Wetherlam

A 9km walk on a glorious sunny day with Angie and Alistair.

Route: having picked up A&A in Coniston, driving back to the first left turn to the Tilberthwaite car park and ascending from there on the right hand side of the gorge of Tilberthwaite Gill and then bending right and slowly ascending through Dry Cove Bottom to the start of Wetherlam Edge. Here taking the path to scramble up occasionally greasy and icy rocks and so heading left onto the ridge to regain the sun and thence to the summit. Descending south to Lower Hows and then further south taking a left turn initially on Fix the Fells steps but losing the path and descending across occasionally damp grass to the stepping stones to the west of a small tarn and then left on the main path back to Tilberthwaite Gill descending this time on its west bank.

Conditions: cold but bright sun, with some ice underfoot.

Pub: the Black Bull, Coniston, for Consiton Brewery Infinity IPA, Oatmeal Stout and mulled wine.

Short run to the Stratford Obelisk

An early morning 5km run with James on the last day of a two day visit to Stratford (to see King John).

Route: from 12 St Gregory’s Road, west on Mayfield and Jolyffe’s Park Road to reach Clopton Road and along this to the end (from where Lois took a different route to the obelisk) and then across significant mud to reach a faint path slightly uphill across grass to the corner of the field. Then north again across deep mud to reach a bridleway (crossing ridges and furrows) for 200m before turning right and descending slightly to the obelisk. Then back south past the Welcombe Hotel, through the Dingles, to reach Welcombe Road. At the end, right back onto St Gregory's Road.

Conditions: very muddy under foot, frosty and misty and with the sun just rising as we reached the obelisk.

Pub? Not at 9am!

Whinlatter

A recuperative walk (three days after a visit to Workington A&E on Christmas Eve).

Route: leaving the car at the Spout Force car park and walking 3km up rough forestry tracks into the heart of the Aiken Beck valley. Ignoring the left turn for the Lord's Seat ascent path and following the track swinging to the right, before taking a very overgrown forest track leading to a treacherous stile out of the trees and onto the lower slopes and eventually, on moorland paths, to the summit of Whinlatter. Along the clear ridge path to Brown How and sweeping views of Lorton Vale and then following a clear path round the end of the fell and then back right, descending to the edge of forestry land. This time turning right (not left) and descending beside a fence, climbing over it at the corner to gain a slippy narrow path down through trees and rejoin the outward forest track left back to the car.

Conditions: cloudy with a cool breeze but not cold and dry.

Pub: the Pheasant, Bassenthwaite, for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Loweswater Gold and home made crisps.

Balcony paths west of Lorton

A solitary tootle about in the sun, linking old routes to new ones on Christmas Day while Tim was battling the antibiotics back at the cottage

Route: Leaving the cottage (in road shoes!) running down to Boonbeck and up the road to the junction of C roads above the Blaze Beck gorge, there turning right towards High Swinside to take in the views towards Melbreak (in blinding sun). Past the bench on the right getting distracted by a clear grassy imprint leading across the fellside in a SSWesterly direction, going through a gate and contouring round the fell on an intermittent trod as far as the clear path down to High Swinside (right) or up to Ladyside Pike (left). Turning left, lured uphill, to contour back round to the well-defended fence boundary and then loop back down the fell to the original gate, enjoying great views towards Broom Fell and Graystones across the Pass. Rejoining the road back to the fork and then heading on down into the gorge and up the other side to meet Whinlatter and run along it for a few yards to a gate on the left. There crossing into the field to follow a strengthening contouring path (clearly well used but not shown on the OS map) NW above Blaze Beck until the Pass curves back round to bend steeply above the gorge, there rejoining the Pass and running down about a kilometre to a gate on the right just before a ruined building (set into the bottom of a well-built wall climbing the fellside). Squeezing through the gate and following along the wall left to clamber through the ruin and so into the next field and join a clear rising track to the wall/fence corner just northeast of High How, climb over and run down the high rigg and zig zag down on the track to the west to reach the main road. There turning right to follow the Pass again as far as a field gate on the left to run directly down across two fields to the cottage garden, entering by climbing the barbed wire fence.

Conditions: Bright, warm sunshine with wisps of low cloud clearing

Pub? (None available: Christmas Day!) Back at Grasmoor, two bottles of low-alcohol cider (Sainsbury’s and Stowford Press, 0.9% and 0.5%) to rehydrate with a very late and low-key Christmas brunch with T.

Knock Murton

A triumphant return to Knock Murton, with Mike Hornby, summiting for the first time.

Route: leaving the car at the carpark at Felldyke (full, because of runners) and taking the path to and beside Cogra Moss. Just where the water ends, taking a clear but narrow path heading diagonally uphill to reach the saddle down from Low Pen and a wide forest road. There having been no obvious path uphill to the right up to this point, taking an arbitrary line up into the pine forest where the gaps between trees seemed most promising. After a while, trending slightly left but then, as light became visible, right to find a stile through the fence. Then steeply uphill on a clear narrow path to the summit. Continuing in roughly the same direction but following a path initially too much to the left, then too much to the right, before taking a pathless beeline to the corner of the forestry plantation, over a gate, down by a path and then swinging right over dodgy stiles to meet the outward path.

Conditions: initial rain abating but thick cloud shrouding the summit.

Pub: the Royal Yew, Dean, joined by Janet for Teactor Shed Mowdy Pale and a good value lunch.

Buttermere circuit

An 8km run on the Sunday before Christmas.

Route: leaving the car at the NT car park (free to members and almost empty at 11am, two days before Christmas) and running past the Bridge Hotel to the lake and then via the newly reinstated bridge to the path on the far, western, side of the lake. Along this to the head of the lake and then back first on the road and then, for the first time, on the newly re-engineered path on the eastern shore. Taking the higher path doubling back to cross over, rather than through, the tunnel and then back to the pub. Then, at a walk and gifted with rum butter for Christmas pudding, back to the car.

Conditions: a dry spell in an unpromising, cloudy day.

Pub: the Bridge Hotel, Buttermere, for Tractor Brewery Mowdy Pale Ale.

Stile End walking ascent and running descent

A 7km birthday walk/run from Braithwaite.

Route: leaving the car parked at the bottom of the Whinlatter Pass and running over the Buddhist bridge, behind houses and past the Coledale Inn to join the c-road heading up hill. At the end of the road, continuing on a clear path turning slightly right to continue, now very much at a walk, to the summit of Stile End. Descending southwest towards Outerside but taking a major but very marshy path left. Then taking a grassy short cut, crossing another path back to Stile End and then going on down to the main descending path just above and parallel with Stonycroft Gill, tricky under foot to begin with but becoming increasingly easier as it swept down and to the left. Just before the road, taking a grassy path on the left but eventually forced on to the road. Then gently ascending on a narrow signed path behind a wood and descending to Braithwaite Lodge just before which turning left into a wood to cross Coledale Beck and retrace the initially outward path.

Conditions: low cloud, breezy and drizzle but mainly dry for an hour or so.

Pub: the Wainwright Inn, Keswick, for Fell Tinderbox IPA and Magnolia Second Chance.

Buttermere evening stroll

A short stroll curtailed by a lack of light in a dry patch at the end of the day.

Route: leaving the car at the NT car park (free to members and empty!) and walking past the Bridge Hotel and then right on the path to Scale Bridge, encountering flooded paths. Once across the brook, turning left and along waterlogged paths and under a dramatic Sour Milk Gill to take the newly reinstated bridge back (dedicated to Lynn). Along the shore to the path along the east side of the lake as far as, and over, the cave, then back though the cave with head torches and to the Bridge Hotel for a beer and then back to the car.

Conditions: after a day of rain, a dry interval but brief because of the light.

Pub: the Bridge Hotel, Buttermere, for Tractor Brewery Moody Pale Ale.

Kirk Fell, Lord’s Seat and Whinlatter Top circuit

A solitary 16km walk on a bright day while Lois was at work.

Route: leaving the cottage and walking through the village to High How and then steeply up on a very rough path through gorse, and then pathless on easier ground to the summit of Kirk Fell. On to the subsidiary north sub-summit and then the main summit of Graystones. Descending to Widow’s Hause and up to Broom Fell and then somewhat marshily to Lord’s Seat. Joining a made path and then diverging on a very marshy path to Ullister Hill, descending to another newish made path, turning right and then later left onto a wide forest track. At a junction turning right and losing some altitude before finding a very overgrown forest track eventually leading to a stile out of the trees and onto the lower slopes of Whinlatter. Along to Brown How and then following a clear path round the end of the fell and then back right, descending to the edge of forestry land. Here climbing a fence and heading left down a very rough path to a lower, level forestry road, turning right and then left down through Christmas trees and then left back towards the Spout Force carpark. Taking the path right to Spout Force, crossing the river and visiting the waterfall and then following what may have been a path but if so easily lost back through the trees at a higher level. Eventually meeting the boundary wall and walking steeply up it to the stile and path back to High How and hence home (the possible path left before the end being overrun with brambles).

Conditions: a cold wind but bright sun.

Pub? No but a bottle of Lidl vintage cider at the cottage.