A spontaneous 7km late-afternoon stroll on a sunny late-September day. Route: from the Rectory, heading into the cemetery and round it to reach the gate onto the Sustrans route and then left along the Greenway and right across Bitter Beck to Casshow Way. At the end of the road, left along an informal path slightly uphill to a sign pointing right to Slate Fell. Then across fields, slowly uphill, eventually going left through a gate into the adjacent field and taking in the second, subsidiary summit to the north before crossing a stile and heading up the real summit.
Then back along the outward path to turn right at a stile across a muddy field to reach a farm track to turn left onto St Helen’s Street and then right on the path to the sports centre, with a brief visit (the first for T) to the mound where Tute Hill Castle once stood. Then down Brewery Lane to the Jennings Brewery for a pint and back home afterwards.
Conditions: after a cool start to the day, a sunny day and warm enough to drink outside at the brewery.
Pub: the Jennings Brewery Tap for Jennings Sneck Lifter (tasting delicious).