Following the curves of the Kent

The sky was blue and windswept. The clouds had a definite formation to them. They were pointing at the nearest part of the coast, their central blue line line exactly mirroring the River Kent, whose last two miles curve through Levens Park, ancestral home of the Bagot Family.

We are fortunate in the village of Sedgwick to have two points of access to Levens Park. The line of the old canal – built in the 1820s but now either filled in or an empty ‘half-pipe’ in the farming landscape – cuts right through the village, and the canal path takes you to within two minutes’ walk of the stile at the Levens estate’s northern edge.

We follow the high ridge out of the village and past my favourite oak tree, now coming into leaf.

The high path of the old canal divides. We take the lower track which plunges down to a gate that opens to a local road.

Immediately, we hear the tyre roar from the giant cut in the landscape. The sheer size and presence of the A590 is a stark contrast to the quiet fields of our stroll so far. There’s a sense that it doesn’t belong … and yet it does. It’s an absolute lifeline for those living in these parts.

Passing over the dual carriageway, we cross over a stepped stile that Tess has learnt to navigate. I remember the panic in her eyes when she first saw it as a pup. These days, she can manage the whole thing by herself – which she now proudly demonstrates…

The north end of Levens Park is famous for its Bagot Goats – a rare breed named after the ancestral family who now breed them. They are known to be inquisitive and relatively fearless, as they proceed to demonstrate.

The central sweep of Leven’s Park is defined by two features that mirror each other: the River Kent, in its last mile before it flows out into Morecambe Bay; and the central avenue of tall trees that line the main track through the estate.

Far below the tree line, the River Kent bends itself around the hill as it enters its final stage as water defined by land… Soon it will be water defined by water.

I have one final duty before we exit the riverside park – to take Tess for a stone-chuck down by the river. She knows full well she’s never going to find the vanishing pebbles, but barks and dashes as though she intends to return each of them.

And then its a scramble up to the path, again, via a giant and venerable tree with a vast root system spreading down towards the water.

The park ends with a steep climb up steps that were not designed for man and dog…with a narrow pavement that risks dropping the unwary onto the busy trunk road!

And then we’re into the safety of Levens Hall with the main building lying to our left, behind the wall.

The first house on the estate was built by the Redman family in the 14th century as a defensive tower – known as a Pele Tower. These were tall structures of refuge to offer protection against the constant raids from border ‘Reivers’. Often, as here, they were built first – before the main dwelling; such was the importance of a place of safety alongside the dwelling place.

Much of the present hall at Levens dates from the Elizabethan era – including the fabulous topiary gardens.

For now, I’m content to savour that final look at the River Kent as its enters the tidal flow…

And await that much-needed latté…

©Stephen Tanham 2023

Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to the dawn of Being.

http://www.thesilenteye.co.uk and http://www.suningemini.blog