Rannerdale Knotts pootle

A short 6km walk with (Cicerone author) Carroll and Mary in a sunny interlude in a day otherwise of low cloud and rain.

Route: from the National Trust car park (free for members) heading south round the Bridge Hotel to pick up the footpath through Sykes Farm campsite towards the lake, along the shore of Crummock Water and crossing the road to pick up the diagonal track rising underneath Rannerdale Knotts. Taking a steeper short cut diagonal path to reach the main, sometimes stepped, path to the summit. Then descending the ridge to the saddle and back down the grassy slope to the start.

Conditons: sunny and warm in high humidity.


Pub: the Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater, for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Esthwaite Bitter, Langdale and Grasmoor and - it being after 2pm - a sandwich lunch.

Cycle circumnavigation of the Northern Fells

An 80km cycle ride on a suddenly cooler, cloudy day.

Route: from the cottage heading to Hundith Hill Road, across the A66 and along the Embleton Road to the bridge over the River Derwent at the outflow of Bassenthwaite and climbing past Kilnhill, across the A591 and uphill towards Binsey. Turning right to descend past Over Water, turning right and then left onto the Cumbria Way and steeply climbing 2 x single chevrons to reach the moor road. Decending this at speed to Parkend and taking The Street over two significant inclines to Hesket Newmarket for a beer. Then via the lower of two alternatives - via Lonning Head - to Mosedale and Mungrisedale and then via the multiply-gated road to Scales to join the pavement cycle path (with its sudden unnervingly steep short incline before Threlkeld: just possible still on the bike) to the Threlkeld Coffee Shop for tea and scones. Then on minor roads via the Castlerigg Stone Circle to Keswick. Leaving Keswick up the road past The Pheasant pub and up to the roundabout to join and follow the east-of-lake road (A591), turning left not far past Mirehouse on the long, straight minor road towards St Bega's, and then taking a right back up again to re-cross the A591 and cycle into Bassenthwaite, arriving 10 minutes too early for the pub. Pressing on via North Row to the Castle Inn at Kilnhill but here failing to attract service at the bar (!) and so pressing on again to the Embleton Spa Hotel for our second beer on the terrace looking across to Sale Fell. Eventually back to Lorton via the Hundith Hill road.

Conditions: cloudy and cooler than previous days but still warm and sticky when cycling.

Pubs: the Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket, for Haystacks and Doris' 90th (Birthday Ale); the Embleton Spa Hotel for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Loweswater Gold.

Pootle round Hallin Fell

A tiny walk on a very hot day with James, on a one-day visit.

Route: having picked up James from Penrith station, leaving the car opposite St Peter's Church on the hause by Hallin Fell and walking west past Hause Farm, Hallin Bank and Bridge End to Sandwick. Then along the track by the lakeshore through Hallinhag Woodrow Waternook, descending left to keep to the shore and then turning right to the (relatively new) Tea Room at the Howtown Hotel for coffee and cakes. Then ascending gently behind the hotel under Steel End back to the start.

Conditions: very hot and sunny, though later losing the sun contrary to the forecast.

Pub: the Horse and Farrier, Dacre for Cross Bay EPA and IPA.

Pheasant Inn cycle jaunt

A 26km trip (mapped here and here) to the Cockermouth Post Office which got extended by the birthday girl in order to get beer and home made crisps.

Route: from the cottage, taking the normal direct cycle route to Cockermouth and then exiting up the gentle hill past the hospital and then school, gaining altitude and then descending to Embleton and along the road parallel to the A66 to the Pheasant Inn for beer and crisps in the garden. Back via the two steep hills to and out of Wythop Mill.

Conditions: hot and sunny on one of the warmest days of the year.

Pub: the Pheasant Inn, Bassenthwaite, for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Loweswater Gold and Coniston Bluebird.

Cycle circuit of Fellbarrow

A 24km cycle ride on a rest day from running, forecast to be the hottest day of the year.

Route: from the cottage, cycling to Low Lorton and across the river heading north west then turning left at Sandybeck Bridge, left at Brandlingill and again at Lea Bank and ignoring the normal right turn to Pardshaw to head to Mosser and thence 200m uphill against a chevron to reach a higher level road past Sosgill to Mockerkin. Turning left and climbing to the top of Fangs Brow before descending to Loweswater and then the Kirkstile Inn for a pint. Back via Thackthwaite.

Wildlife: Pair of stoat kits cavorting in the road just after Thackthwaite!

Conditions: warm sun but only getting properly hot in the pub garden.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn, for Cumbrian Legendandary Ales Session IPA.

Rosthwaite to Keswick via Watendlath and Walla Crag

A 12 km bus-enabled linear run.

Route: parking the car at the NT Great Wood car park (free to members) and then taking the 78 bus to Rosthwaite (£2.50 each, bus stop a little to the south of the entrance accessible via footpaths). Running and walking slowly up the clear wide path to Puddingstone Bank on a mix of rocks, gravel and finer gravel. Then descending on stony path, flowing with the previous night’s rain, to Watendlath. Keeping to the left of a fast flowing river (Watendlath Beck), very slowly along a waterlogged path overgrown with bracken with the valley becoming more and more like a Scottish glen. Crossing a footbridge and taking a clear gravel path surprisingly uphill to reach the road and down to the “Surprise View”. Then taking a permissive path via Ashness Farm to reach the main track gently but clearly uphill to the top of Walla Crag. Descending to the start of the road to Castlerigg but turning left off it to cross the stream and descend further before taking a lateral path left back under Walla Crag and descending gently, twisting and turning, back to the start.

Conditions: very warm, muggy, humid and cloudy.

Wildlife: hens, cockerels, geese, goslings, assorted breeds of sheep and belted Galloways all in a couple of fields just past Ashness Farm on the route of a Conservation Walk.

Pub: the Royal Oak, Braithwaite for Jennings Cocker Hoop and Sneck Lifter.

Honister to Keswick 14km linear run

A 14km linear run along the High Spy to Catbells ridge.

Route: from the cottage, taking the Honister Rambler bus to Honister Pass and then starting up the path to Dale Head at a walk but, where the steepness eased, turning right and running towards a rocky subsidiary mini summit along a clear sheep track roughly level. After 200m, discovering that this path was 200m closer to Dale Head than intended (thus missing the planned mini ridge to Launchy Tarn) but continued as a fine clear minor path descending to meet the main rocky path up High Spy and then along that to Maiden Moor (occasionally diverting onto tiny grassy sheep tracks). Eventually descending on a made alluvial sub-soil path to the hause encountering llamas and then rising, now busier, to the summit of Catbells and then down the end of the ridge through crowds. Then along the Cumbria Way to Portinscale and thence to Keswick for a pint and the 2:30pm bus back to Lorton.

Wildlife: Guided llama trek coming up from Little Town and over the hause to Manesty; alpacas in a field beside Portinscale (part of the Lingholm Estate most likely)

Conditions: cloudy with gusty wind but warm.

Pub: the Bank Tavern, Keswick (for the first time), for Jennings Cocker Hoop.

Penrith Beacon

A short 3pm walk up the Beacon to mark the end of Lois’s ‘Being the Best You’ course in Penrith.

Route: walking down from the station and across town to meet Lois at the Haydock Centre and then up a straight, steady hill (Graham Street) to Beacon Edge and along this to the start of the footpath, rejecting a longer outward route because of PRIVATE signs and barbed wire. Ascending on a long diagonal left to the summit area, then right on the level before eventually guessing that a small left path was heading up hill in the right direction for the top. From the summit, descending the length of the Beacon east past a group of transmitters and then round to the right to walk along under the Beacon and behind houses on Beacon Edge. At the end of the path, trespassing down through a field and scaling a locked gate to regain the road and back on a different road (Lowther Street) to the Haydock Centre and the car.

Conditions: cloudy, muggy and warm.

Pub: the George and Dragon, Clifton, for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Session IPA.

Variant circuit above Brigsteer

A 7.5km variant on a familiar route.

Route: leaving the car in a large layby (space for 10+ cars) north of the village and running back, south past Brigsteer on the lower road but branching left on a footpath signed St John’s Church just beyond the village. Uphill across a couple of fields to turn right on a track and then, rather than branching diagnonally left off it across the large field to Helsington Church, staying on the track to climb more slowly and overshoot the church and then backtrack to it. Then turning right and following the angle of a sign but with no trace on the ground: instead, plunging through long and irritating grass to reach the Brigsteer Road near the normal Scout Scar parking spot but climbing a gate to enter the Scar, climb the Escarpment and head left, west to the Gate-in-the-Corner, Dave’s Cairn and the descent to Barrowfield Farm. Right, then left, to take a footpath descending through trees and across pastures eventually to strike a very quiet minor road. Left along this to reach the main Brigsteer-Underbarrow road and back to the start. 

Conditions: cloudy but muggy.

Pub: The Rifleman’s, Greenside, for Greene King Abbot Ale (hurrah!).