High Rigg

A little 3.5km stroll with Pete Taylor.

Route: leaving the car in the church parking at St John’s in the Vale and heading west along the road 200m to turn left  gently uphill and then, after 20m, bend right to track round the fell, turning more steeply left uphill in a gorge once west of the memorial stone marked on the OS map. Continuing along an undulating path south to reach the 343m subsidiary summit. Turning back along obvious paths to reach the main summit, descending back to the start on a clear zig-zag path.

Conditions: initial sun though a cold breeze on the summit plateau.

Pub: an empty Ravenstone Manor Hotel for Corby Blonde, Birra Moretti and a delicious sandwich lunch.

Watch Hill

A short 6km run on a day with a cold easterly wind.

Route: leaving the car at GR 137312 at a lay-by at the intersection of the Cockermouth to Embleton road with the road to Setmurthy Common and taking the hand gate to a clear path running slowly uphill for about 1km towards Watch Hill though slowing to a walk for the final 500m. Bending left on the marked path to enter the woods and taking the righter of two forks to follow a path in a clear part of the woods until it descends to a rough forest road. Following this east to a small path on the right through older deciduous trees (with no leaves in March), gaining ground to the summit tree-free. From here on a lower path to the end of the ridge and the spot named ‘Watch Hill’ overlooking Cockermouth. Then running downhill back to the road and thus the car. 

Conditions: 6C and a cold wind. 

Pub: the Swan Inn, Cockermouth, for Hobgoblin Gold.

Scout Scar 5km

A mid-week 5km run on Scout Scar.

Route: leaving the car at the racecourse, for once, and crossing it to reach the main path, diagonally left, following it gently uphill, through a hand-gate and diverting left on the ‘trippy path’. Walking uphill parallel with the wall and then continuing south at a run, downhill to pick up the familiar path to the right crossing over to the cliff and heading north, taking a slight right turn to gain altitude and then ascend to the trig point. Continuing north through the gap in the wall to another hand-gate and turning right to descend this to the other, farm-track, entrance to the Scar and back 100m along the road to the start.

Conditions: an initially chilly feeling 8C but quickly hot because of both running and some sun.

Pub? L needing to study, a bottle of cider back home.

Circuit of Swinside

A 9km run round Swinside.

Route: leaving the car opposite the Coledale Inn and descending to the centre of the village by a footpath and then along the B5292 to cross the A66 onto the older road to Newlands Beck Bridge. Turning left on an unclear and muddy path round the remains of a wall and then through a gate onto a track back down to the A66. Dog-legging left-right to take the road into Portinscale but turning right onto a private road past substantial houses to rejoin the c-road and then take - for the first time - the Cumbria Way rising across Fawe Park and then on the familiar path to reach and turn right on the drive of Hawse End Outdoor Centre. Taking the c-road past the closed Swinside Inn and right onto a path descending to Newlands Beck. Finding the beck-side path closed (the bank being in a dangerous state), crossing the beck and rising past Uzzicar to the road under Barrow and then taking the initially rising diagonal footpath down to Braithwaite Lodge, down its track and then back to the start.

Conditions: 4C but some sun.

Pub: the Coledale Inn for Corby Blonde.

Windermere to Staveley: Variant off the Dales Way

A solitary 12 km jog/run (quite a bit of pausing to read the map and walking up hills) with some novelty.

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Windermere and exiting te station for once down hill on roads: turning left onto Cross St, Orrest Drive, Droomer Drive, Droomer Lane and then turning right down a paved minor road to reach the obvious edge of town path. Unusually, turning right on this and then continuing along it spurning all temptation to turn left and climb School Knott. Leaving the town on a broad stony track and climbing, eventually turning left on a path now marked as the Dales Way. 

Following this familiar route to Hag End, Outrun Nook and Crag House. But, here, leaving the Dales Way to turn right in a marshy valley, crossing the stream on a foot bridge and then continuing almost due south on improving tracks. To minimise use of the pedestrian-unfriendly B5284, continuing over the road onto a c-road before turning left on a muddy path across a field to rejoin the B5284 for 100m. Taking the next left and gaining ground across fields and then tracking laterally across the hillside, past isolated houses to the bigger complex of Yew Tree Farm. Having climbed left out of the farmyard, arbitrarily selecting the left fork onto higher ground - very much at a walk - then descending fields to re-join the Dales way on a climbing c-road (again walking) and hence descending on the most direct route to the Staveley Mill Yard.

Conditions: 4C but some bright sun.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Hawkshead Red.

11km run in lower Kentmere

An 11km solitary run from the train.

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Staveley and running across the village to Barley Bridge, crossing the river and heading very slowly up Hall Lane, walking 0.5km of this. Continuing at a run onto the moorland and turning left across a wet field to reach the summit of the route. Then descending on very muddy ground through the HP Plantation (where recent felling has been replaced by already 6ft tall pine trees). Turning right along the road to the Hollingworth & Vose factory and the south past the pottery, then on very flooded track, to reach the quieter road on the west side of the Kent, but even there having to wade (just less than top of shoe height) across flooding at one point. Crossing at the bridge to run through Scroggs Farm, passing Barley Bridge and thus the footbridge into the Mill Yard.

Conditions: dry, high cloud an even a hint of sun. Very wet under foot.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Hawkshead WPA.

Circuit of Ennerdale Water

An 11.5km run on a cool grey day.

Route: parking in the free car park at Bleach Green and taking a path out to the east to bear left onto a track to the weir at the end of the lake. This time running clockwise, turning left on a mobility scooter-accessible track on gravel round the end of the lake, Near the Bowness Point car park turning left away from the lake slightly uphill to pass the car park and continue for about 2km along the forest road to the head of the lake. Taking the main bridge over Char Dub and staying on the track towards the trees, and then turn right through a hand gate across soggy fields to reach the other shore. For 2.5km proceeding slowly at an awkward lollop over treacherous rocks, roots and flooding eventually to rise up under Angler’s Crag before descending two rock chimneys for a final easier 1.5km of path back to the start.

Conditions: grey, low cloud, light breeze.

Pub: Fox and Hounds, Ennerdale Bridge, for Bowness Bay Swan Gold.