6km Cockermouth Run

A 6km run, the third in a week of an informal ‘couch to several km’ programme after, for both of us, a period of illness-induced (Covid then cold etc) indolence. (For that reason, an Outdoor Day.)

Route: from the Rectory, running south on Lorton Road, then left on Strawberry How Road outside and round the cemetery to turn left onto the Sustrans route to reach the Greenway. Turning left and then right on a path over a subtle footbridge back to Sandybeck Way and then left on Horseshoe Drive to Bellbrigg Lonning and then along Slatefell Drive. Following this to the end and then along a path to a footbridge over Bitter Beck to join St Helen’s Street and head east, gradually gaining a bit of altitude before heading back left on Castlegate Drive and right on Beech Lane, climbing to the highest point of the run, and then descending via Isel Road to the Jennings Brewery. 

Then, taking the Waterloo footbridge to Waterloo Street, the footpath along the river and then running along the road to Aldi. Turning left to run most of the length of the Greenway entering the cemetery at the further gate and thence home.

Conditions: despite a forecast of rain, a dry grey day.

Pub? Much later Fyne Ales Jarl at the Bitter End

Ling Fell

A 3.5km stroll on a still, autumnal day.

Route: leaving the car by the side of the road at the entrance to Ling Fell near Eskin and climbing onto the fellside and uphill left to join a track rising gradually round the fell. At its eastmost point, turning sharp right on a gradually rising track heading anti-clockwise back round the fell. Following this, spurning two steeper paths left, until it ended in heather and only then, around 320m, turning left to the top. Then proceeding south-west to the wall and then downhill north-west across a slightly marshy patch before contouring right towards the corpse road and joining it to walk back round the north of the fell and down to the car.

Conditions: cloudy, misty and still

Pub: the Embleton Spa Hotel for Cumbrian Ales, Loweswater Gold.

High Rigg and the Keswick railway path

A 11.5km solitary walk (T, L having coffee with Sue B in Grasmere).

Route: hitching a lift from Lois as far as the south end of High Rigg near Bridge End Farm on the A591 (at St John’s Beck). Taking a gate by a broken stile on the right and soon taking a smaller path left uphill, 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 taking a path to the left, west, so as to avoid the steeper direct descent. Near the youth centre taking a path towards Low Rigg but finding the wall before the summit rebuilt, following the demands of conscience and turning aside to descend, crossing a marsh, to reach the main path, over a stile and then down past cows to Tewet Tarn. 

At the road turning left down the road to find a run-down permissive path to a damp tunnel under the A66, descending then to reach the Keswick railway path and heading left along it to Keswick and the Dog and Gun (later meeting Lois for a lift home).

Conditions: a cloudy misty day, seeming to exacerbate initial road noise from the A591.

Pub: Dog and Gun, Keswick, for Theakstons Old Peculier.

Stroll from Buttermere taking in the two tiny How summits

A tiny stroll on an unpromising, though dry, autumn Sunday but with warm sun slowly breaking through the cloud cover.

Route: leaving the car in the NT car park (full at noon on an unpromising October Sunday) and taking the path north-west through a gate to cross the clear gravel path and take merely a hint of path (for the first time) and then wandering left to ascend Long How with views of deer. Descending to the north of Long How to the lakeshore. 

Turning left to cross a footbridge and ascend Nether How, descending to the path round it, for once following the beach south west to its end for a different view up the lake, and returning to the path to walk beside the beck, passing the campsite and heading for the pub. After a pint and a visit to Sykes Farm to pick up ice cream, taking a path uphill parallel to Mill Beck to exit the woods on a stile to the left and then turn sharp left on a track to descend to the car park.

Conditions: low cloud shrouding the hills but with sun slowly burning through it for views of the summits.

Pub: an empty Buttermere Court Hotel (more people in the pub garden) for Tirril Honister Pale.

Loop from Broadgate Meadow to Forest Side

A 5km pre-prandial autumnal stroll from Grasmere with Ian W (L only, T in bed with lurgy)

Route: Leaving the car at Broadgate Meadow (£7.20 for 4 hours), and walking through the village to meet Ian outside the Grasmere Gingerbread shop. From there walking out of town, past the primary school, to the southern mini-roundabout and across to Town End to talk the diagonal road up past Dove Cottage. Turning onto the footpath (the start of the route up to Alcock Tarn) and climbing steadily up. 

Following the wide ascent path as it zigzags up north for less than half a kilometre and then leaving it to carry on, north, contouring under the fell, on a permissive path, emerging from trees to views across the village (no photo, sadly). 

Continuing northwards for another kilometre, in and out of trees, gently descending to look across the market garden, polytunnels and greenhouse at Forest Side, and walk round them, dropping down to the drive up to the main building. There turning right to return to the main road.

Doglegging right and left across the main road to take the footpath back to the village, bending due south across fields, until it reaches the Rothay and there crossing the footbridge to follow the river bending round and back and across another couple of footbridges to return to the car park.

Conditions: Dry, still and mild despite forecast rain but no sunshine.

Pub? Lucia’s Café, next to Fred Holdsworth’s bookshop, for soup, sandwich and coffees