Tiny stroll on the Helm

T’s first walk (today with L) on the Helm in months/years.

Route: from home, up through the station, past the Station Inn to the back of Helm road. Along this as far as a flood, making a forlorn attempt to go round it up on the bank to the right. Turning back to a handgate onto the Helm and up to the tarn, then up the low shoulder of the ridge and back to the pub for a pint. Then home through the underpass.

Conditions: a surprisingly brilliantly sunny day at the very end of January.

Pub: the Station Inn, Oxenholme, for Taylor’s Landlord.

Burneside to Staveley variant walk

A 7km solitary walk.

Route: taking the 11:21am train from Oxenholme to Burneside and crossing the tracks to take a very wet path past Tolson Hall Farm to cross the A591, dogleg left-right and follow more muddy paths round a tarn to Moss Side and Ratherheath Lane. Turning left, looking for a path on the right but taking an earlier gate to shortcut to the path past the west end of Ratherheath Tarn, through woods to turn left onto Ahes Lane. Following this to turn right across fields to re-cross the A591 go under the railway and enter Staveley and thus the Mill Yard. After a pint, walking back to the station.

Conditions: very marshy underfoot with some flooding of paths.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley for Lakeland Gold.

Underhelm and Paddy Lane

A 10-mile jog from home on dark and wintry Saturday afternoon (L only)

Route: Up round the station to Helmside Road (closed for 9 weeks for roadworks - 1ft trench cut along the first stretch today) and along to Burton Road, then running south along this as far as Barrows Green. Turning left up Helm Mount and on to Underhelm (Lane?) past the two Underhelm Farms (walking from halfway up the chevroned bit) to join the main road and turn left to the Station Inn. There turning right to run all the way along Hayclose Road and then Paddy Lane as far as the railway bridge just before the Appleby Road. Returning to the Station Inn the same way to head down through Glen, under the railway tracks

and home.

Conditions: Wet underfoot and dark with low cloud but dry with a light breeze until the turnaround - then rain and wind closing in and views disappearing (hence no photos!)

Pub? Liquorice and peppermint tea - and, much later, out to Corner 124 with Anne and Frank for Frank’s birthday

Burneside to Staveley winter walk

A 6km solitary (L visiting Ted in Cubbington) stroll (eschewing running because of a lingering chest infection).

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Burneside and walking along icy pavements to Bowston and staying on the west/left bank of the river through Cowan Head to Haggs Bridge. Crossing and walking through the woods but taking the first exit to pick up the track to Side House. For once, taking the snowy path on the left-hand side of the stream to Frost Hole and thus to the road down past Craggy Wood. Briefly detouring though a Manchester Water Company (Thirlmere Aqueduct) gate to take the path in the wood left down to the obvious egress/ingress and thence to the Mill Yard.

Conditions: cooler than Kendal at around 0C with ice under foot. Some blue skies though little direct sun.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Hawkshead 5 Hop.

Turner How, High Hollins and Swinside from home

Road run at dusk under snow-sprinkled fells (L without her phone)

Route: Leaving the cottage to run down to the crossroads and turn left along Hopebeck Lane all the way up and then down to the main Scales Hill road. There turning left to run along past the Buttermere fork to the Turner How, turn and running up past the recently-refurbished farm and back left along the Buttermere road to take the rack up to Low and New Hollins. Taking the short linking footpath between fences through to High Hollins, cutting across the farmyward and down to rejoin Hopebeck Lane heading north. At Hopebeck turning right to run up past Hope Farm to above High Swinside (walking from the first gate to the top of the HS turning) and on to junction with Boon Beck Lane - sprinting down in the gathering gloom to return to the village and home!

Conditions: Cool but dry and windless under snow-sprinkled fells, bit breezier up on the fell

Pub? Tea and shortbread - and sip of Tim's Kveik Mystic Origins IPA (from a can)

Across fields to the west of Great Broughton

A tiny pre-pint stroll.

Route: Leaving the car parked outside the Punch Bowl before it opened and heading west along the road, keeping straight when the main road turns right and then bending left at a minor fork and then spurning a path to the right. Following the road as it becomes a track to the end and then following a clear muddy track with views of the river below to the left and a curious wall to the right. Then bending right at a gate to cross two fields before heading away from the river round a square of walls and then right across two fields to find the start of a clear hedged track back towards the village. Turning right to take the bridleway underneath the village houses to the end, bending left on a narrow snicket to gain the main road and turn right to the pub.

Conditions: cold and cloudy giving way to blue skies and winter sun, with snow-sprinkled fells in the distance.

Pub: the Punch Bowl, Great Broughton, for Great North Eastern Brewing Company, Rivet Catcher.

Brackenthwaite Hows pootle

A 6km stroll.

Route: leaving the car in the Lanthwaite Green car park (half full at 11am in mid-January) and heading east up the steep narrow path but turning left on reaching the track and then joining the road past an outhouse, turning right. After 200m taking a path over a wobbly stile and along to join a track to the right. Following this round an implicit hillock to a gate in a wall and turning left across marshy ground to approach Pickett Howe. Turning right up the final path onto the ridge and then heading gradually to the summit. Descending into the woods to the south and near the end of the ridge taking the second main path back down towards the lake shore, taking a narrow path off it to cut a corner and reach the shore. Round the lake to reach the pump house and then along Park Beck to the road to the Kirkstile Inn. After a pint, back along the road to the start.

Conditions: low cloud gradually rising, dry and windless!

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn for Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold and Grasmoor Dark.

School Knott and Grandsire from Ings

A 7km New Year’s Day walk.

Route: leaving the car on the road heading south from the Watermill and walking along that road, under the railway line, to take a right on soggy ground across fields to Whasdike. Briefly joining the road to follow a causeway past a water tank into School Knott Plantation. Emerging from the trees at a gate to walk round the hillside to the main path up to the summit from Windermere. Taking this to the top and then descending and, for the first time, climbing to the higher summit of Grandsire. Descending on a clear path from there to join the Dales Way at Hagg End. Turning left on the road and then left again onto a path through a small wood to reach Yews and then rejoin the outward road to walk down to the pub.

Conditions: an early rain squall having been dodged (with a brief dash to Windermere Booth’s), dry and cold with intermittent sunshine and blue skies.

Pub: the Watermill, Ings, for Windermere A Winter’s Tale and Brewdolph.