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.

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.