Swinside Inn and Newlands small circuit

A near 6km walk as part of T’s broken ankle recuperation.

Route: leaving the car in the car park of the Swinside Inn around (emptying at 5pm) and walking along the road towards the foot of Catbells before turning right to Skelgill. Taking the third, lowest, footpath on a grassy track south west and then descending to cross Newlands Beck on a footbridge at Ghyll Bank and then climbing up to Rowling End Farm. 

Having exited by the farm track rather than the path, backtracking to find a narrow balcony path round into the valley of Stoneycroft Gill. Here contemplating crossing the gill in a narrow but deep ravine on a handy tree but rejecting it as foolhardy, descending instead to the road and along to Uzzicar and on paths back to the pub.

Conditions: A cloudy 16C evening but surprisingly dry.

Pub: the Swinside Inn for Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and a half of Theakstons Old Peculier.

Cockermouth stroll

A 5.5km late afternoon stroll to get T’s ankle working again.

Route: Leaving the car at the Kirkgate Centre and exiting the car park over a bridge to St Helen’s St and along this to the bridleway skirting the bottom of Slate Fell. Along this and then right to enter the new housing, crossing the bridge over Tom Rudd Beck and then along the Sustrans route to enter the graveyard and then out at the north end onto the Greenway. Along this to the bridge over the Cocker but turning left before it to walk to Double Mills, over the footbridge, and back along the banks of the Cocker, crossing the lower footbridge to the Jennings Brewery.

Conditions: dry, 15C but feeling warmer in moments of sun.

Pub: the Jennings Brewery for Cocker Hoop.

Circit from Mawbray Sands via Beckfoot and Newtown

An accidentally extended 7.5km walk as therapy for T's broken ankle.

Route: leaving the car at the Mawbray Sands parking area (full!) and heading west to the shore and, after a bit of walking on the edge of the beach, heading a little inland and then north along a grassy path later joining the King Charles III Coastal Path and following this (a bit narrow and overgrown in places) along the edge of the shore/just inside the road to opposite Beckfoot Farm. 

Crossing the road intending to take a foot path (over a stile a few feet up an awkward grassy bank) but finding impassable nettles. So trespassing through the farmyard to pick up the path at a gate intending to take the path to Nook but finding the footbridge led into yet more impassable nettles so taking another path towards Mawbray Hayrigg. Just managing to cross a broken bridge and broken stile and squeeze through a hedge but then being blocked at the next hedge and stile. Instead, heading north along the field edge to meet a bridleway from Beckfoot and following this to the c-road. With a half memory of the other footpaths being blocked on a previous attempt, sticking tediously to roads through Newtown, past Nook and back to Mawbray Sands and following a path further east than normal back to the start.

Conditions: a cool breeze at the coast. Later some spots of heavy rain but not developing.

Pub: the Lowther Arms, Mawbray, for Rooster Easygoing Assassin IPA and a light lunch.

Ravenstone Manor Hotel to St Bega's church

A 4.5km recuperative early evening walk for T’s broken ankle.

Route: cheekily leaving the car in a rather full car park of the Ravenstone Manor Hotel and exiting on the southern drive to turn immediately onto a path running south, parallel with the (A591) road, to the Old Sawmill. Across the A591 to take a path round Mire House and across fields on a track to St Bega's church. Then continuing north east across a c-road and rising slowly back to the road and the hotel.

Conditions: after a week of hot weather, merely a warm cloudy evening with hints of sun.

Pub: Ravenstone Manor Hotel for expensive pints of Corby Blonde.

Embleton and Seacross Lonning

A short 4.5km walk: the first for T since his broken ankle.

Route: leaving the car parked at the Embleton Spa Hotel and crossing the A66 to turn right on a farm track (and briefly talk to the owner of the farm shop) near High Netherscale. Then taking an unmarked left turn across a footbridge and clearly unused route to the corner of a field but then spotting a clear sign 100m further west (suggesting the correct route continued along the drive of the house at High Netherscale). 

Turning left on a gently overgrown path to bend round a smaller house to another field (marked as a track on the map, but not). Rising gently to the far corner to enter an enclosed green lane itself joining Seacross Lonning. Turning right and following this, past Belted Galloways to the road and west almost as far as the church before turning right to cross two fields and then back along the road from Lambfoot to Embleton.

Conditions: day four of a hot period (elsewhere breaking temperature records for May Bank Holiday).

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

Rogerscale with Mirk Lane epicycle

A 15.5km cycle trip to revive the Bad Boy (L only) on a perfect late spring morning.

Route: Cycling from the cottages north and out of the valley to Hundith Hill (four lane ends crossroads) and turning left down to Southwaite. Bending round back up past the farm to the Rogerscale corner and then turning left down to Sandybeck Nature Reserve. Pausing there for photos and then deciding to turn right and check out the condition of Mirk Lane (grass in the middle as ever) and turn right at the end up to rejoin the Paddle Road.

There pausing for more photos and turning right, back to the Rogerscale turning and this time following down, over the bridge over the beck and up to High Barn (to deliver the cat sitting key) and cycle on down to the Cocker at Low Lorton and back up through the village, past the school and Boon Beck (families paddling) back home.

Conditions: Hot sun with only the gentlest of breezes, loud sheep and birdsong everywhere

Pub? Elderflower cordial back at the cottage and, much later, beer at the Mason’s Arms, Gilcrux with Tim, Steve, Kathryn and Alex (it being Bank Holiday Monday)

High Swinside road from Boon Beck stile

A sunny Bank Holiday Saturday afternoon 6.5km run (L only, T still broken) - the first in exactly a month!

Route: Leaving Midtown Cottages to run along the road and over the bridge to Boon Beck and taking the stile on the right past Boon Beck fold to run across fields, first over Whit Beck and then across the little bridge over the next beck. There encountering a wire across the onward footpath route and turning right down the track down from Scales to join the lane up to Low Swinside.

Running along and through the farmyard and on to the lane and then footpath leading across three fields to the Hopebeck Road.

Turning left onto the road and running along to cross Hope Beck and turn up left at the junction and run up the gated road to above Low Swinside and on to the copse above Blaze Beck.

There forking back to run back down to Boon Beck, stopping above Scales and diverting 50 yards to the left to inspect the ‘watering place erected by WL and Frances Alexander in the year of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, 1887’, across the bridge and back to the cottages.

Conditions: Beautifully warm and sunny (but not quite the ‘heatwave’ hitting the south of England) and largely dry under foot

Pub? As soon as humanly possible, Jennings Cocker Hoop, with Tim, at the Brewery.