Pike o' Blisco

A wintry walk with Ian and Steve (no Lois).

Route: leaving the car at the New Dungeon Ghyll National Trust car park (free for members) and taking a muddy path along fields parallel to the river as far as the Old Dungeon Ghyll and then along the road to the campsite and thence up the new-ish zig-zagging engineered path underneath Side Pike to the top of the road pass. Crossing the road and taking a path contouring round the hill to the right and gaining height gradually to meet a path coming more steeply up from lower down the road. Following as it became a paved path into snow to reach the shoulder of Pike o' Blisco. Then through deeper snow, navigating a rock chimney to gain the rocky summit with views over to Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell. Descending a snowy path to Red Tarn and then the clear gravel path over Brown Howe becoming a steep pitched path down to Oxendale, through the farm at Stool End and to the Old Dungeon Ghyll for a beer (or two). Then back along the road to the car.

Conditions: Earlier sun giving way to a cloudy day with a couple of rain showers and a snow shower at the top. Snow under foot at altitude (~400m).

Pub: the Old Dungeon Ghyll for Theakston Old Peculiar.

Silver Howe

A short 8km walk on a beautifully sunny but bitterly cold day.

Route: leaving the car in the Broadgate Road car park in Grasmere and taking the road (parallel to Easedale Road) towards Allan Bank. Just before it, taking a signed tarmac path round it to the right, becoming a stony track. Following this up a gentle rather indistinct spur of hillside, taking a fork left to cross Wray Gill (OS Grid Ref: NY 32450 07199) a little after an obvious ravine to the left. From the summit, descending south onto a hillocky moorland over Spedding Crag and Dow Bank heading south east. Descending to an obvious lateral path, a bit before the road, near Hammerscar Wood and taking the walled bridleway back to the road and hence the start.

Conditions: bright sun but a bitterly cold northerly wind.

Pub: beforehand, Tweedies Bar for Ilkley Rombald and Fell Bantam. Afterwards, tea and cheese scones in a café on Red Lion Square.

Bell Crags and Ullscarf

A fair 12km walk on a grey autumnal day.

Route: leaving the car (free at the moment to make amends for the tardy repairs post Storm Desmond) at Dobgill car park and heading north along the road. Initially missing the relevant left turn (looking for a missing stile) but back-tracking to find a steep path heading up past Bank Crags to Brown Rigg. Initially biasing to the north / right but correcting to hit the intervening points of higher ground to reach the summit of Bell Crags. Heading south west downhill to find a path parallel to to a fence across a marsh, luckily partly frozen. Climbing up to the left behind Standing Crag and turning right uphill again to follow the fence before turning left on a marshy path to reach the summit. Descending, pathless, initially a little too far from the edge (ie. too far north) but eventually approaching Nab Crags, past the fine Beacon cairn and then over Birk Crag to Harrop Tarn and down the path to Dobgill car park.

Conditions: cool and over partly frozen marshy ground higher up. A grey day.

Pub: Tweedies Bar, Grasmere for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Loweswater Gold and Brew York Big Eagle IPA.

Carl Side, via Southerndale and the Dodd

A surprisingly arduous 15km walk on a fine, sunny Autumn day.

Route: unable to reach the Dodd Wood car park because of the closure of the A591, parking instead at Dancing Gate and taking a steep muddy forest track (much evidence of use) uphill to find a faint path marked with yellow paint on trees to reach a clearer track coming up from the road and hence reaching a broad muddy forest road leading to a marked route to the Dodd Wood car park. Then joining a clear path north through the woods breaking out of the trees to mount the ridge at Watches and descend to cross the stream. Then taking a grassy track / path to the head of Southerndale and climbing steeply and pathless to the col and on to the summit of Carl Side. Descending as far as White Stones to turn right on a clear lateral path and then heading down hill at a white cairn. Crossing a forestry road at a stile and then taking a track and then well made gravel path leading eventually to the summit. Retracing the route to the stile and continuing 600m down it to where, a year before, there had been a grassy track behind a wooden hut. Now a large muddy track through felled forest led on with no sign of the previous silvern path down-hill. So picking a route through felled trees, across deep but dry mud and using mats of confer branches eventually to exit forestry operations emerging onto the hillside and down to the road close to Millbeck, turning right back to the car.

Conditons: a bright cool sunny day.

Pub: Middle Ruddings, Braithwaite for ** and Barngates Tag Lag but also a free tasting of 7 other beers left over from the Middle Ruddings beer festival which had just finished.

13 km circuit of Spy Crag and Millrigg Knott

An arduous solitary run in poor conditions.

Route: leaving the Staveley Mill Yard via the foot bridge over the River Kent and taking the muddy path over south east field in the direction of the sewage works. Turning right along the road and then left 400 yards later on a steep drive before crossing a stream below a small waterfall at Side House and rising gently onto the edge of the fellside. Then turning left through Birk Field farm to join the minor road north and following this up the valley on road and track to Ghyll Bank, turning left descending over fields to turn right onto Hall Lane. Gradually gaining altitude again on a stony track diverting onto sodden fields where the bridge over Hall Beck had been removed. At this point the rain and wind rendered sight through spectacles impossible and so shuffling on across marshy paths peering over the spectacles. Taking a grassy path first rising and then descending, and becoming rough under foot and then a stream, through the HP Plantation. A tree having fallen across a gate, climbing a fence and through the fallen tree to regain the path. Back and faster along the road to Ullthwaite Bridge and then, insanely by flooded track and then a quiet road to recross the river at Scroggs Bridge. Along a path to join the start of Hall lane and then back to the footbridge into the Mill Yard.

Conditions: cloudy with wind and rain on higher ground. Sodden under foot.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley joined by Lois for lunch and for Hawkshead WPA and NZPA.

King's How

A short walk on a dark but pleasant autumnal Sunday.

Route: Leaving the car at the NT car park for the Bowder Stone and following a sign to it down towards the road and then on a well-made path to the Stone. Proceeding on a quarry track down to the road and along it to a sign and stile on the left. Taking a faint waterlogged path trending upwards and eventually left to climb a faint ridge before heading slightly right to reach a vague saddle. After a 200m taking a path back left to gain the ridge to the summit of King’s How. Onwards, descending a muddy stony path which sometimes became obscured in bracken eventually joining a well-made pitched path slippery with slime and damp leaves and picking our way slowly down to reach the saddle at Brock Bield. Turning left to climb gently before descending towards the road but taking a left-hand path back to the start.

Conditions: dark and cloudy but unseasonably warm.

Pub: the Scafell Hotel, Rosthwaite for Jennings Sneck Lifter.

Staveley 8km run

A short 7.5km run on a surprisingly sunny autumn Sunday.

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 but turning left after the initial steep section to follow first a road and then a walled track through woods to reach the junction (at SD 48257 98851). Up the valley on road and track to Ghyll Bank turning left descending over fields to cross Hall Road. Here, for the second time, doglegging right-left (rather than left-right) to follow paths across fields (including a surprising uphill section) to Low Elfhowe and then back along a track to Scroggs Farm and the footbridge to the Mill Yard. (Lois again peeled off at Littlewood Farm to take the route directly over (near) Spy Crag to Barley Bridge, turning left below the route to run across fields above the Barley Bridge road and cut down to a farm gate, just opposite the footpath entrance to the Mill Yard.)

Conditions: a dry sunny day though very wet under foot.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley for lunch, WPA and Cumbrian Five Hop.