A short, 3km, stroll up a tiny hillock and to the lake shore.
Route: leaving the car in the free car park for Powter How Wood in Thornthwaite and starting an anti-clockwise loop but almost immediately spotting a steep path to the left (north) uphill. Taking this, negotiating a few fallen trees, to an obvious summit ridge with a tiny cairn to mark the actual summit. Continuing on the path in the same northerly direction, slowly descending to meet the circular path at a modest shoulder and turning right to go round the woods. Then descending left to find an underpass under the A66 to the shore of Bassenthwaite.
Heading round the little headland and then north on a marshy and obviously recently flooded shoreline as far as the first stile left to join the path immediately alongside the A66 back to the underpass.
Experimenting by continuing along the lakeshore through two gates on what seemed a path but retreating in the face of increased marshiness and fallen trees (where to all practical purposes the route terminated). Returning to the underpass and turning right for a longer route back round the hillock to the carp ark.
Afterwards, walking a little along the road to view Swan House (the original Swan Hotel) and then down a track to a group of cottages, including Powter How B&B, turn left (north) along the path and then switch back left on the path going round Powter How to complete the circuit.
Conditions: cool and cloudy with a cold wind beside the lake.
Pub: the Coledale Inn, Braithwaite, for Corby Blonde and Keswick Thirst Run.
