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.

Cycle pootle to the Kirkstile Inn

A 14km cycle ride, the first of 2026, and potentially a dry run for more ambitious routes in the spring.

Route: from 1-2 Midtown cycling past the shop to turn left at the mid-Lorton crossroads to take the Hopebeck Road, climbing slowly and then descending to rejoin the recently resurfaced main road to climb to Scale Hill and descend past the Lanthwaite Wood car park. At the next crossroads, turning left to take the minor road (a rather less good road surface) bending road to reach the pub. 

After a pint, along the Thackthwaite road home. 

Conditions: sunny and warm for March at 10C. Warm enough – just – to sit outside the pub to begin with.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn for Cumbrian Ales American Invasion IPA.

Balcony Path under Burnbank Fell and Carling Knott

A 9km walk with Helen and Andrew.

Route: leaving the car at 2pm at the layby near the phone box at Waterend (some spaces in February on a good day) and taking the path down across fields and up to Hudson Place, turning right to pass Jenkinson Place, slowly ascending a track onto the shoulder of the hillside. 

Taking a sharp left rising in the direction of Burnbank Fell but then left to descend on the obvious coffin route. After crossing Holme Beck, ignoring the left turn into the wood and continuing on the balcony path to its end, descending to and through High Nook Farm. Just after this, turning left through an unmarked handgate to join a permissive path through fields to Watergate Farm and then back along the lakeshore to the start. 

Conditions: in a six-week period of much rain, a sunny dry day.

Pub: The Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater, for Cumbrian Ales American Invasion IPA, Esthwaite Bitter and Vanilla Oatmeal Stout

Brackenthwaite Hows pootle

A 3km stroll with Ian Wilson, recuperating from illness, with the walk chosen partly by road resurfacing work blocking the planned trip to Buttermere.

Route: leaving the car in the Lanthwaite Wood National Trust car park (quite empty, possibly because of the closed roads) and taking the broad track south towards the lake, but then forking left up to reach a saddle (GR 153 211) to the south of the summit of Brackenthwaite Hows. Almost doubling back to climb to the deer gate and then, within the summit area, staying to the left by the wall so as to find the easiest, most gradual, line of ascent. But, at another saddle (GR 153 213 and 182m), deciding this was too much for Ian, and returning the same way to the first saddle. 

Then along the ridge within the wood by its eastern wall (with a slight variation at the end to avoid the normal steep scrambly descent) to join the small path descending to the boat house. Thence back along the main track to the car park

Conditions: a still, grey day but for once feeling no colder than the 5C because of the lack of wind.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn for the very welcome return, after a lengthy gap, of Cumbrian Ales American Invasion and a light lunch.

Swinside Inn to Little Town running loop

A 7km run on a bright frosty Valentine’s Day.

Route: leaving the car in the car park of the Swinside Inn (at 11:15am and with permission) and running towards the foot of Catbells (past many cars parked on double yellow lines) carefully crossing patches of ice on the road before turning right to Skelgill. Here taking a slight left angle on a tack rising gradually with views over the valley before descending to a foot bridge over Yewthwaite Gill and into Little Town.

Turning right along the road for 100m and then right onto a muddy track and then a damp grassy path on often frozen marshy ground to reach Skelgill, again. Turning left down the road to the crossroads and then right up hill to the pub.

Conditions: 1C, frozen ground and bright sun.

Pub: the Swinside Inn for Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

https://tinyurl.com/outdoordays

Graystones via Terrace Farm and Sware Gill

A spur-of-the-moment Sunday afternoon walk up Graystones from Midtown (Lois only)

Route: leaving the house to walk along the road to take the footpath just beside Oaklands, across the field and through trees across the road to Fernwood. 

Walking up the road beside the cottages and going through the next farm gate on the right to head diagonally uphill east through two more gates and across three fields. After the fourth gate turning left, more steeply uphill, through gorse beside a wall to turn right up the gully of Wythe Gill.

Staying south of the gill to stay dry, on intermittent sheep paths, occasionally following the line of a tumbledown slate wall, to pick a way up the gully and eventually come out onto the tops and walk up a little further to a boulder and a view of the Solway.

From here, eventually, deciding to turn right towards Graystones on a path dipping down and then up to the path turning left to circumnavigate the summit plateau at mid-height and bend round to the acute corner of Embleton High Common (limit of access land). Here following east, above the very muddy path, to the northeast corner of the fell to walk up and across the two summits and down to the wall leading down to Whinlatter.

There taking the steepening path on the far side of the wall and following it down to the lateral path, faint at first, that sets off halfway down the western limit of Darling How Plantation. Following this clear, wide track down to cross Sware Gill on the little rock bridge and carry down almost to the new gate on the pass, before heading uphill again to the walls at the northeast corner of High How.

There climbing over the wall to the summit of High How, walking down the ridge and cutting across fields back to Whinlatter behind Kirkfell House to the farmgate just beside Hole Mire, and dogleg right and left to take the road down past White Ash to High Lorton and walk back to the house.

Conditions: warm sunshine and completely still to begin with, overcast with a light wind most of the time, shower at the end - muddy footpaths and boggy bits

Pub: espresso martini at home at 7pm with T

Brackenthwaite Hows 5km run

A first return to Brackenthwaite Hows in 13 months and the first while living at 1-2 Midtown Cottages.

Route: leaving the car in the car park of the Kirkstile Inn (because at 11:15am on the first Monday in February) and running down the road towards the Lanthwaite Wood National Trust car park, but carrying on up the hill to turn right along a track into the woods to reach the start of the small path up Robin’s Steps to the summit plateau of Brackenthwaite Hows. 

Descending south and picking up the path within the wood by its eastern wall to join the small path descending to the boat house. Thence round the lake to the pumping house. Here turning right to follow Park Beck to Park Bridge and back along the road to the pub.

Conditions: not quite as cold as the official 5C. Drizzle easing as we started.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater, for Cumbrian Ales Esthwaite Bitter.