A fine 15km walk on a wintry day, a last-minute change of plan given the ice under foot.
Route: from the cottage walking through the village to cross Whinlatter Pass and climb High How. Then along the clear track east, descending and then ascending but staying roughly level to enter the forestry plantation (Darling How Plantation) via a stile and to venture, for the second time in a month, along a very overgrown forestry track. Emerging onto a clearer track, climbing and then descending swinging right and climbing again to reach a T-junction. Turning left, then straight on at a four-way junction of tracks to head into the head of the valley below Ullister Hill. At a junction (NY 20513 26003) taking a slightly higher overgrown track through trees to emerge onto a saddle to find a well-made path, though under snow, heading left to the summit of Lord's Seat. Then following a largely snowy and frozen ridge past Broom Fell, Widow Hause, Graystones and Kirk Fell and descending towards Lorton. Sadly finding a hypothesised legal re-entry to the village to be a delusion, guiltily crossing fields to gain a tack past Fernwood and then across fields to the pub and then home.
Conditions: cold, icy on roads and snowy under foot but bright and sunny in a brisk wind on the top.
Pub: the Wheatsheaf, Lorton for Jennings Bitter.
