26 March 2024

Windermere to Staveley via Sallows run

A 17km solitary jog: on reflection, too far at this stage.

Route: taking the 9:32am train to Windermere and then the Orrest Head path but keeping left and level towards Elleray Bank. After 1km, taking the second right turn in woods (marked St Haggs Wood), gently uphill across fields before turning along a woodland path to a c-road. Doglegging left-right past Crosses Farm, to follow a track / line on a field to Far Orrest and then rather a complicated junction to continue underneath Allen Knott (not that this was noticeable) to dogleg right-left across another (this time, familiar) c-road onto Longmire Road. This becoming a stony track after a while, continuing often at a walk on some of the uphills to a junction of stony tracks. Trending right to join the Garburn Road and continuing, at a disappointing walk on all uphill sections, to Garburn Nook and the via a stile and again at a walk up steep marshy paths to the summit of Sallows.

Descending more happily and with a bit of speed towards Scour Rigg and crossing between the hillocks to find a path (after a bit of indecision) heading south-east, reaching a locked gate with a climbable bit of wooden fencing. Then heading almost due south along a rough wide ridge to descend surprisingly close to the familiar moorland path from Kentmere Village to the junction at the start of the Three Rivers path. Descending the latter to Ulthwaite Bridge and taking the riverside track - less flooded than the month before - and the bypass path round Bowfoot to reach the less used valley c-road. Following this to Scroggs Bridge, by now sometimes walking the slightest of uphill gradients and spurning the usual Scroggs Farm path (such was the level of fatigue) to stick with the slightly more direct main road and thus gain the Mill Yard uncharacteristically by its front entrance.

Conditions: some hazy sun; poor views; very wet under foot, still. 

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Downtime Easy Drinking IPA.

24 March 2024

Run around Ling Fell and then over Lothwaite and Rivings

An 11km run on a lovely sunny.

Route: leaving the car near the old school at Wythop Mill and running west on the road to join Green Lonning. Near the end, popping into the field to the left so as to keep the altitude and heading south east parallel with Tom Rudd Beck, thus circling Ling Fell. Descending more rapidly to the ‘entrance’ to Ling Fell and taking the higher road east to the end of the hanging valley, turning left and then climbing steeply up onto Lothwaite at a walk at its east end. Then running over Lothwaite, and Rivings. Descending (ignoring the summit of Sale Fell) but having to backtrack to the saddle finding the gate marked on the map impassable. Then continuing parallel to the wall to Kelswick, down the road, walking a final road-ascent, and descending to the car. 

Conditions: warm when running in the sun.

Pub: the Pheasant Inn, Bassenthwaite, for Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold.

22 March 2024

Staveley 8km run

A solitary 8km run on a bright cool Friday.

Route: taking the delayed 10:21am train to Staveley and running along the Banks to the main road and to the start of the Dales Way path southwards. At the first path junction, bending right along a narrow muddy track to a final stile into a field. Here forgetting to try to turn left on the right of way and instead proceeding on the familiar, intuitive, but not strictly right-of-way, route uphill towards Cragg Farm. Here diverging again from the proper path to take in the miniature rocky 140m summit to the south. Returning to the path and descending to turn left past Cowan Head (again on semi-submerged paths) to cross Hagg Bridge and to continue in the woods north as far as possible. Thus having to backtrack to reach the track to Side House and again sticking to the path to the left of the stream to Frost Hole and then on, walking, uphill. Taking a left turn into an as-yet-pathless Mike’s Wood and finding a way through this and Dorothy Farrer’s Wood to the road. Doglegging left-right to reach the sewage works and follow paths across fields to the Mill Yard.

Conditions: a cold breeze though warm, when running, in the sun.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley for Downtime Easy Drinking IPA.

17 March 2024

Cockermouth 'Two Rivers' 8km run

An 8km run based on a route suggested by Vivienne Crow.

Route: leaving the car in the Kirkgate Centre (free for 3 hours disc parking) and crossing Kirkgate into the car park to reach the River Cocker, turn left and then cross on the footbridge (Quaker Bridge) to follow the waterside lane further up hill. Having passed under the road bridge, taking the steep steps to the right and turning left on the railway path, continuing under Lorton Road and along to the left of the cemetery. Turning right along Sustans Route 71 but, where it turns left, taking a hand gate into the cemetery heading roughly straight until eventually bending left to pass under the archway to exit onto Lorton Road doglegging right-left onto Vicarage Lane. 

At the end, turning right and descending but foolishly missing the right-left turn to descend to the intended riverbank path and instead carrying on through the housing estate to reach the Double Mills footbridge directly. Crossing this and turning sharp right into Harris Park taking the leftmost of a three-way fork and then right to traverse a level terrace through trees before bending left to exit the park onto a short street, turning right to descend the main road and bend left at traffic lights onto Gallowbarrow. 

Taking the road on the right of Wordsworth House - Bridge Street - to cross the footbridge and then sharp right to follow the river with views of the castle to a stile onto a field. Round this anti-clockwise to another stile then turning left back onto a right-of-way along a track and then roads to emerge at the Memorial Gardens car park. Back over the footbridge and turning right round Wordsworth House, right again to find the riverside footpath. Along this to emerge by Number 1 Waterloo St and then left over another footbridge to Brewery Lane. Diverting from Viv Crow’s route by ascending the hill and turning left to take the path through the swimming pool grounds emerging on St Helen’s Street. Failing to find a marked but non-existent footpath at the start of Waste Lane so continuing to near number 62 St Helen’s St to a footbridge over Bitter Beck and thus back to the start.

Conditions: initially cloudy but dry and then drizzle by the end.

Pub: the Swan for Bombardier Gold.

16 March 2024

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.

9 March 2024

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.

5 March 2024

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.