Whinlatter Pass visitor centre and back

A 16km walk on roads and forest tracks on a dismal day.

Route: leaving the cottage and taking the road past Boonbeck up to near Swinside Houses. Then taking the forestry track (route of the C2C cycle route) to just past the top of Whinlatter for a coffee at the Whinlatter Visitor Centre. Then taking the green waymarked walking route (‘Seat How summit trail’) through trees to join a forestry track near Comb Plantation. Following this up and over a high point near Tarbarrel Moss and following this down under Ullister Hill into the valley of Aiken Beck and down to Darling How. Joining the main road down to Lorton but detouring to the pub and then home over the fields.

Conditions: low cloud and later heavy rain and wind.

Pub: the Wheatsheaf, Lorton, for Jennings Sneck Lifter.

Wansfell and Wansfell Pike from Troutbeck

An arduous near 10km solitary run.

Route: leaving the car on the top road in Troutbeck and running north to find Nanny Lane, the walled track ascending onto the fellside. Running up this very slowly until it levels and then on in very marshy conditions. Ignoring the left turn to Wansfell Pike and staying on the road to a bend and stream where the path becomes drier. Towards the end, climbing a stile to the left to find a clear grassy path, again very marshy, initially by the road but later diverging left and becoming steeper (resulting in 50 yards of walking) to reach the small cairn of the summit. Then on an undulating path along the summit, sometimes very wet, to reach Wansell Pike. Then descending to the observatory and then first missing but backtracking to take a woodland short cut to find Robin Lane, the main track looping round the bottom of the fell to Troutbeck. Running this seems quite uphill for a couple of kilometers.

Conditions: low cloud and mist.

Pub: the Riflemans, Kendal, joined by Lois for Greene King Abbot Ale.

Bredon Hill from Elmley Castle

A bracing, muddy walk with Steve, Kathryn, Tom and Alex.

Route: Leaving the car outside the Queen Elizabeth pub and taking Hill Lane to a short-cut footpath across a field re-joining Hill Lane to Hill House Farm and then up a small wooded track and through a gate into an open field. At a fork taking the right hand track up the hill as far as a flat field where taking a track to the left doubling back, muddy under foot. Eventually reaching a gate into a wood and following a track up through this. Beyond the wood crossing a lateral track and climbing onto a grassy high point (not really a summit) and spotting a herd of deer sheltering in a hollow before descending a grassy field to Lalu Farm. Turning hard right to follow a stony track towards the western end of the hill to reach raised grass covered earthworks and moats, and a Tower. Keeping a stone wall on the left hand side to continue along the ridge for about 100m and then descending a broad muddy track eventually back to the start.

Conditions: cold and damp with low cloud and some snow and hail.

Pub: The Queen Elizabeth, Elmley Castle for Wye Valley Bitter and Same Again.

Brackenthwaite Hows

A 6km run taking in the Victorian viewpoint.

Route: leaving the car at the NT Lanthwaite car park and approaching the lake heading - mistakenly - on the higher path towards Lanthwaite Green Farm but turning off to descend to the boathouse. Then along the lake shore until reaching a path sloping gradually up to the road. Here almost doubling back on a path just inside the wall by the road to High Wood. Then following the road past Lanthwaite Gate to take a walled green track past private ground until a route appeared in the woods up onto the sparser ground of Brackenthwaite Hows. Descending a small ridge to find Robin’s Steps and thence back left and right to the start.

Conditions: cloudy with some shafts of sun and one short shower on the top.

Pub: The Bridge Hotel, Buttermere, for Tractor Shed Mowdy Pale Ale

Loweswater fells

A substantial 15km walk on marshy ground on a winter day with varied weather.

Route: leaving the car at Maggie’s Bridge and taking the track past High Nook Farm to what seems to be a continuation of the coffin route over a shoulder to the next valley with views down on Whiteoak Beck. Shortly before the grassy track ran out (and already partly overtaken by marsh) heading down to cross the two feeder streams for the beck and climbing just above marshes to a sheep track towards the head of the valley. At a fence turning left uphill and then onto the ridge and heading north to the summit of Hen Comb. Returning down the ridge to pick up a track towards Floutern Tarn and then heading pathless up Floutern Cop. Then along a fence line on a marshy path to Gavel Fell and then drier to Blake Fell. Slowly descending on very marshy path to Burnbank Fell and descending steeply north east to pick up the coffin trail and back through the woods to the start.

Route: cloudy with later warm sunny spells and a very short hail shower.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater for Loweswater Gold.

Kentmere 15km run

A 15km solitary run to cut through a Burns Night hangover.

Route: from the (rail replacement) bus stop taking Silver Street to Barley Bridge to cross the river and run up Hall Lane, in the valley adjacent to Kentmere, until the road becomes a track. Turning left on a signed footpath to cross wet and muddy fields with views of snow-covered hills and join the green track down to the road by Calflay Wood. Then along to Kentmere Hall to take the lower footpath (muddy in places) along the side of the valley a little above Kentmere Tarn, past the factory and on a narrow path to reach the bridleway which descends from the moors. Along the quiet road on the west side of the river to the bridge and then taking the bridleway back to Staveley.

Conditions: cool and cloudy.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery Beer Hall, Staveley Cumbrian Five Hops joined by Lois and Caroline for lunch.

Fellbarrow and Low Fell

A 12km wintry run with Ian Lyne.

Route: from the cottage to Low Lorton, across the river and rising past Low Bank Farm and High Bank on a tracking rising onto the shoulder of the hill. Taking a track south at first muddy and then grassy to reach open access land. Then steeply uphill to reach Hatteringill Head and descending and ascending to reach Fellbarrow. Keeping to the (undulating) summit ridge to Low Fell and then descending into the comb to the south. Following a sheep track becoming a clear - perhaps ex-tram - track to reach a partially tarmac track down to the road and thence to the Kirkstile Inn.

Conditions: cold and cloudy with frozen ground but little ice.

Pub: the Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Langdale, Esthwaite Bitter and Loweswater Gold and lunch, joined by Lois.