Windermere to Staveley: Variant off the Dales Way

A solitary 12 km jog/run (quite a bit of pausing to read the map and walking up hills) with some novelty.

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Windermere and exiting te station for once down hill on roads: turning left onto Cross St, Orrest Drive, Droomer Drive, Droomer Lane and then turning right down a paved minor road to reach the obvious edge of town path. Unusually, turning right on this and then continuing along it spurning all temptation to turn left and climb School Knott. Leaving the town on a broad stony track and climbing, eventually turning left on a path now marked as the Dales Way. 

Following this familiar route to Hag End, Outrun Nook and Crag House. But, here, leaving the Dales Way to turn right in a marshy valley, crossing the stream on a foot bridge and then continuing almost due south on improving tracks. To minimise use of the pedestrian-unfriendly B5284, continuing over the road onto a c-road before turning left on a muddy path across a field to rejoin the B5284 for 100m. Taking the next left and gaining ground across fields and then tracking laterally across the hillside, past isolated houses to the bigger complex of Yew Tree Farm. Having climbed left out of the farmyard, arbitrarily selecting the left fork onto higher ground - very much at a walk - then descending fields to re-join the Dales way on a climbing c-road (again walking) and hence descending on the most direct route to the Staveley Mill Yard.

Conditions: 4C but some bright sun.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Hawkshead Red.

11km run in lower Kentmere

An 11km solitary run from the train.

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Staveley and running across the village to Barley Bridge, crossing the river and heading very slowly up Hall Lane, walking 0.5km of this. Continuing at a run onto the moorland and turning left across a wet field to reach the summit of the route. Then descending on very muddy ground through the HP Plantation (where recent felling has been replaced by already 6ft tall pine trees). Turning right along the road to the Hollingworth & Vose factory and the south past the pottery, then on very flooded track, to reach the quieter road on the west side of the Kent, but even there having to wade (just less than top of shoe height) across flooding at one point. Crossing at the bridge to run through Scroggs Farm, passing Barley Bridge and thus the footbridge into the Mill Yard.

Conditions: dry, high cloud an even a hint of sun. Very wet under foot.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Hawkshead WPA.

Circuit of Ennerdale Water

An 11.5km run on a cool grey day.

Route: parking in the free car park at Bleach Green and taking a path out to the east to bear left onto a track to the weir at the end of the lake. This time running clockwise, turning left on a mobility scooter-accessible track on gravel round the end of the lake, Near the Bowness Point car park turning left away from the lake slightly uphill to pass the car park and continue for about 2km along the forest road to the head of the lake. Taking the main bridge over Char Dub and staying on the track towards the trees, and then turn right through a hand gate across soggy fields to reach the other shore. For 2.5km proceeding slowly at an awkward lollop over treacherous rocks, roots and flooding eventually to rise up under Angler’s Crag before descending two rock chimneys for a final easier 1.5km of path back to the start.

Conditions: grey, low cloud, light breeze.

Pub: Fox and Hounds, Ennerdale Bridge, for Bowness Bay Swan Gold.

Balcony path under Burnbank Fell and Carling Knott

A nearly 9km run on a grey February day. 

Route: leaving the car at 11am at the layby near the phone box at Waterend (almost full by then on end-of-half term Sunday) and talking the path down across fields and up to Hudson Place, turning right to pass Jenkinson Place, slowly ascending a track onto the shoulder of the hillside. Taking a sharp left rising in the direction of Burnbank Fell but then left to descend on the obvious coffin route. After crossing Holme Beck, ignoring the left turn into the wood and continuing on the balcony path to its end, descending to and through High Nook Farm. Just after this, turning left through an unmarked hand gate to join a permissive path through fields to Watergate Farm and back along the lakeshore. Then rising uphill, at a walk, on a track and descending to the start - diverting before the gate to admire the renaturalised (rewiggled) Dub Beck. 

Conditions: dry with low cloud and rare hints of hazy sun - sections of path flooded and muddy in some places never flooded before.

Pub? The Kirkstile Inn car park being full, canned craft ale (Steam Brew, Sister Session IPA, from Lidl) back at the cottage.

Binsey run

An 8.5km run, walking (only some of) the ups (towards the end), on a day forecast for heavy rain.

Route: leaving the car parked by the road near Binsey Cottage and - confirming that, despite OS route suggestions, the desirable logical woodland outward track remains marked ‘PRIVATE - KEEP OUT’ - running along the road north to the outskirts of Ruthwaite and then west up to High Ireby where joining a bridleway first along a track and then over damp fields towards High Houses. Cutting the corner to turn left on a clearer track onto the shoulder, north of Binsey, and then, not strictly legally, veering left across two fields - marshy in places - to skirt to the left a subsidiary summit before reaching the scary gate, disturbing a magnificent hare as we went and watching him career round the marsh back to a place of safety. Finding said gate, for the second time, not actually locked and passing through it onto right-to-roam land. Walking up the final ascent to Binsey and then careering down a clear soft wide grassy track to the start, now Lois’ official favourite running descent.

Conditions: cloudy with increasing drizzle but no actual rain.

Pub: the Pheasant, Keswick, for the delightful surprise of a pint of Ringwoods Old Thumper.

Scout Scar 7.5km run

A first run on Scout Scar since September 2023.

Route: leaving the car at the standard Brigsteer Road parking space (SD 494 899) and walking to nearly the top of the escarpment and then running south west towards Helsington, turning right to run along a green path and then up Pook’s Peak (slowing to a walk) and along to the next gate on the left. Heading south, again, for 50m, to pick up a path right to reach - 200m later - the edge of the Scar, a little to the west of Dave’s Cairn and along to the Mushroom. Back to the trig point and then down the hill east to the main racecourse-Dave’s Cairn path but crossing it to join the Trippy Path. Walking uphill parallel to the wall to the Gate in the Corner and back to the start via the Spooky Building. 

Conditions: a partly cloudy but unexpectedly hot Sunday afternoon after a blustery weekend. 

Pub: Romneys for Agnes Ghost

High Rigg

A 9km run on a damp February day.

Route: leaving the car (in continuing light hail) at Rough How Bridge (limited to 2 hours but surely not enforced) and crossing the A591 to take the track to Shoulthwaite Farm, leading to a narrow path on the other side of the farmyard to join a forestry road crossing one of the c-roads from the dam. Then following a path past Smaithwaite to a bridge and thus to Bridge End Farm. Heading north on the A591 (to recross St John’s Beck) to a stile on the right and soon taking a smaller path left uphill, mainly walking, to reach Wren Crag and then following the main summit path, spurning some higher subsidiary summits and rising and falling eventually, 2km later, to reach the summit of High Rigg. Descending north though staying on the grass to the west for a little before joining the track. Just before the bottom, turning left on a grassy balcony path to descend to the road (heading south) and following this to a track and then to a path round the bottom of the fell to reach the start.

Conditions: waiting for initial hail to ease before starting but then a (largely) dry if cool (1C) February day.

Pub: the Coledale Inn, Braithwaite, for Corby Blonde and a light lunch.

Sale Fell with old Wythop Church

An almost 8km run on a February Tuesday.

Route: leaving the car on the road near St Margaret’s Church, Wythop, and running west along the road for a couple of kilometres to turn left at Wythop Mill to Brunston Bridge and then as far as Kelswick. Here continuing slightly downhill to see the remains of the old Wythop church before returning to Kelswick to follow a clear balcony path north and gently uphill, reaching the ridge end wall and turning right to walk up to the summit in the most direct line. Heading east to Rivings and Lothwaite and then descending on a large clear grassy path, sometimes slippy in mud, to the church and the start.

Conditions: 6C, grey with a cool breeze but dry.

Pub: the Pheasant Inn, Bassenthwaite, for Hawkshead Red.

Running circuit of Buttermere

A 7.5 km run, the longest since the previous November.

Route: leaving the car at the NT car park (free to members and largely empty on a stormy February Monday) and running past the Bridge Hotel and Allerdale Court Hotel to the lake and then via the footbridge 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 on the newly re-engineered path on the eastern shore, this time over rather than through the tunnel for fear of flooding. At the end of the lake, turning right at the fork to head directly to the village, Finding the Buttermere Court (née Fish) closed, going to the Bridge Hotel, open again after a month of being closed.

Conditions: a cool feeling 7C given light rain blown in a stiff wind, quite strongly against us on the return.

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

Castle How, Bassenthwaite

A tiny pre-lunch stroll with Janet Hornby (just before her birthday).

Route: leaving the car opposite the Pheasant Inn and walking south-east along the road, joining the next road and then taking a clear path on the left zigzagging up through trees to the summit for a view across the A66 and Bassenthwaite Lake to Armathwaite Hall. Descending to the south, slightly steeper over slippery exposed rock to a view of a landing stage for the lake (under the A66) and then turning right along a track to join the road back to the pub for a swift half. Then on to the Bassenthwaite Lake Station for lunch.

Conditions: a cool, cloudy February day, with a chill wind, following initial bright sun.

Pub: the Pheasant Inn, Dubwath, for Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold. Then lunch at the Bassenthwaite Lake Station.