Mawbray Bank

A 6km run on a blustery and damp day.

Route: leaving the car at the Mawbray Bank car park and heading directly to the shore but, the tide being almost in, finding the ground either stony or very soft sand (the fine firm sand being under the sea) thus reverting to paths on the lower dunes, later rising onto the higher dunes. Continuing to Beckfoot - where the dunes run out - and then running along the stony beach to reach a 3km notional mark. 

Then across rough grass to turn right/south, first on a clear footpath and then along the cycle path, to a car park and then, after a brief overlap with the outward route, diverting away from the shore on grassy, sandy paths to pass the Belted Galloways and, with a few deliberate zigzags, reaching the car park after the intended notional 6km mark.

Conditions: to start with, surprisingly dry and with higher cloud than the very low cloud and drizzle of Cockermouth and Gilcrux. But then light rain arriving.

Pub: the Masons Arms, Gilcrux, for Bowness Brewery Swan Blonde and Stewart Brewey Edinburgh Dry Stout.

Cockermouth run to the Jennings Brewery on a dark autumn evening

A 5km run to the Brewery, an Outdoor Day because the first dark evening run of the season.

Route: from the Rectory, heading north and then left up Vicarage Drive onto Culgarth Avenue to the two short snickets to reach Dale View and along this to the footbridge at Double Mill. Ascending Fern Bank to Parkside Avenue and along this to cross Lamplugh Road onto Brigham Road. Turning right on Dalton Street, left on Henry Street, right on Harrow Road and then left on Fitz Road to the dark track to The Parklands (initially going wrong by following a lit footpath). 

Descending to Low Road to cross the main road bridge over the River Derwent and then, after 400m, right on Sustrans Route 71, over the footbridge and then the complicated route back (via Low Sand Lane) along the riverside path (now dry after Monday’s flooding) under the footbridge, along Waterlooo Street and over the footbridge over the Cocker to Brewery Lane and the Jennings Brewery. 

After a pint, walking to pick up a pre-ordered Fermento pizza and back home.

Conditions: dry and unseasonably mild.

Pub: the Jennings Brewery, for Sneck Lifter and Cocker Hoop. 

Stile End, Barrow Door and Barrow

A 5km walk with Steve and Kathryn on a blustery cool November morning having visited the cottage to view progress on the building works.

Route: leaving the car at the Coledale Inn and walking round the inn and along the road gaining altitude towards the hills. Joining a stony track to a grassy path and then following the ridge to the right, getting steeper to reach the top of Stile End. Descending on a rocky and sometimes slippery path to the pass at Barrow Door and ascending the gentle incline to Barrow. 

Descending the ridge to the crossroads of paths near Braithwaite Lodge. Given the damp conditions under foot, continuing down the farm track to the road and then taking the path by the stream up to the pub.

Conditions: a cool wind, cold on the tops; mainly cloudy but with hints of sun. 

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

Sale Fell

A 5km walk post lunch walk with Steve and Kathryn

Route: leaving the cars at St Margaret’s Church (above the Pheasant Inn) and walking through the churchyard to the gate to the left, crossing laterally to a footpath and then heading uphill to the right and then round the hill gaining ground slowly towards the west. At the end of the ridge (level with a wall) turning left uphill on clear paths to the top. 

Thence down to a subsidiary summit and round to Lothwaite and then descending on a large clear grassy path between bracken to the church. 

Conditions: dry but a surprisingly strong cold wind.

Pub: before the walk, the Embleton Spa Hotel for Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold and lunch.

6km Cockermouth Run

A 6km run, the third in a week of an informal ‘couch to several km’ programme after, for both of us, a period of illness-induced (Covid then cold etc) indolence. (For that reason, an Outdoor Day.)

Route: from the Rectory, running south on Lorton Road, then left on Strawberry How Road outside and round the cemetery to turn left onto the Sustrans route to reach the Greenway. Turning left and then right on a path over a subtle footbridge back to Sandybeck Way and then left on Horseshoe Drive to Bellbrigg Lonning and then along Slatefell Drive. Following this to the end and then along a path to a footbridge over Bitter Beck to join St Helen’s Street and head east, gradually gaining a bit of altitude before heading back left on Castlegate Drive and right on Beech Lane, climbing to the highest point of the run, and then descending via Isel Road to the Jennings Brewery. 

Then, taking the Waterloo footbridge to Waterloo Street, the footpath along the river and then running along the road to Aldi. Turning left to run most of the length of the Greenway entering the cemetery at the further gate and thence home.

Conditions: despite a forecast of rain, a dry grey day.

Pub? Much later Fyne Ales Jarl at the Bitter End

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.