Route: from home, steeply uphill to the Station Inn and then continuing to rise to the midpoint of Paddy Lane. Then a glorious descent to cross the A685 and a careful, steep descent to a bridge over the River Mint south of Meal Bank. Turning right to rise north east, on a wide road, onto high moorland from which, presumably, there would usually be good views. A steep descent to Patton Bridge and then a detour to look at Whinfell Tarn (hardly worth it). Back at Patton Bridge taking a pretty quiet road, west, rising within a narrow valley to reach a crossroads (left here) eventually descending steeply to cross the A6, wiggling through Garth Row and then a brief but horribly steep ascent to a right turn and then a left onto the Potter Fell Road. Along this to descend to the main back road to Staveley with bluebells in abundance. After beer and lunch (and replacing brake blocks) returning on the back road but sticking to the valley bottom to re-enter Kendal via the Mintsfeet industrial estate and then back along the canal path.
Conditions: very low cloud, occasional drizzly rain.
Pub: the Hawkshead Beer Hall, Staveley, for WPA and Red.
