Brackenthwaite Hows 4km stroll

A 4km walk with Pete Taylor on a wet October day.

Route: leaving the car in the Lanthwaite Wood National Trust car park (almost empty on a wet October Friday at 11am) and taking the longer zigzag to the start of the small path up Robin’s Steps towards the summit plateau of Brackenthwaite Hows. But giving up on a summit ascent to take the narrow muddy path to the right, just before the deer gate, to meet the path exiting the summit plateau to the south and down to the shoulder. 

Here turning sharp right on the wider path, gradually descending back towards the car park but taking a shortcut left to turn left again on the main path from the car park to the lake. Then round the shore as far as the pumping station where turning right along the banks of Park Beck to Park Bridge. Thence, left along the road to an empty Kirkstile Inn for lunch.

Conditions: on a day forecast for constant rain, a largely dry interlude with a brief shower towards the end.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn for Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold, Esthwaite Bitter and Buttermere Beauty and lunch.

A short stroll to La Mass and Le Junies

A 6km stroll to look at two churches while staying with Andrea Higginson just north of Castelfranc.

Route: leaving Andrea’s house and walking up the very quiet road (even more so than normal as blocked to the south by roadworks) to the north surrounded by trees and with a flat valley bottom to the left/west to La Masse. There, finding the key to the church (St-Perduelphe) hidden beneath a bell on a neighbouring house (guided by a sign on the church door) for a thorough viewing of the church interior.

Continuing on the road to the west of the valley, pausing briefly to look at the footbridge to the convent, as far as Les Junies, crossing the river, and then returning to the church (St-Pierre-es-liens) at the convent, locating the key on the terrace of a neighbouring house, and then filling the road on the east side back to the house.

Conditions: initially cool air (probably 16C) but warm in the sun before the main heat of the day (forecast to reach 29C).

Pub? cans of  Kings Beau chez Andrea.

Feix to La Tour Blanche and back

A swift early evening 7km stride to walk off a delicious substantial lunch.

Route: from Mike and Dianne’s house in Feix, heading west along the road to a field of solar panels and turning right onto a grassy track through the woods, more or less straight except for a slight wiggle, crossing La Rue du Cheval Blanc and continuing slightly downhill initially past a path crossroads and evidence of a small quarry eventually with views of the town ahead and to the left to emerge on a road. Doglegging right and left to rise into a very quiet town centre and walking to the church and back checking that no bar was, by chance, open. 

Returning on the main road south towards Feraillou but taking the strange exit for the Route du Cheval Blanc, ignoring a left turn, and continuing to a path heading at an oblique angle north eventually meeting the path crossroads and returning on the outward route.

Conditions: warm, 24C after a hotter day, but with less heat in the evening sun.

Pub? 

A pre-breakfast stroll to Les Farges and Feraillou

A quick 5km stroll on empty roads while starting with Mike and Dianne Armer at Feix.

Route: from Mike and Dianne’s house at Feix, heading west, gently uphill on the road past wide fields, widely spread houses, woods (spotting a single shy deer) and some barking dogs. Then downwards among trees before rising to a five-way junction at the tiny hamlet of Les Farges. 

Turning sharp left and gently descending before entering trees with, in principle a quarry invisibly to the left through trees, passing under a quarry road bridge (the tress coated in dust) before turning left uphill at the edge of Feraillou, past a newly erected cross and back along the narrow road to the start (seeing another deer gallop away across a field).

Conditions: sunny and still but before the heat of the day (13C air temperature at the start rising to low 20s by 10am and later 27C).

Pub? Breakfast then a delicious formal lunch at Moulin du Pont, Lisle, with aperitifs and wines of the country.

A stroll from Feix to Feraillou and back

A 4km stroll with Dianne from Feix staying in their cottage for three nights (before it is sold).

Route: leaving the cottage and walking 1km east south east down an empty road with a quarry notionally to the right to the village of Feraillou. Stopping to pay a social call and return a bottle stopper to Jan, the owner of the Manor dit Chartreuse (C17, connected to Louis XIV). After a tour of the house, leaving Jan and dogs Poppy and ?Cookie continuing along the road, taking a small lane on the left after a children’s play park, past yapping dogs with gîtes/farmhouses on the left and land opening on the right. At the end of the commune turning left on a narrow path through the Bois de Halas, crossing the ‘Great White Way’ (Rue du Cheval Blanc) for a further loop to the north. Then back across the road to follow a track back through forest to a road from Verteillac back to Feix (Rue de Chantepoule) and following this back to the house.

Conditions: after a surprising cool 13C morning, sunny, hot and still.

Pub? G&T and Ricard as aperitifs and then a rough red of the country chez les Armers.

5km run under Latrigg

An early evening damp 5.5km run following a GP appointment in Keswick.

Route: leaving the car parked on the side of Brundholme Road and running over the bridge over the A66 on Spoonygreen Lane. After a steep uphill, taking the first right turn on a wide forestry track, still steeply uphill, then along and then descending (noting that a marked left turn on the OS map did not exist) on a narrower path approaching and running alongside the A66 to a minor road just after it had crossed the A66. 

Turning left uphill to a forestry track with locked gates but signs of pedestrian use. Following the track, up and down, to a right turn and then steeply descending, now in rain, to join the Keswick Railway Path. Back along this to near the end but descending off the path to cross the A5271 near the Twa Dogs to Calvert Bridge and uphill to turn left on the c-road and back to the start.

Conditions: some initial shafts of sun through heavy clouds. Later a short sharp rain storm.

Pub: the Coledale Inn, Braithwaite for Corby Blonde.

7km circuit under Walla Crag

A fine run with some novelty on a Sunday evening after the crowds had gone.

Route: leaving the car at the NT Great Wood car park (almost empty at 5pm on a Sunday) and running south and uphill on a stony footpath for 200m to a path crossroads. Turning left steeply uphill and walking until the path began to level, then running along this, new to us, path in woods with just a few views left because of the trees. Eventually joining the end of the more familiar path (from the car park to Castlerigg) with views across a field (no pretty cows this time) to the north western fells over Derwent Water. 

Turning left at a path T-junction to run down a stony track through Spring Woods, pausing at a footbridge and then continuing onto Springs Road to turn left on a gravel path across a field to Castlehead Wood. Running left, clockwise round the hillock (the less trodden route) to cross Borrowdale Road on another gravel path across a field. Then heading straight ahead over a slight hill to arrive at the jetties on the lakeshore. Turning left to Friar’s Crag and then along the footpath round the lake, sometimes inshore on board walks, past Stable Hills to Calfclose Bay. Here turning left on a path to the road at a bus-stop and then a little further to the entrance to the car park.

Conditions: mild, with some brightness from the late afternoon sun shrouded in thin clouds.

Pub: the Coledale Inn for Corby Blonde and Hawkshead Windermere Pale Ale.