of Hoad Hill. The climb is fairly steep but at this point, you have only walked about half a mile and there are plenty of benches on the way up. Perfectly possible with kids.

From the monument you can see across the bay to Blackpool etc on a clear day and the mountains and Lakes of the South Lake District are visible in the other direction. Once you have finished looking around the monument and admiring the views, there is a gravel path down the other side of the hill which you can follow.

I believe the full path leads into Ulverston town centre but we followed a route through fields that took us right back to the play area in Ford Park.

We followed the gravel path until we spotted a gate on our left and at this point, we left the main path. You’ll know you have the right gate as the path on the other side is a path between two dry stone walls.

Follow this walled path until you get to another gate. Pass through this gate and continue to follow the concrete path through fields. It continues to weave its way back to Ford Park with the Sir John Barrow monument on the left in the distance.

The path does cross a farm track at one point which feels like a crossroads but continues straight across at this point.

Pass through another kissing gate and you are in another field with a clear path leading down the hill. Follow this path.

At the bottom of this field go through another kissing gate and you will find yourself on a narrow lane. Turn left and follow the road downhill.

The road will then become narrow and continues further down the hill with a wall on one side and trees on the other.

At the end of this lane turn left and continue to follow a wall-lined path to your left. Once you meet the road by St Mary’s Hospice, you will see a gap in the wall across the road, on the right. Pass through this and you are back at the play area in Ford Park.

More nearby things to do

Find out more about Ford Park here, including how to become a member.

Find loads of fantastic Child-friendly attractions in the Lake District here.

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