A 7km jog in rolling country, reversed and unsatisfactorily varied from the previous original run. The route selected when there was no space to park at Loweswater on a lovely sunny October day.Route: leaving the car in the plentiful space near the church at Dean and heading north-west downhill past a farm and then taking a path neglected on the previous circuit left, first across the edge of a field, then round a slight slope in the middle of the next field down across sudden marsh to a footbridge (Lois cutting herself on barbed wire). The next 200m of unmarked path across shoe-tugging, foot submerging swamp suggesting this was a variant not to be repeated but an overgrown broken stile, covered in brambles made this more of a diktat.
Gaining the clear track to Calva Hall and calling in at the next farm to say Hello to Dawn and beg a plaster. Then continuing at a more respectable pace along the track past Oldfield and Oldfield Mill to join a road by a bridge over the River Marron and run slowly uphill to Mayfield Brow and Mayfield to dogleg across the c-road. Continuing gently uphill to Lintonhill Plantation and then down and up again now on tarmac to join the road at Fifkettle Brow and back to the start.
Conditions: 10C but a lovely sunny day, warm enough to sit outside the full pub.
Pub: The Royal Yew, Dean, for Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold and Esthwaite Bitter. Then 3pm cheese scones at the cottage.
