Dreading half term??

Bring your kids along to our free

Wildlife Explorer Day

Thursday 14th February 2pm-4pm

Find some frogspawn, seek natural treasures on the beach and spot some birds

Come along to Sandscale Haws for a fun day exploring with the rangers!  No need to book, just turn up at the Sandscale Haws car park, Hawthwaite Lane, Roanhead, near Barrow in Furness.

Remember to wear warm waterproof clothes and boots or wellies.  All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Call 01229 462855 for details or email joanne.day@nationaltrust.org.uk

Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sandscalehaws

Sand Dune formation in action



The view of our dunes from the estuary



Every time we step out onto the beach we are never quite sure how the frontal dunes are going to look.  Our dunes are constantly changing as they are susceptible to the wind and the waves.  A wind as low as 5 meters per second can lift a grain of sand and move it along the beach.  Marine debris, litter or vegetation can intercept these grains trapping them, forming little hummocks of sand, these are called embryo dunes. 

Embryo dunes forming near our car park

The main dune system at Sandscale consists of three dune ridges separated by areas at ground water level, these are called dune slacks. The fore dunes (yellow dunes or white dunes) rise to about 10m along the northern edge of the dune system and about 15-20m on the more exposed westerly point.

Two of our dune ridges

The steepening of the beach at the northern edge, the high tides, heavy winds and human pressure are all leading to increased erosion at the northern end of the site.  With the changes in the Duddon river channel sculpting the frontal ridges into shallow bays and points

Heavy erosion near our blow out

Storm waves are destructive in nature as they break steeply with a powerful backwash however they also provide accumulation of larger stones and shingle up the beach. Much of this material, and the rocks which compose the shingle, originates from the western and central fells of the Lake District and further north from western Scotland



Erosion from the waves in progress