Great Clifton and back by bike

Inaugural 19-mile cycle commute from Lorton to Great Clifton (L) on a sunny Monday

Route: from Midtown out north to 4-lanes end (Hundith Hill) and there left and down to Southwaite bridge and on up to Paddle School. Across the A5086 and up Hotchberry Bro
w and straight on through Eaglesfield, turning right at the end of the village towards Brigham and taking the first left forking to Greysouthen. 

Reaching Greysouthen and turning right on Main Street to cycle through the village and turn left at the end, down past the village hall and out of the village, bending right at the junction, northwest and up to the Brigham-Bridgefoot road. There turning left to dip down and up through Bridgefoot and, on Chapel Brow, take the cycle path to the A66 roundabout and follow round to exit towards Great Clifton.

In Great Clifton, having meetings at the Old Ginn House, Low Middlegate Farm and Witsend before cycling back.

On the way back, taking a left turn just before Hotchberry Brow to detour past John Dalton House and then bend back to HB. Also turning right off the Paddle-Southwaite Road to return through Rogerscale, down to Lorton Bridge and home via Lorton School, Village School and Yew Tree Hall.

Conditions: bright warm sunshine all day, but with a chill in the wind on the bike

Pub: An hour or two later, the Wheatsheaf, Lorton, with T, for Black Sheep Bitter

Sale Fell with Paul and Katya

The standard 5km ascent by L with Paul and Katya (T injured) from the church

Route: leaving the car at St Margaret’s Church and walking through the churchyard to the gate to the left (broken so having to squeeze round the outside of the gate post).

Then crossing laterally to a footpath and heading uphill to the right and then round the hill gaining grounding 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.

Afterwards, descending on a large clear grassy path between bracken to the church. (Popping into the church but finding its Easter flowers not yet in place.)

Conditions: Light rain and high winds coming and going - a bit slippery underfoot, clear on top but no views of Skiddaw or Scotland.

Pub: Picking up T for Jennings Castle Bitter, Cruzcampo (and copious nuts) at the Embleton Spa Hotel

Aborted loop from Lanthwaite Wood due to injury

What was planned to be a 7km run over Brackenthwaite Hows to under Whiteside End and back along the shore became a 2-3km run for T and a 5km run for L when T slipped and broke his ankle.

Route: leaving the car at the Lanthwaite Wood car park (2/3 full at 11am on the Thursday before the Easter weekend) and running along the longer flatter zigzag to reach the foot of the path up Robin’s Steps. Walking this path all the way to the top of the summit (Scale Hill). Then back-tracking a little to run down the ridge and then left down hill to pick up the path to Beck How. 

Crossing the road and a foot bridge and walking uphill to turn right on the lateral footpath under Whiteside End. Part-way along, T taking a tumble and thus continuing at a slow unsteady walk to cross the footbridge under Whin Ben and reach the cattle grid at Lanthwaite Gate. L then continuing to the saddle to the south of Brackenthwaite Hows and then along the track to the car park.

Conditions: An unexpectedly glorious warm sunny morning but pretty wet and slippery (!) underfoot

Pub: Kirkstile Inn for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Esthwaite Bitter 

Lorton variant 4km short running circuit

A 4.2km run round the village in a gap in L’s schedule.

Route: from the cottage, running north along the road, ignoring the path on the left to the church and on to take the frequently damp path (not too bad today), left, across a field to cross Church Lane and take the still new-feeling path to the new development on the edge of the village. Pausing for a second attempt to capture the Percy Kelly view and then continuing past the pub to take the path to the church and then the continuing path. 

Dog-legging left-right across the road to take a path cutting a corner across a field, then across the Whinlatter Pass and up the track to Fernwood. Turning right on the track and then downhill again (less wet than the last time) to reach the Whinlatter Pass again. Left, uphill, along this, to the green track half right to Tenters Lane and then, via a detour to the village shop, home.

Conditions: a warm, 12C spring day (also the equinox) with sun shining through a thin layer of cloud.

Pub? At 11am, for one of us, some of a bottle of Wilces Medium Cider, back at the cottage. Later, at 4pm, Cumbrian Ales, American Invasion and Esthwaite Bitter at the Kirkstile Inn.

5km run on ‘balcony’ path to High Swinside

A 5km circular run from the new cottage. A Outdoor Day because the first running of this route in ages.

Route: Leaving the cottage and running to Boonbeck, walking up the road to the footpath to the right annd running again to the start of the enclosed track east past Scales to the southerly ‘balcony’ path to High Swinside Farm, walking some of the more waterlogged stretches. 

Descending on the road from Hope Beck, continuing to the path by the side of Whit Beck to Highmill Bridge and home. 

Conditons: a warm 12C March day with lovely sun.

Pub? A bottle of Wilces Medium cider in the cottage. 

Tiny stroll between Buttermere and Crummock taking in Long How

A tiny stroll with Caroline and Paul.

Route: leaving the car in the NT car park (half full on a Friday in early March) and taking the path north-west through a gate to cross the clear gravel path and take merely a hint of path ahead and then wandering left to ascend Long How pathless with views of deer. Descending to the north of Long How to the path to the lakeshore.  

Turning left to cross a footbridge and the path circling anti-clockwise round Nether How, noting new streams of water across the continuing pebble shoreline and a significant flooded area to the south.

Continuing on the normal path towards Syke Farm campsite but 50m beyond the bridge on the left finding the route blocked by a new stream course (the bank of the original course having broken), explaining both the new marsh and the low river levels further down the original stream bed. Backtracking to the footbridge and circling Long How clockwise to join the main gravel path back to the car park. Then walking down into the village for lunch and back, thus just meeting the 3km rule.

Conditions: after three sunny days, a surprise fall of snow had dusted the higher hills. Cloudy but with patches of sunshine. Later, a sunny afternoon.

Pub: an almost empty Buttermere Court Hotel for Tirril Borrowdale Bitter and a light lunch.

Sortie onto the lower flank of Kirk Fell

A 3km pre-lunch walk for L to show T the farmer-tolerated route onto Kirk Fell.

Route: leaving 1-2 Midtown and heading right along the road to the footpath opposite Lorton Park Cottage, diagonally right and slightly uphill across a field, then across the Whinlatter Pass and then on a marshy path to Fernwood, admiring the daffodils. Turning right up the track for 50m to turn right through a fairly new wide gate, diagonally and uphill across one field, through another gate, across another field and gate and then a third field to exit onto a clear grassy farm track on the open fell and at the start of the new-ish excavated track above High How. 

Experimenting by heading uphill to look for any other lateral path but, failing, descending through dead bracken to take a narrow sheep track left through gorse eventually meeting the rising new track. With difficulty (because of its high rough rubble side), dropping onto this track and then, with a change of mind, not descending via High How but continuing on the track to a new gate onto the Whinlatter Pass and right along this, then left down Tenters Lane, and home.

Conditions: the third sunny day in a row (rain forecast for later).

Pub? Some of a bottle of Lidl Haverwood IPA at home.