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).

Silver How

A 6km circular walk from Grasmere with Anne and Frank.

Route: leaving the car at the Broadgate Meadow car park and walking south past Tweedies and along Red Bank. After a subtle bridge over a stream, taking a footpath on the right, uphill along a stony track to Kelbarrow and then along, under the fell, slowly rising heading south and then later bending west. Ignoring the steep direct ascent and continuing through bracken on a path to the saddle from Spedding Crag  and continuing above Megs Gill (not actually visible) with a view down to Langdale and the Elterwater quarry. Bending right and climbing onto the summit plateau and following faint grassy and marshy paths north east to reach the summit.

Descending to the west/left of a small ridge and then descending (10 feet) into, and climbing back out of, a rocky gully to cross Wray Gill and then following a ridge down, the path becoming a stony dried-up stream-bed, to Allan Bank and thence to Tweedies, Grasmere. 

Conditions: cloudy and surprisingly not warm for 1 August.

Pub: Tweedies, Grasmere, for Thornbridge Krushd, Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold and lunch.