Hawes Water (Silverdale) Explained

Hawes Water
Location:	Silverdale, Lancashire, England
Coords:	54.1826°N -2.8016°W
Type:	natural lake
Pushpin Map:	United Kingdom Lancashire#United Kingdom City of Lancaster
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location in Lancashire##Location in City of Lancaster district
Outflow:	Hawes Water Moss, Myers Dyke, into Morecambe Bay
Basin Countries:	England
Length:	400m (1,300feet)
Width:	225m (738feet)
Max-Depth:	12m (39feet)
Residence Time:	0.32 years

Hawes Water, sometimes called Hawes Tarn, is a lake in north west Lancashire, England, in the parish of Silverdale, the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, and the Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve (NNR).^[1] It is one of only two natural fresh-water lakes in the county, along with Marton Mere. It is a marl lake and the focus of an eponymous Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)^[2] and has been the subject of several research studies.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} Little Hawes Water is a smaller lake to the north east. To the south of the lake, and included in the SSSI, is the area of Haweswater Moss.^[7]

The footpath along the eastern side of Hawes Water is accessible for wheelchairs, and a car parking place is provided which can be accessed with a RADAR key.^[8]

Fiona Reynolds, writing in Country Life, described Hawes Water as "a mysterious, low-lying marl lake, where ... we are told of riches, bitterns and lady's slipper orchid, that can be seen when the time is right".^[9]

It has been recorded that a serpent was believed to live in the lake, emerging occasionally to devour local sheep.

In 2020 Natural England published a Summary guide to the management of Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, Silverdale, Lancashire 2020–2025^[10] and a Grazed Habitats Management Plan: Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve 2020-2025^[11] describing their plans for Hawes Water and the rest of the Gait Barrows NNR.

Further reading

• Wiik . Emma . Bennion . Helen . Sayer . Carl D. . Clarke . Stewart J. . Assessing the status of marl lakes under the European Union Water Framework Directive – insights from contemporary and palaeolimnological studies of three English lakes . Fundamental and Applied Limnology . 1 October 2014 . 185 . 2 . 121–138 . 10.1127/fal/2014/0648.

External links

• Map of the Hawes Water SSSI from DEFRA

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve leaflet - NE418 . Natural England . 16 February 2021 . en-gb . 2 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190802224220/http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5368002631434240 . live .
2. Web site: Hawes Water SSSI . Natural England . 16 February 2021.
3. Jones . R.T. . Marshall . J.D. . Fisher . E. . Hatton . J. . Patrick . C. . Anderson . K. . Lang . B. . Bedford . A. . Oldfield . F. . Controls on lake level in the early to mid Holocene, Hawes Water, Lancashire, UK . The Holocene . November 2011 . 21 . 7 . 1061–1072 . 10.1177/0959683611400455.
4. Wiik . Emma . Bennion . Helen . Sayer . Carl D. . Davidson . Thomas A. . McGowan . Suzanne . Patmore . Ian R. . Clarke . Stewart J. . Ecological sensitivity of marl lakes to nutrient enrichment: evidence from Hawes Water, UK . Freshwater Biology . November 2015 . 60 . 11 . 2226–2247 . 10.1111/fwb.12650. free .
5. Oldfield . Frank . Studies in the post-glacial history of British vegetation: Lowland Lonsdale . New Phytologist . July 1960 . 59 . 2 . 192–217 . 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1960.tb06216.x. free .
6. Marshall . Jim D. . Jones . Richard T. . Crowley . Stephen F. . Oldfield . Frank . Nash . Samantha . Bedford . Alan . A high resolution Late-Glacial isotopic record from Hawes Water, Northwest England . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . September 2002 . 185 . 1-2 . 25–40 . 10.1016/S0031-0182(02)00422-4.
7. Web site: Hawes Water Moss, Lancaster - area information, map, walks and more . Ordnance Survey Get Outside . 16 February 2021 . en-gb.
8. Book: Gait Barrows, Hawes Water. 14 . Easy Access Walks . Arnside and Silverdale AONB . 16 February 2021 . 2007.
9. News: Reynolds . Fiona . Arnside and Silverdale: A landscape on par with the Lake District in its beauty and significance . Country Life . 13 February 2020 . en . 16 February 2021 . 22 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201022040740/https://www.countrylife.co.uk/nature/arnside-and-silverdale-a-landscape-on-par-with-the-lake-district-in-its-beauty-and-significance-211526 . live .
10. Web site: Summary guide to the management of Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, Silverdale, Lancashire 2020–2025 . Natural England . 23 February 2021 . January 2020 . 20 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200920082708/https://www.arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Summary-Guide-to-Management-at-Gait-Barrows-NNR.pdf . live .
11. Web site: Grazed Habitats Management Plan: Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve 2020-2025 . Natural England . 23 February 2021 . January 2020 . 20 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200920075443/https://www.arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Grazed-Habitats-Management-Plan-FINAL.pdf . live .