Fairy Steps

The steps themselves are rather modest - a narrow stone staircase carved into a limestone cliff face near Milnthorpe, barely three metres high and squeezing between rocky outcrops like something from a fairy tale illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Local legend claims they were built by fairies, though the actual story is far more prosaic: they're likely Medieval, possibly used for quarrying or simply to access the land above. What makes them genuinely charming is how they've become this little pilgrimage spot, tucked away from the main roads but easy enough to find if you know where to look.

It's a quick stop rather than a full morning's work - five minutes to clamber up, another five to appreciate the views across the Kent estuary and Morecambe Bay. Children tend to enjoy the scramble and the whimsy of the name, though anyone expecting a grand monument will be disappointed. The real appeal is the sense of discovery, that slight thrill of finding something genuinely quirky on the landscape.

Free to visit, obviously, and there's no formal car park, just roadside stopping nearby. Spring or early summer are best when the surrounding woodland isn't too overgrown. If you're based at Fell End Holiday Park just up the road, or any of the caravan sites dotted around Milnthorpe and beyond, it's absolutely worth a leg-stretching detour. Combine it with a proper walk around the fells or a visit to Sizergh Castle nearby - Fairy Steps alone won't occupy you, but as part of a day out in the area, it's a proper little gem.