An impromptu 9km train-hop-style walk back to Kendal after a pre-Christmas lunch with Catherine (Dixon) at the Eagle and Child, Staveley.Route: from the pub, walking south along the road and taking the left turn onto the muddy path of the Dales Way. At the Y-junction, turning right along another muddy, hedged track to a stile and then, for the first time, staying left across a field uphill on the right of way to Cragg Farm. Detouring to explore the small summit rocks and then continuing down to Cowan Head and then, on the Dales Way, by driveway and track, to Bowston. Here crossing the river to continue on the Dales Way on the east side, looping round the Croppers factory complex over the main road and across a level-crossing.
Turning left across sodden, muddy fields to the outskirts of Kendal and across the Hallgarth estate to a footpath uphill to the right of St Thomas’s primary school, down across Kendal Green and down along Caroline Street to the New Union for a beer. Thence to the bus station to take the 41 bus home (around 5:15pm).
Conditions: after a stormy morning, a dry, still second half to the afternoon, dropping dark by the end of the walk.
Pub: after lunch at the Eagle and Child with Catherine (Loweswater Gold and Barngates Goodhew’s Dry Stout), the New Union, Kendal for Barngates Tag Lag.
