High Pike and Roughton Gill from Hesket Newmarket

A quiet 17km walk on an unexpectedly sunny day.

Route: leaving the car in the Hesket Newmarket car park (free) and finding a path out of the car park across fields to Wood Hall and then on an apparently pathless ascent of the open fell, crossing a wall at a stile to pick up a clear path to mine workings. Here bending right, on the path and swinging left to gain a level route lower than the summit plateau. Hence heading pathless uphill to reach another clear path to the summit. Along to the Lingy Hut and then walking pathless across somewhat marshy ground to Iron Crag Hill. Here spurring the proposed route north steeply down a ridge instead to head south to descend less steeply closer to the head of Roughton Gill. Then following a pretty valley down until a path lead left, to escape the inaccessible valley bottom and round a spur and then descending on small but clear grassy paths to the flat valley bottom. Along an undulating path underneath the fells but above the valley bottom and trending right, east to Fell Side. And then first on, and then just south of, the Cumbria Way to reach Nether Row, Street Head and Hesket Newmarket.

Conditions: sunny spells and cloud, warm in the sun.

Pub: The Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket for Hesket Newmarket Brim Fell IPA.

Braithwaite to Lorton via Grisedale Pike

A linear walk with Neil but not Lois, originally planned to use the Honister Rambler bus service at both ends but changed to head to Lorton because of Neil's illness.

Route: having been dropped in Braithwaite by the 10:44 (in Lorton) Honister Rambler bus at Braithwaite and having had a pint in the sun outside Middle Ruddings, heading slowly up the ridge to Grisedale Pike with a suddenly worryingly sickly Neil needing much rest. Very slowly continuing on over Hopegill Head to Whiteside and then turning down the small but clear path towards the Dodd. Turning right at the saddle before it, to descend on grass to ford Hope Gill and return to Lorton along the path from High Swinside farm.

Conditons: warm sun giving way to cloud and a cold wind.

Pub: before the walk, Middle Ruddings, Braithwaite for Hawkshead Brewery Wezzy Gezzy.

Evening stroll over Brackenthwaite Hows

An evening stroll having arrived in Lorton with Neil (but no Lois).

Route: leaving the car at the Lanthwaite Wood National Trust and walking to the lake and round as far as the swimming beach. then back round the shore to the boathouse and thence onto Brackenthwaite Hows and down and then walking to the Kirkstile for a pint and back.

Conditions: a sunny if cool evening.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn for No1 IPA.

9km run in/above the Green Quarter, Kentmere

A surprisingly wild and tiring run onto muddy moorland above Kentmere.

Route: leaving the car on the road just before the entrance to the Hollingworth & Vose factory and running through the factory yard to take the green valley bottom path to Kentmere Hall. Turning right to the church and down the road to cross the river and take an immediate left. After 100m walking up a steep footpath across a field to dog-leg left-right across the upper Green Quarter road. Then taking a footpath signed to Sadgill initially along Cornclose lane, slowly gaining altitude and the shoulder south of Hollow Moor. On entering Right to Roam land, taking a path south east to a gate in the corner of a wall and joining the main path towards Hall Lane but diverging after a second gate to head south west towards H P Plantation and down to the valley bottom road and back to the car.

Conditions: grey but warm and dry, missing the forecast rain.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Hawkshead Centennial and Citra and Magic Rock, Rapture and lunch.

Catbells

A very busy walk with the Steve, Kathryn, Tom and Alex Woodcock

Route: leaving the car on the road to Grange (very parked up!) about 1km south of the end of the ridge and clambouring onto the balcony path and along to the start of the ridge and up the recently re-engineered path to the summit. Continuing south beyond the summit to descend a staircase-like path at Hawse Gate, past the balcony path and south east to the road. Along this north to enter Manesty Park to Brandelhow Bay and then heading away from the shore turning left on a track back up to the road.

Conditions: higher cloud than the previous day, dry with occasional hints of sun.

Pub: the Swinside Inn for Theakston's Old Peculiar.

Red Pike (Buttermere)

An 11km walk on a wet day with the Steve, Kathryn, Tom and Alex Woodcock

Route: leaving the car at the NT car park (hence free) and taking the lakeside path to the diagonal pitched path past Old Burtness, out of the wood and onto the still steep hillside to reach Bleaberry Tarn and then past the pitching to a loose steep path into cloud before the summit. Descending north west on a scree path to turn right at a T-junction down fenceposts perhaps 100m from Lingcomb Edge on a broad shoulder before descending - here the party splitting - on an obvious path by Scale Beck, still washed away in part, and then along a path above Crummock Water and then back to Buttermere (Tim and Alex arriving about 45 minutes ahead of the others..

Conditions: initially dry but giving way to light rain for most of the rest of the day.

Pub: the Bridge Hotel, Buttermere, for Tractor Shed Mowdy Pale.

Brackenthwaite Hows 7km run

A 7km run on a day of low cloud and intermittent rain, after Easter.

Route: leaving the car by the telephone-box-now-defibrillator between the Lanthwaite Wood National Trust car park and the Kirkstile Inn and running to the former to take the steep shortcut to reach the start of the the small path up Roger’s Steps to the summit plateau of Brackenthwaite Hows. Descending south and picking up the path within the wood by its eastern wall to join the small path descending to the boat house. Thence round the lake and, as a new variant to avoid marshy ground, keeping by the shore to a wall that marks the right to roam land and there turning uphill to reach a track to Highpark Farm and round the end of Mellbreak before descending to the Kirkstile Inn for a pint and then back along the road to the car.

Conditions: a dismal day of low cloud and intermittent rain.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn for Cumbrian legendary Ales Loweswater Gold and No.1 IPA.