Ling Fell

A 3.5km stroll on a still, autumnal day.

Route: leaving the car by the side of the road at the entrance to Ling Fell near Eskin and climbing onto the fellside and uphill left to join a track rising gradually round the fell. At its eastmost point, turning sharp right on a gradually rising track heading anti-clockwise back round the fell. Following this, spurning two steeper paths left, until it ended in heather and only then, around 320m, turning left to the top. Then proceeding south-west to the wall and then downhill north-west across a slightly marshy patch before contouring right towards the corpse road and joining it to walk back round the north of the fell and down to the car.

Conditions: cloudy, misty and still

Pub: the Embleton Spa Hotel for Cumbrian Ales, Loweswater Gold.

High Rigg and the Keswick railway path

A 11.5km solitary walk (T, L having coffee with Sue B in Grasmere).

Route: hitching a lift from Lois as far as the south end of High Rigg near Bridge End Farm on the A591 (at St John’s Beck). Taking a gate by a broken stile on the right and soon taking a smaller path left uphill, to reach Wren Crag and then following the main summit path, spurning some higher subsidiary summits and rising and falling eventually, 2km later, to reach the summit of High Rigg. Descending north, though taking a path to the left, west, so as to avoid the steeper direct descent. Near the youth centre taking a path towards Low Rigg but finding the wall before the summit rebuilt, following the demands of conscience and turning aside to descend, crossing a marsh, to reach the main path, over a stile and then down past cows to Tewet Tarn. 

At the road turning left down the road to find a run-down permissive path to a damp tunnel under the A66, descending then to reach the Keswick railway path and heading left along it to Keswick and the Dog and Gun (later meeting Lois for a lift home).

Conditions: a cloudy misty day, seeming to exacerbate initial road noise from the A591.

Pub: Dog and Gun, Keswick, for Theakstons Old Peculier.

Stroll from Buttermere taking in the two tiny How summits

A tiny stroll on an unpromising, though dry, autumn Sunday but with warm sun slowly breaking through the cloud cover.

Route: leaving the car in the NT car park (full at noon on an unpromising October Sunday) and taking the path north-west through a gate to cross the clear gravel path and take merely a hint of path (for the first time) and then wandering left to ascend Long How with views of deer. Descending to the north of Long How to the lakeshore. 

Turning left to cross a footbridge and ascend Nether How, descending to the path round it, for once following the beach south west to its end for a different view up the lake, and returning to the path to walk beside the beck, passing the campsite and heading for the pub. After a pint and a visit to Sykes Farm to pick up ice cream, taking a path uphill parallel to Mill Beck to exit the woods on a stile to the left and then turn sharp left on a track to descend to the car park.

Conditions: low cloud shrouding the hills but with sun slowly burning through it for views of the summits.

Pub: an empty Buttermere Court Hotel (more people in the pub garden) for Tirril Honister Pale.

Loop from Broadgate Meadow to Forest Side

A 5km pre-prandial autumnal stroll from Grasmere with Ian W (L only, T in bed with lurgy)

Route: Leaving the car at Broadgate Meadow (£7.20 for 4 hours), and walking through the village to meet Ian outside the Grasmere Gingerbread shop. From there walking out of town, past the primary school, to the southern mini-roundabout and across to Town End to talk the diagonal road up past Dove Cottage. Turning onto the footpath (the start of the route up to Alcock Tarn) and climbing steadily up. 

Following the wide ascent path as it zigzags up north for less than half a kilometre and then leaving it to carry on, north, contouring under the fell, on a permissive path, emerging from trees to views across the village (no photo, sadly). 

Continuing northwards for another kilometre, in and out of trees, gently descending to look across the market garden, polytunnels and greenhouse at Forest Side, and walk round them, dropping down to the drive up to the main building. There turning right to return to the main road.

Doglegging right and left across the main road to take the footpath back to the village, bending due south across fields, until it reaches the Rothay and there crossing the footbridge to follow the river bending round and back and across another couple of footbridges to return to the car park.

Conditions: Dry, still and mild despite forecast rain but no sunshine.

Pub? Lucia’s Café, next to Fred Holdsworth’s bookshop, for soup, sandwich and coffees

Castlehead from Great Wood (south of Keswick)

A 6km walk to walk up to the Castlehead viewpoint for the first time.

Route: leaving the car at the Great Wood car park (perhaps a third full at 11am on a Thursday although almost full two hours later) and walking north on forest paths towards the transmitter, stopping to admire a herd of Highland cattle chewing the cud. At the T-junction, turning left to descend the path beside Brockle Beck to the edge of Keswick, past Annie’s Pantry and Gift Shop, part of Springs Farm (Lois stopping to visit the pigs and pygmy goats). Joining Springs Road into town briefly before turning left off it onto a footpath to Castlehead. 

Ascending, past a forestry worker cutting down trees, to the little rocky summit with views south over the Derwent Water. Backtracking down to rejoin the path on through the woods and down to and across the B5289, and then on another narrow path to, and across, Cockshot Wood. 

At the lakeshore, busy with tourists and Canada geese, turning left to follow a substantial track/path to and round Friar’s Crag, past Stable Hills to Calfclose Bay. Along the shore a short distance and then turning up to the road at the bus stop and left along the road to the car park.

Conditions: a bright day, warm in the sunshine, the water levels higher than usual (according to a passing local at the split stone sculpture).

Pub: the Coledale Inn, Braithwaite, for Corby Blonde.

Slate Fell

A spontaneous 7km late-afternoon stroll on a sunny late-September day. 

Route: from the Rectory, heading into the cemetery and round it to reach the gate onto the Sustrans route and then left along the Greenway and right across Bitter Beck to Casshow Way. At the end of the road, left along an informal path slightly uphill to a sign pointing right to Slate Fell. Then across fields, slowly uphill, eventually going left through a gate into the adjacent field and taking in the second, subsidiary summit to the north before crossing a stile and heading up the real summit.

Then back along the outward path to turn right at a stile across a muddy field to reach a farm track to turn left onto St Helen’s Street and then right on the path to the sports centre, with a brief visit (the first for T) to the mound where Tute Hill Castle once stood. Then down Brewery Lane to the Jennings Brewery for a pint and back home afterwards.

Conditions: after a cool start to the day, a sunny day and warm enough to drink outside at the brewery.

Pub: the Jennings Brewery Tap for Jennings Sneck Lifter (tasting delicious).

Loop round Swinside, Keswick to Braithwaite

A walk (T only) made necessary by bank holiday traffic (including for the Keswick Show) as L returned from Greenbelt, in order to meet at the pub.

Route: leaving the bus stops by Booths and detouring to the Wetherspoons to use the loo (and have a half of Jaipur as a quid pro quo) and then across the River Greta to pick up a busy Cumbria Way to Portinscale and then the c-road past the marina and back onto the Cumbria Way rising across Fawe Park and on the familiar path to reach and turn right on the drive of Hawse End Outdoor Centre. 

Taking the c-road past Swinside Inn (open) and right onto a path descending to Newlands Beck. The beck-side path still being closed (the bank being in a dangerous state), crossing the beck and rising past Uzzicar to the road under Barrow and then taking the initially rising diagonal footpath down to Braithwaite Lodge, down its track and then back to the start. 

Conditions: 24C and sunny. 

Pub: the Coledale Inn for Corby Blonde, joined by L arriving from Kettering.

Skiddaw via Ullock Pike, linear walk

A 13km linear walk underpinned by the X4 and X5 buses. (T only; L at Greenbelt)

Route: taking the 9:09am X4 bus from Cockermouth to Ravenstone Manor Hotel and walking past the hotel (south) to a very steep path in trees uphill to reach a lateral path. Continuing uphill to Ling How and then along the ridge to Ullock Pike. Ignoring the summit of Carl Side, today, and continuing on the gruelling scree path up a final 200m to the summit plateau and along to the summit which was, for a brief moment at 11am, empty. 

Then heading south on unpleasant stony terrain down and up to Skiddaw Lower Man and then down to the steep and still unpleasant Fix the Fells path to the car park in the saddle before Latrigg. Doglegging right-left to pick up the Cumbria Way and along this down into Keswick.

Conditions: no sun but very humid and sweaty on the way up. Cooler in a slight summit breeze.

Pub: the Wainwright Pub for Fell Tinderbox IPA.

Cockermouth run including Simonscales Mill

An 8am 6.5km run before the heat of the day. An Outdoor Day because of the shockingly and challengingly early hour.

Route: From the Rectory, heading up Vicarage Lane (the most gradual ascent) then left on Simonscales Lane, over the brow of the hill and down, over the A66, onto a gravel track towards Simonscales Mill. 200m before the end of the track, turning left and running along a field edge for a couple of fields before turning down right and joining the familiar path along the river, back to Simonscales Mill. 

Keeping broadly to the side of the river to Double Mills. Crossing the footbridge and running slightly uphill round and slightly below the apparent edge of Harris Park but zigzagging downhill to pick up the tarmac track to the Greenway and along this half round the cemetery and thence home. 

Conditions: even at 8am 19-20C and hot.

Pub? Not at 9am.

7.5km run on the west shore of Bassenthwaite

A 7.5km run along the shore and back through trees on a humid evening.

Route: leaving the car at the car park at Woodend Brow (optional donation) and crossing the A66 to turn left/north on a gravel path immediately by the road. For the first 400m or so, struggling with the overgrown conditions but things improving thereafter (and fine after Beck Wythop). Continuing, sometimes lower than the road, sometimes beside it to some steps left up to the road at GR206307. 

Crossing the still-divided carriageway where a filtering road allows traffic to cross the A66 and then turning left on the side road towards the Pheasant Inn. After 100m turning left uphill on paths, now at a walk, across one track and then left on the next, descending slightly from the next junction. Then a lengthy gradual climb, again walking, before descending and then turning left off the track onto a path to Beck Wythop and along the now-disused road back to the start.

Conditions: cloudy but muggy hot (too hot for running up the ups) and with little breeze.

Pub: the Pheasant Inn, for Jennings Back Yam.

Helm Crag from Emma’s Deli

A brisk, unplanned 4.5-mile fell walk with Bridget (L, T in Kendal)

Route: Leaving the deli to the west and turning up the road to Allan Bank but after 200m turning right on the path bending left and then turning right to reach the Easedale Road. There taking the roadside path up northwest, over Goody Bridge, past Glenthorne and eventually bending right towards Lancrigg and then left directly up the valley towards Little Parrock and the clutch of buildings in the trees. 

There turning right into the trees and on to join the familiar, busy, rocky path up to White Crag and then taking a wide bend left round that to reach the viewpoint over the A591 to Helvellyn and down to Grasmere.

Following the summit path up to the Lion and the Lamb and on, and taking the zigzagged path through bracken east from the saddle down to Green Burn. Crossing the bridleway towards the end to cross the higher footbridge and then turning right to follow the track down to join the tarmacked road for 2km south to the Easedale Road. There turning left and following the road down to the village centre and back to Emma’s.

Conditions: Almost entirely overcast, but surprisingly muggy and dry with good visibility.

Pub: Starting with a lazy coffee at the deli before the walk and finishing with a very hurried pair of scones (Bridget: cheese; Lois: fruit) afterwards, L getting back to Broadgate Meadow with one minute to spare on the 4hr parking.

Slate Fell

A solitary (T, L in Grasmere) 8km run after a period of cottage-anxiety-induced indolence.

Route: from the Rectory, running south on Lorton Road, then left on Strawberry How Road to enter the cemetery at a handgate then joining the Sustrans route to reach the Greenway and follow it east round the final housing estate of Strawberry Grange back onto Strawberry How Road. Along the road slightly uphill, over the A66 and left for about 1km of road running, to (at the 3km point) a clear bridleway on the left through Westray. 

Crossing the A66 to find a new sign firmly indicating the path along the still-impassably-overgrown, unpleasantly-brambly path 400m to the road and a clear ‘private keep out’ sign to the accessible field on the left. Again, necessity demanding it, going through a gate to the left nevertheless and taking a line uphill, this time - to show willing - close to the field edge (thus facing mud), to the grassy path under Slate Fell. Walking uphill to the summit then running down to the stile between the two summit outcrops and for the first time (for T; L had done this exactly a month earlier) exploring the northerly outcrop before descending to the right, pathless, to reach the bridleway to Brick Kiln Wood and through it on the obvious path to join the road almost opposite the gate onto Watch Hill. Turning left and running along St Helen’s Street to the footpath past the sports centre and across the road to reach Wyndham Row and down that to the Jennings Brewery.

Conditions: mainly cloudy and breezy.

Pub: the Jennings Brewery for Cocker Hoop (now tasting fine after a recipe change, in response to general initial disappointment at the brewery reopening).