Explore the hidden gems of the Furness Peninsula with a scenic road trip from Roa Island to Bardsea. This stunning coastal route offers panoramic views of Morecambe Bay and is packed with family-friendly stops, from the historic lifeboat station to the famous shorelines of the south Lake District. There are also plenty of dog-friendly beaches to stretch everyone legs.
On saturday morning beginning of July, Marcus woke up very early so we decided to put everyone in the car and go for a little road trip to visit the South of the Lake District. We don’t really know that area of Cumbria as it is a good 1h30 from our house.
Looking at the map, we decided to drive to Barrow in Furness and then took the A5087 to follow of the Morecambe bay. Arriving in the little village of Rampside, we decided detour by Roa Island. We had never heard of Roa Island before that day, so we didn’t know what to expect. We parked at the little car park just after the bridge to go exploring on foot.
Roa Island is situated at the southermost point of the Furness Peninsula in Cumbria but it was before part of Lancashire. Until 1847, Roa was a true island, only accessible by boat and it was in 1840 that John Abel Smith decided to build a causeway that was finished in 1846. Currently, around 100 people live on Roa Island. The island is small but still nice for a little stroll to observe the sea. There is a little tearoom, a RNLI base and a ferry crosses several times a day to Piel Island. We were considering visiting Piel Island that day but that would have mean waiting a good hour for the first ferry and it was very windy. We will have to go back.
Instead, we went back on the A5087 to drive towards Bardsea and then Ulverston. This road is lovely with great views on the Morecambe Bay. It has several parkings along it to stop and enjoy a walk on the beach. In one of them, we decided to stop to eat our sandwiches in the car while watching the sea. After this quick lunch, we went to explore the beach. The beach is very long with open view on the Morecambe bay and in the far distance Morecambe. There are some little sand dunes before accessing the sandy beach, which made a perfect play area for Skye as he was jumping up and down them. Unfortunately, the tide was coming so we only walked on the beach for a short distance before going back to the car. It was as well very windy and a bit cold.
We finished the day by driving through Ulverston before driving back home. It was a little road trip but very enjoyable and we discovered a new area of Cumbria. We will definitely go back to visit Piel Island and also do some walks around Bardsea and Ulverston.
Final Thoughts
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Our Lake District Escapades 
I’ve never been to Barrow but, like you, fancy visiting Piel Island, which I’ve seen on tv several times.
Speaking of Morecambe Bay many years ago we visited the Baie de Somme and it reminded me a lot of our Lancastrian Bay (away from the eponymous town!)
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I have never been to Baie de Somme so I won’t be able to say if it is similar or not ☺️.
Maybe a little trip next spring to Piel Island 😉.
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I would love to visit that area. Love your photos. I have stayed near Ulverston at a little village called Baycliff , but never ventured to Roa Island.
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Thank you Sharon. I like Ulverston area it is lovely. Maybe a trip to Roa Island next spring.
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I’ve never been to this part of Cumbria, Roa Island sounds like an intriguing place for a walk round. I like the photo of the boats and the view across the Bay towards Morecambe 😊
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Thank you Eunice. It is only a short walk around the island but still nice.
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I know Grange over Sands but never been to this area. Looks like a nice enough day out.
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It was a nice day out indeed trying to make the most of the rubbish summer we had.
I haven’t been to Grange over Sands yet.
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I wouldn’t bother but it may well have improved over the years xx
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Thanks 🤣.
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I’ve never heard of the island, but what a beautiful place! I hope you get to go back for some walks 🙂
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It is very small and not clearly visible on the map. Thank you.
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No, I haven’t been to Roa Island but I’ve been to Ulverston so must have been in the general area.
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It does have a more rural feeling than Ulverston, less busy.
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Looks like you had chilly weather but an interesting day. Your dog seems very happy on the beach!
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Oh yes, skye loves running on the beach and he was making the most of it that day 🤣.
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Je n’ai jamais entendu parler de cet endroit mais c’est très beau, ça a l’air plutôt sauvage et très bien préservé
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Ce n’est pas très connu en effet comparé à certains autres endroits du Lake District.
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I’ve never heard of or been to Roa Island, but it looks like a wonderful place to explore when you are longing to be surrounded by sea. There are so many fascinating and unspoiled islands to discover in Britain, you could spend a lifetime exploring them. Thanks for sharing, and happy reading 🙂 Aiva xx
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I would like to explore the Scottish islands but there are so many that I don’t know where to start 🤣. Thank you Aiva for your visit.
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Despite the wind and moody weather, this sounds like it was a nice outing. I’ve always enjoyed being by the water.
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It is a lovely little island and beach. I always find being close to water relax me.
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Avant de te lire, je ne pense pas avoir déjà entendu parler de l’île de Roa alors un grand merci pour la découverte et ces belles photos 🙂
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Merci et ravie de t’avoir fait découvrir un nouvel endroit en Angleterre.
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I think visiting new places is like reading a new book. You think that you can mark off the book from your reading list, but most books lead to wanting to read other books. Visiting a new place only makes us want to return to see and experience more.
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That is a lovely comparison and I had never thought about it but it is indeed similar.
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Thanks for the intro to Roa Island. I like that your post is bilingual. Very cool.
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Happy you liked seeing both languages.
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