Keswick railway path and Latrigg

A gentle 10km pootle on an early Autumn day.

Route: leaving the car in the B&B quarter in Keswick and crossing the footbridge into Upper Fitz Park to pick up the railway path and cycle track behind the sports centre (after watching one of the local rabbits clean its inside leg for some considerable time) and heading towards Threlkeld. Following the track along, spotting a couple of deer in the woods on the south side, to the first missing bridge (post-2016 floods) at NY 28849 24432 and then backtracking to follow a temporary footpath north to connect to a balcony path in Brundholme Woods with occasional views across the river. Trending upwards to join a road and following this east to meet a track doubling back to ascend Latrigg, leaving it to follow the edge and reach the summit. Steeply descending slippery grass and then leaves in the woods to join the Cumbria Way and thence back to Keswick.

Conditons: a mild and sunny day with lots of people out and about.

Pub: the Wainwright Inn, Keswick for Fell Brewery Tinderbox IPA and Ulverston Brewery Laughing Gravy.

Brackenthwaite How run

A 7km Sunday morning run.

Route: leaving the car at the telephone box near the Kirkstile Inn and running past the pub to pick up the track towards Mosedale and Mellbreak and following this up hill towards Mosedale (rather than taking the short cut left hand turn) and then back left along a level grassy path, descending to to Highpark Farm. Along grassy tracks towards the lake but turning left to circuit a mound clockwise and taking a short board walk and grassy track to reach the lake shore further east. Then round the lake to the boat house and uphill into the woods swinging left and then turning right to take a wall side path eventually climbing Brackenthwaite How. Descending west on Robin’s Steps to the National Trust car park and back along the road.

Conditions: windy with a threat of rain.

Pub: The Kirkstile Inn for Cumbrian Legendary Ales’ Loweswater Gold

Whiteside to Whiteless Pike

A 14km linear walk with a bus (Honister Rambler) return trip.

Route: from the cottage taking the Boonbeck road to Scales and then west before turning south on an improving track. At High Swinside Farm briefly joining the road to diverge onto a path to ford Hope Beck and then following along the intake wall on a wet but clear path under the Dodd and Penn. Having crossed Wythe Gill heading diagonally uphill, pathless through bracken following whatever sheep tracks came to hand (not many!). Eventually heading back to the gill and climbing briefly alongside it and then up the higher dry valley on steep tussocky bilberries and mosses to reach the col above Penn and then on to the summit of Whiteside. Then by summit ridge to Hopegill Head, Sand Hill, down to Coledale Hause and then up the enclosed scramble onto Eel Crag to Crag Hill. To Wandope and the down via Whiteless Pike with an hour in the pub before the bus was due (although in fact it was more than half an hour late allowing for ample chat with fellow bus travellers).

Conditons: initially warm and sunny, then cloud with hot sun returning from time to time at the end of the walk.

Pub: the Bridge Hotel, Buttermere for Coniston Bluebird, Mowdy Pale Ale and a pint of grapefruit and soda (!).

Winder and Arant Haw

An 8km walk with Derek, Naina, Jenny and Simone, Verity, Mark and Hudson B ‘Joss’ Hudson.

Route: leaving the car parked on the main road (A683/4) just short of the Spar and walking north on a footpath to reach Howgill Lane (meeting Verity and Mark). Walking through Lockbank Farm then dog-legging left and right again after about 50m to climb a very steep grassy hillside easing onto a diagonal path. Resisting the temptation to turn left for Winder until reaching a clear, ‘gentle’ path to the summit. Then along a marshy path on the saddle and uphill to Arant Haw. Descending the ridge on a fainter but still obvious path bending left at the bottom to cross a stream. Then heading pathless to try to stay higher than expected to contour round to reach the outward route by Lockbank Farm and back to the car, leaving Verity and Mark on the roadside where we found them.

Conditions: cloudy with sunny spells.

Pub: the Royal Barn, Kirkby Lonsdale for Kirkby Lonsdale Singletrack and a KL mild (not sure of the name).

Fairfield Horseshoe

A 19km walk on a wet day with Richard Gipps.

Route: Leaving the car in the Rydal Road Ambleside car park and walking past the Golden Rule to take the second left to High Sweden Bridge and then climbing indirectly onto the ridge via a lower path to skirt rocks on the ridge itself and then crossing the wall (for the first time) to take the less used path on its left hand side and avoid the obvious later bog to pass Low Pike, High Pike, Dove Crag, Hart Crag and Fairfield and then down past Great Rigg and Heron Pike. Back through the grounds of Rydal Hall.

Conditions: low cloud and intermittent rain but heavy rain only starting in the last half mile.

Pub: the Golden Rule, Ambleside, for Robinson’s Double Hop and a coke.

Braithwaite How

A tiny 2km pootle to explore a previously unexperienced view.

Route: leaving the car in the ex-quarry car park near the foot of the Whinlatter Pass and walking downhill to the Hope Memorial Camp (that day aka Kim's Love Shack) and joining a footpath heading north almost as far as the C-road. Backtracking past a gate and then taking a faint but discernible path left and uphill, through a gate, to join the ridge (with a private wood to the left/east) as far as what seemed to be the highest ground. Then on along the ridge losing height to reach the Hope Memorial Camp again, rejoin the road and return to the car.

Conditions: a dry and pleasant evening.

Pub: the Wainwright Inn, Keswick for Fell Brewery Tinderbox IPA.

Staveley 8km run

A short run after a heavy night in Clapham with Mark, Sandra and a bottle of calvados.

Route: exiting the Mill Yard over the footbridge and heading south east across fields to the sewage works and along the road to the track to Side House. Up the valley on road and track to Ghyll Bank turning left descending over fields to cross Hall Road. Here for the first time doglegging right-left (rather than left-right) to follow paths across fields to Low Elfhowe and then back along a track to Scroggs Farm and the footbridge to the Mill Yard. (Lois peeled off at Littlewood Farm to take the route directly over (near) Spy Crag to Barley Bridge, with a little detour to explore just south of the path.)

Conditions: a dry although cloudy day.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley for lunch, WPA and Session IPA.