Ivanhoe Way Day 2 Measham to Lount

Date 06 August 2011
Area :Leicestershire

Walk : Ivanhoe Way Day 2

Start At : Measham

End At : Lount

OS Sheet : Explorer 245

Start Grid : SK3347 1209

End Grid : SK3994 1847

Distance (M/k) : 12.9 / 20.7

Ascent (ft) : 764

Descent (ft) : 718

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

The Ivanhoe Walk is clearly marked on the map. Leaving the car park in the middle of Measham walk down the High Street picking up the track to Donisthorpe and follow the Ivanhoe Way through Moria, Ashby De La Zouch and on to Heath End where we went off route to Staunton Harold Hall up to the B587 and along the road to the car park at the New Lount Nature Reserve.

Journey

What a difference a week makes, the first third of our three sections walk around the Ivanhoe Round, last week, was a very rural walk with big fields and long views. In this second section we seemed to spend a lot of the walk plodding between two lines of trees with few chances to see much beyond them. This was a great shame, as what we could see was attractive. I am definitely not advocating mass tree removal, but the occasional glimpse to the countryside would be nice.

Large parts of the walk are in the old Leicestershire Coalfields, as well as the New National Forest. At the end of the rail path we entered an area of new woodland covering what was the old spoil heaps and lagoons of Donisthorpe Colliery. Having seen several old pit sites in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire before reclamation I am well aware of how awful some of these areas were. Now to see the new young woodland where so much mess existed is truly wonderful.

I have to say, I was never a supporter of the pit closures and despite the very obvious and wonderful improvements to the scenery and the atmosphere I cannot help but  feel that the closure of all those pits was at best premature, at worst unnecessary.

Having read the notice boards at the entrance to the Donisthorpe Woodland Park, together with the very detailed descriptions from the web pages of another walker, Matthew, I know that the the reclamation of this area was a mammoth piece of work with several major muck shifts, engineering works, new footpaths and much planting. Its impressive.

From Donisthorpe we went on along the way, turned a corner and stepped into a super little area containing a land locked section of the Ashby Canal, the remains of the Moira Furnace, a bank of restored Lime Kilns and a Museum all set in a very pleasant area of open grass land, almost a park, it was busy and attractive. On the canal tow path we saw a short black post which I assumed was an old mile marker for the canal. Only, on stopping we could see it marked the Mine, the seams worked and their depth below where we stood, it made us think.

We will have to come back here and have a good look around and hopefully take some better photographs than on this fleeting visit.

Crossing the canal we walked down the towpath, across the road and into a short section of woodland coming out in Moira, where the railway passes under the Ashby Road and walked towards Norris Hill. Eventually, we turned south off the Ashby Road and into an area of new woodland, which had sheep in it, before we trundled over the fields to the outskirts of Ashby De La Zouch.

The walk down into Ashby was fine and quickly the town centre came into view. It was noticeable that after the quiet of the countryside just how noisy the place was. On this stretch as thoughts of lunch loomed, I realised that although I had packed the food and brew kit in my rucksack, I’d forgotten to pack the coffee and milk. Black looks and hard words were duly received.

A plan was hatched, we would stay on the main road through Ashby, missing out the backside of the industrial estate, stop off at Tescos, for elevenses and I could do the necessary shopping.


Refreshed and provisioned, we did a bit of map jiggling and were quickly back on course, from here it was a lovely walk through new woodland and open fields passing Old Parks Farm. We eventually stopped for lunch sitting by the side of the path. When, just as the water boiled and I was juggling cups and hot water pot, spoon and sandwich, the only walkers we saw all day stopped to chat.

Reaching Heath End we left the Ivanhoe Way and swung right, south east, toward Staunton Harold Hall with its garden centre, tea room, art galleries toilets etc. had a look around and a spent few minutes sitting in the sun, out of the breeze, eating ice cream.

We walked on through the estate from Staunton Harold Hall to the road junction on the B587, north of Lount where we passed under the A42 into Melbourne Road and along to the car park at the New Lount Nature Reserve where we had parked my car on our way to Measham that morning.

Ivanhoe Way Day 1 Bardon to Measham

Date : 29 July 2011

Area : Leicestershire
Walk : Ivanhoe Walk Day 1

Start At : Stanton under Bardon

End At : Measham

OS Sheet : Explorer 245

Start Grid : SK4688 1115

End Grid:  SK3347 1209  

Distance (M/k): 13.3 / 21.3
Ascent (ft): 429

Descent (ft): 762

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

The Ivanhoe Walk is clearly marked on the map. From the small car park to the north of Stanton under Bardon walk south to Bagworth, east to Nailstone, Odstone, Shackerston then north west to Snarestone and north to Measham.

Journey

This was a walk like no other I’ve ever done; miles of fields, almost no roads, no woodland, a handful of small, picturesque villages, no hills to speak of just slight rises and falls in the landscape with long gentle slopes. The most prominent features were the lines of electricity pylons and the steeple of Nailstone Church.

The way marking was excellent, clear and well placed, often indicating the name of the village it was pointing to and sometimes the distance. In thirteen miles we saw no walkers, two cyclists and two horse riders and in all this ruralness we only walked across two cow fields, one horse field and one sheep field. We counted 12 different crops growing, walked under two railway bridges and over two canal bridges, saw a number of moored canal boats plus one chugging quietly along and saw bits and pieces of farm machinery churning away in the distance. Naturally there were an inordinate number of stiles and gates to negotiate, and several little plank bridges to cross.

The very fact that we have retained these statistics marks this out as a boring walk, far from it, to our own amazement we were never bored, although the frequent long straight lines of the paths and tracks did get a little tedious. However, there was plenty of interest along the way, the crops, a building in the distance, a glimpse of a lake, seeing a bridge, birds, wild flowers and smoke on the horizon, the villages and the houses in them.

All this was contained within what we could see, as the dullness of the day made the far distance obscure so that, throughout the morning, as we walked across the higher land our views were limited to about two miles. This limited horizon coupled with the straight lines and relatively uniform slopes of the large fields created, a sensation we both experienced, where everything we could see appeared to be a very long way away. I guess that’s how walking in a desert might feel, it was certainly odd.  

This walk is on part of the Ivanhoe Way a walk that encircles an area of South Leicestershire. The Ivanhoe Way is 35 miles long, the official/start finish is I believe in Ashby De La Zouch, but I guess you can start anywhere and walk it in either direction. Because this bit looked flat and boring, in comparison to the rest, we decided to do this bit first. We parked one car in Measham then drove the other to the small car park just above Stanton under Barden and headed south.

While we saw several pubs on the way round we did not see any shops so if you need to take food and drink with you. As I've said the route is well signed, however between Bagworth and Shackerston it shares signs with the Leicestershire Round with the LC seeming to take precedent.

The Ivanhoe Way routing from the Ashby Canal outside Shackerston to Snarestone was a bit of a let down with a long road section and some scruffy fields. Should I walk this bit again I would stay on the canal as far as Snarestone and then possibly further to avoid the nasty walk along the busy B4116 from Snarestone to Measham and the poor walk around the perimeter of Hansons Brickworks on a narrow concrete path with speed humps every few hundred yards, after 13 miles I was tired and managed to trip on a good few of the humps.

We are now planning the Measham to Calke Abbey or a bit further section of the Ivanhoe Way.

Ambergate, Cromford, Alderwasley and Shining Cliff

Date: 23 July 2011
Area: Peaks, South of Matlock
Distance: 12.6 Miles 20.3 k

Start Location: Ambergate Railway Station

OS Sheet: Explorer OL24

Grid Ref: SK 3490 5160

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

From the Station car park head down the approach road, left under the bridge to the A6 turn right, North, take the first footpath on the right and up on to the canal towpath all the way to Cromford Wharf.

Turn left up the road to the A6 turn left, South, on right take Intake Lane uphill passing beneath the High Peak Trail to join the Midshires Way heading south through Alderwasley and into Shining Cliff Woods at Typeclose Plantation. Turn left, East, taking the path past the old YH and down to the Wireworks at Hurst Mills. Turn right through the Mills to the lane turn left over the River Derwent, to the A6, turn left back to the Station

Journey

I have not walked in this area for quite a few years and had forgotten what a pleasant area it is, not classic white peak, quite wooded in parts, with villages, farms and houses sheltering into the folds of the hills. On a sunny day it appears pretty and tranquil, but it’s not, there is industry here, transport links, history, grit, masked by the trees, hedgerows, meadows, the views and vistas and the gentle roll of the hills.

Canal towpaths are fairly low on my list of places to walk, just above busy roads and shingle beaches. This is mainly because they are flat and boring. However, today I found the Cromford Canal to be flat and fairly interesting with plenty to see, birds and butterflies, reeds, flowers, ducks, moorhens, water and sunshine and houses with manicured gardens. From Ambergate until we were diverted off the towpath, due to works being carried out to the canal, and sent around by Holloway, we saw very few people.

Now, this diversion has caused some acrimony between me and Mrs G because before the walk I told her it was a10.5 mile walk but when at the end, the GPS said it was 12.6 miles she said thought I lied. Something I done before on longer walks, she also felt it that it was a lot more uphill than I had implied as I’d told her the canal walk was flat. Unfortunately the diversion by Holloway added to the overall climb. The other bit of the acrimony comes later.

Just before the diversion we spotted a small creature on the path in the edge of the reeds and grasses, a water vole, and I actually managed to get a couple of passible photos of it. As we walked along, it ran a few yards in front of us diving into the grass, popping out again and nipping along, as it did this for the fourth or fifth time a duck which had been standing in the long grass whipped down and grabbed it in his beak, the little scream from the vole was heart wrenching and the duck flopped into the water and paddled away as Mrs G shouted to me save it save it. Too late.

The walk from the canal across the park land, no deer in sight, towards Holloway was a steep pull, less so around the very attractive Manor House and gardens of Lea Hurst, (wasn’t he a footballer). Lea Hurst was once the home of Florence Nightingale, both before her work in the Crimean War and afterwards. The diversion route continued down to the village of Lea Bridge where there is another Nightingale connection, her Grandfather Peter Nightingale who with John Smedley built Lea Mills in the late eighteenth century.

Back on the Canal, Highpeak Junction was a frenzy of slightly elderly men muttering and pointing, taking photos and positively drooling over the few bits and pieces of old railway memorabilia that is dotted about. As Highpeak Junction is the starting point of one of the earliest railways in the world, the Cromford and High Peak Railway, opened in 1830 only 7 years after George Stephenson’s Stockton and Darlington Railway, I cannot fault them for their avid interest.

The Cromford Canal stops just across the road from another historic location Arkwright Mills, just before you reach the end there is a lovely seating area, toilets, car park, not so lovely, playing fields and cricket pitch the perfect place for lunch, there is also a café and an art gallery.

Arkwright’s Mill was built in the 1770’s to manufacture cotton using machinery driven by water power. The Cromford Canal was opened in 1793 providing a quick and cheap way of getting raw materials to the mill and cloth out to the markets.

The mill is currently being restored and is part of the Derwent Valley World Heritage site.

Our walk took us away from the mill and heading for the hills, crossing the A6, another important transport link we headed up Intake Lane. I believe the term intake here refers to the drains that collected water off the hills to feed the mill ponds at the mills.

As we trudged up Intake Lane we had brief views across the valley to Holloway, Crich and the Sherwood Foresters Monument prominent above the quarry face. The climb eventually levelled out as we passed through the bridge beneath the railway incline from Highpeak Junction. The area between here, west to Black Rock is a super place to explore on foot or bike, just amble around, let the kids run wild in.

As Intake Lane carries on south we pass one of the camp sites we first stayed at on our first visit to the Derbyshire Dales in about 1963. The site is now many times bigger than we remembered it and it seemed to be fairly full.

Crossing over Wirksworth Road the path wiggles up and down the hills through a succession of woods and fields eventually tipping out on the road just outside Alderwasley Hall The hall is an independent residential special school for children and young people aged 5 to 19 with Aspergers, speech and language difficulties and Acquired Brain Injuries.

As we passed the Hall and entered the park land I managed to miss the path heading south west towards Shining Cliff Wood. The second point of acrimony, as we stayed on the Midshires Way only realising my error on reaching Typeclose plantation following another diversion, this time to avoid a bull near the path which caused us to climb a gate into a sheep field and climb over a wall to get out.

A quick re-jig, a bit like a faff only less puffing, and we sorted out the path passing the old Youth Hostel and down to the dilapidated buildings that form Oak Hurst Mills, commonly known as the Wireworks. The works and buildings extends over some 700m. They were opened in 1867 as wireworks, and continued in the production of wire including telegraph wire and suspension cables until 1996. Now it is being vandalised, and is becoming overgrown, a very sad eyesore, walking through the place was a bit eerie. It is a shame. And I forgot to take a single photo, stupid or what.

Wayfarers Way, Hambledon to Portsdown Hill

Date: 16 July 2011
Area: North of Portsmouth

Distance: 8.5 miles, 13.5km

Start: Hambledon

OS Sheet: Explorer 119

Grid: SU 6465 1504

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.
The Wayfarers Walk is clearly marked on the 1:25,000 Map

Journey

Once again I’ve been down to Portsmouth to visit my mother in law and family, which also gives me an opportunity to go for a walk. While peering over the maps trying to work out a walk around the Hambledon area where I had done a couple of walks before I started this blog, I noticed the Wayfarers Walk. This starts way up in North Hampshire at Inkpen Beacon, the highest point in Hampshire and works its way down through New Alresford to Hambledon and on to Farlington / Bedhampton near where my mother in law lives, before going on to finish along the coast in Emsworth. I covered most of the Farlington Emsworth part of the walk in a blog October 2010 see HERE.

So on Saturday morning I caught a couple of buses to Hambledon and started walking south back to Farlington. Once I got myself orientated it was a short walk to the Wayfarers Walk, down a lane and up a short but steep climb through a flower meadow over Speltham Down.

It was pretty, but the flowers were just past their best, I wish I had seen them a few weeks earlier. Just over the top of the slope into the first of many fields the rain turned heavy and for twenty minutes the whole landscape became a watery, wind swept blur. After that it just rained without really stopping until I reached Portsdown Hill some 7 miles later.

Most of the walk was through or along fields, with, because of the rain, not much in the way of views and no photographs. For the most part the going was fairly flat. Between Hambledon and Denmead I actually met a runner and two couples walking dogs. Somewhere in this section I hit a field growing one of the two crops I most hate to walk through, Maize (corn on the cob). “As high as an elephants eye” is one thing but this was WET, dripping, drooping, slap, slop in the face in a malevolent green way sort of way. But least it doesn’t try to grab you like the other horror, oil seed rape, does.

Denmead is an old village that has expanded into a small dormitory town. It seems to be keeping its shops and pubs and looks a comfortable place. After a trudge through its northern parts I reached the village centre and found a nice coffee cum cake shop where I bought a big date flapjack. Passing through the southern bits of Denmead and across the golf course the rain persisted.

South of Denmead the going stayed pretty flat although the bulk of Portsdown Hill was evident in the distance. All the streams and ditches were swollen and the lanes I walked along or crossed were covered in puddles, thankfully there was little traffic. I kept hoping to find somewhere to stop for a brew, but there was no shelter anywhere. Passing through a stretch of woodland before turning east towards Purbrook Heath I listen with some trepidation to peels of thunder away to the west.

From Purbook Heath the path started to climb, finally getting steep as the path tracked straight up the hill along the back of a long row of houses. While this walk so far had been uninspiring this stretch was crap, literally, it was narrow with garden fences and walls to the left and a hedge, nettles and brambles to the right and all the way up there were piles of dumped grass, hedge cuttings, other garden detritus wood, brick, slabs, rubble and other rubbish. Going downhill there may have been a view but going up there was nothing. It was a relief to get out on to the road at the top of the hill.

From here I followed the Wayfarers Walk for about half a mile before reaching a viewpoint looking out over Portsmouth but even though the rain had stopped some thirty minutes earlier the views were poor. At this point I headed down the south face of Portsdown Hill and back to the mother in laws and a hot shower. The Wayfarers way continues along the top of the hill towards Bedhamton and on to Langstone Harbour.

This was not the best of walks due mainly to the weather, on a sunny day most of it would have been a bit more pleasant. From experience most long distance walks have less attractive bits, one has to expect that and I suspect (hope) for the Wayfarers Walk part of this walk was it, although I suspect it may include the section from where I stopped down to Langstone Harbour.

I’m already planning the next stage, New Alresford to Hambledon 16m, possibly in early September. I’ve sorted out the bus from Farlington to New Alresford, I now need to work out how I get back to the mother in laws when I finish.

RAB Aeon Tee

In this month’s TGO magazine there is a review on Baselayers.

All the usual suspects are there Smartwool, Sprayway, Trekmates, Paramo, Berghaus, Craghoppers, Montane,  Ice Breaker, Marmmut, Marmot, Reggatta, Snugpak, Vaude, Outdoor Research and Odlo a very wide section of the outdoors clothing market, most price ranges and materials. I read with interest only to find my personal favourite was not there, I know TGO can only review those garments that the supplier/manufactures supply and 16 different baselayers must take a lot of time to test. But there was no RAB Aeon tee shirt, to use a phrase “I could not believe it”

So the RAB Aeon Tee is light, the men’s large weighs in at 89 grams (matching the lightest in test) it has flatlock seams and the polyester material has a UPF rating of 30+. The material is the closest thing to silk I have ever worn; it is smooth, comfortable and hard wearing. The fit on me is just loose enough and the raglan sleeves come down to just above the elbow.

I bought my first one last summer and I have worn it or my Aeon long sleeved tee on nearly every walk since and to work during the last winter’s cold weather under a shirt and tie . When working hard walking the Aeon  wicks sweat away from the skin extremely well so that I rarely feel damp. In the cold conditions it creates a warm layer next to the skin and eliminates cold spots. Most importantly it dries very quickly.

On last year’s multi day walk around the lakes I wore mine every day in mixed weather conditions, never washing it and after six days of walking and travel I had no qualms about wearing it to the pub or on the train. I carried a Aeon Long Sleeve Tee in my rucksack in my dry clothes bag.

As well as mens short and long sleeve versions of the RAB Aeon there is a women’s version, the Aeon Tech Tee in the same material but a slimmer cut. The size 14 weighs 64 grams. Mrs G wore hers on our Cumbria Way in June.

I rate these tees way above any of my other baselayer’s and have had a similar response from other walkers and a couple of mountain marathon guys I have spoken to.

The Tees are for sale at a number of outlets at £20-22 while the Longs are about £27 which makes them among the cheapest in TGO’s bunch and a good bit less than the recommended.

Good. Weight, wicking, feel, price.

Bad. Nothing

Final word, I’m off to Go Outdoors to buy some more in case RAB discontinue them, heaven forbid.

The Roaches

Date: 2 July 2011

Area: Staffordshire Moorlands North of Leek

Distance: 10.8 miles 17.4k

Start Location: Tittesworth Resevoir

OS Sheet: Explorer OL24

Grid Ref: SJ 9937 6032

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

Turn right out the car park, along the road to a track on the left, Whitty Lane which leads to Upper Hulme , turn right downhill to the hair pin bend, take track in front to Dains Mill follow around the east and north side of Hen Cloud to Well Farm. Cross the fields to climb up and into the wood land on the south side of the Roaches ridge. Proceed along the ridge to cross the road and through the wall taking the track on the right downhill into the woodland. Keep to the higher track & watch for signs to Luds Church. Walk through the chasm and pick up path westwards, then south, and east to Clough Head, along the road to Buxton Brow, south on track and turn east on path heading south of Roche Grange until reaching the road to Green Lane and Rose Cottage then across the fields to Meerbrook, turn left along the road to the car park.

Journey

This is one of Andys walks as it’s an area he knows quite well. It’s only my second time here since 1968 or 9 when a springtime, Army sailing trip to the area was changed, due to heavy snow, into a skiing trip. We spent 4 nights in a freezing Anzio Camp and the days out on the roads and fields to the east of the A53. I well remember après ski in the Mermaid Inn. Another place I must revisit.

The Roaches sits just north of Leek in Staffordshire, to the west is Congleton in Cheshire, while to the north is Buxton in Derbyshire. These diverse counties all meet together just north of the Roaches on the River Dane at Three Shires Head, but that’s another walk. The Roaches are within the Peak Park, just.

We parked at the Severn Trent visitors centre and car park at Tittesworth Reservoir and paid £4.70 for the privilege, their toilets are quite posh though. Unfortunately water levels are very low so that from where we were, we could only see mud.

This area is hilly with high moorland, long ridge and valleys and plenty of rivers. At the start of the walk the Roaches and its partner, to the east, Hen Cloud have the look of a massive wall with great rocky outcrops and butterisses blocking the way north. As you get closer it softens a bit until walking around the east and north side of Hen Cloud you get to see its gentler side.

Dains Mill a short way along from Upper Hulme is an old water mill that looks as if it is being restored, the photo below shows its overshot water wheel. As you walk up the to the mill and beyond you can see hidden in the undergrowth the remains of the mill ponds and leets that fed and drained it.

From the steepish slope at to the east end of the Roaches I stopped to look back at Hen Cloud and I reckon it looks a bit like Gibraltar. Unfortunately I didn’t think to take photo duh.

The first half mile or so along the side of the ridge in the woodland below the Staffordshire Gritstone is a climber’s mecca. We stopped in the shade to have lunch and watch numerous young men and women swarming up the rock faces.

Moving along the ridge you will eventually come to a small picturesque pool of water known as Doxey Pool. It has a reputation that belies its beauty. Legend has it that a resident mermaid by the name of Jenny Greenteeth entices walkers into the blue waters of Doxey Pool and into a watery grave from which they do not return. (Borrowed from http://www.trekkingbritain.com/)

Certainly as we admired it and the views, several DOE groups plodding by looking as if they would like to stop and have a paddle.

Beyond the Trig Pillar at 505m above sea level the ridge drops to a pass before climbing again. In the pass lurks a lonely Ice Cream man who lures passing travellers to his van where he takes shed loads off money off them. We did enjoy the 99’s though.

Crossing the road and through the wall we dropped down and along the north side of the ridge into another stretch of lovely woodland perched high above Black Brook. Here deep in Back Forest lies another Roaches wonder Luds Church. It is a chasm which twists and turns over some 100m ranging between about 10 and 18m deep, hung with mosses and ferns. It was lovely and cool after the heat on the ridge. Outside we picked and eat some wild Bilberries. For a bit more info on Luds Church see Wikipedia.

Rounding the west end of the ridge we could see the ridge stretched out in front of us and below the farmland we had to cross to get back to the car and more importantly the pub at the Trout Inn in the village of Meerbrook.

Mrs G, Andy and I all felt this had been a first class walk, very hot and tiring, with temperatures some 26 deg C in the sun, but the countryside and the all-round views particularly with the clear blue sky were outstanding. This walk had it all high ridges, woodland walks, barren hill tops, beautiful farm land and everlasting views and a pub at the end.

Cumbria Way Ulverston to Keswick, Preperation

In the past few years my mate Andy and I have walked most of the main hiking routes through the Lakes, the Coast to Coast, the Cumberland Way (amended a bit), the Westmorland Way, the Cumbria Way (twice both from Carlisle southwards) and last year our own Lakeland Circle, described in Lakes 2010 .

This year after much discussion and persuasion Mrs G finally agreed that she would go on a long distance hike with me. We choose the Cumbria way as I know it, it gives a good view of the Lakeland hills, it is mainly a valley walk with only one major climb south of Keswick, over Stake Pass from the Langdales into Langstrath. Also from previous holidays and visits, many parts would be familiar to her. There were, however, two cast in stone stipulations, she would not stay at a YHA and she would not carry a rucksack, I had already confirmed I would carry as much of her gear as I could, but she had to carry some of her own stuff. We bought a bum bag.


A number of training walks were planned locally, then in the Derbyshire peaks just to get us back into the level of walking fitness needed, to enjoy a multi-day walk. At the same time I started drawing up the ‘kit spreadsheet’ and ‘kit to buy list’ both essential planning tools.

Over the past few years I have gradually reduced the packed weight of my rucksack, with lighter gear and much less of the extras, those just in case bits and bobs that get stuffed in at every opportunity. Also it was clear that in the past the biggest weight burden was the ‘going down the pub clothes and shoes’. With me having to carry more or less two lots of kit these were clearly the areas to be controlled.


Although we both had previously bought some Paramo and other bits and pieces this year the only kit bought for the walk were RAB Aeon tee shirts for both of us, new Thorlo socks for me and a couple of small dry bags, a second bum bag and then just before we started a Vaude Triset 15 rucksack.

I was to carry, two Paramo Velez AL, two cheap over trousers, my TNF Apex gillet, my hat, gloves and buffs, a small dry bag holding my trousers, t-shirt, underwear, socks and washing gear in a plastic bag and very light shoes for indoor use. Plus maps, thermos, Source water bag, two sit mats and other bits gave me a packed weight of 9.2kg excluding water and food. Mrs G carried her TNF Apex gillet, hat, gloves and buffs and several other items of a vital nature, having ditched the bum bags the Vaude weighed in at 1.4kg.

We were using a wet clothes/dry clothes system. Each night we changed into dry kit washed out socks and underwear and dried them along with any damp day clothes. If the day kit did not dry, the next day they are worn wet, dry clothes must be kept dry.

Then at Easter disaster struck Mrs G smashed her toe on the wardrobe and was unable to do much walking for several weeks and nothing serious until late May. So much training and fitness was lost and her foot was still very tender.


All the B&B’s were booked in March, we had planned to go up and back by train but that proved too expensive for one let alone two.

So on 11 June we drove up to Keswick, the M6 south of Penrith is stunning. We parked the car and a suitcase of clothes in Keswick and caught a bus to Ulverston via Ambleside. We sat upstairs all the way, it was truly wonderful. It was a sunny day and we could see so much more of the hills, lakes, towns and villages than we have ever done in the car particularly for me, the driver.

Having found our way to the B&B via Laural and Hardy we went out for a quick look around Ulverston, making our way up to the official Cumbria Way start point in The Gill before finding somewhere to eat. Thank you, to Lee at the Farmers Arms who kindly booked us a table in the Rose and Crown. Both pubs are in the same ownership, I think. Two very good meals were had and we chatted with some very friendly people.

Cumbria Way - Ulverston (Gawthwaite) to Coniston (11m)

Day one 12 June

Our B&B at Sefton House was the most expensive on the trip and I am afraid we found it to be a disappointment.

Having walked to Ulverston before I knew the first few miles of the Cumbria Way were not very special, so to shorten the 15 miles on the first day and reduce the strain on Mrs G toe, we had decided to take a taxi up the road to the edge of the National Park at Gawthwaite. Our driver was Alan of LA12 Taxis, we recommend him highly he was punctual, knowledgeable, friendly and humorous.

As we walked northwards we could see the Coniston fells in the distance and for a short while as we looked back we could still see the lighthouse shape of the Hoad Monument outside Ulvertson.

The day so far was mild but cloudy with a strongish wind from the south west. This is an landscape of stone walls, fields, copses, streams and rough moorland that is pleasant enough to view and walk through. I had thought that having walked south I would be ok going north but a couple of small navigational errors soon brought the reality home, I had to keep good map contact. High Stennerley and Kiln Bank came and went as we approached what on previous walks had been one of the high points of the day, the walk along the east side of the ridge north of Tottlebank. However, dropping down the hillside towards the track up to Tottlebank I heard a scream and a shout from Mrs G ‘it’s a snake’. As I came back up to her I saw a green and black snake about 30mm diameter and 3-400mm long, so I took a couple of photos as it hissed at me.


Mrs G said ‘I nearly trod on it, what is it’.
Naturally I said ‘it’s a snake’, which earned me a thump, ‘I don’t know’.
I think it’s an Adder’ she said.
’Never mind it’s gone now’ earned me another thump.

Eventually we got moving and I told her about the snake I had seen on a walk last year in Leigh Park (near Havant, Hampshire) which was bigger but looked the same, ‘what was it’ she asked. Avoiding another thump I explained that I didn’t know as I hadn’t looked it up, which got me another thump. We moved rapidly along past Tottlebank and on to Beacon Tarn.

By now the wind was getting up and there was wetness in the air and the temperature had dropped about 5 degrees C. We had planned to have dinner here but decided to go on to Sunny Bank which would be more sheltered so we pushed on along the side of the big wet area of Stable Harvey Moss, past Tottle Bank (confusing) up the track and down across the Torver Beck footbridge where we finally put our jackets on, then over the A5084 and down the hill to the Sunny Bank jetty where we had lunch. So far we had only seen a group of three, father, daughter and boyfriend on the Cumbria way who overtook us at Beacon Tarn, two sets of dog walkers at Beacon Tarn and a couple who were walking south out of Torver Low Common.

The rain persisted in a miserable damp sort of way all the way to Coniston with little to see but trees and water plus a couple of groups of school learning sailing and canoeing.

As we walked across the fields into Coniston the drizzle lifted and the sky brightened. Crossing over the bridge we stood for a minute getting our bearings, when a lady brushed past saying ‘it’s over there’, ‘what is’ I said, ‘the cash point’ she replied, disappearing around the corner. ‘allo , allo ‘ I thought.


Ten minutes later, after looking at pub menus and shop windows we walked down Tilberthwaite Avenue past the Crown Inn and into Lakeland House Hotel webite is is a very good, clean efficient, friendly, everything you want a B&B to be, place. We did not fault it. However, the room was small, so small, we had to shuffle around sideways between the bed and wall. At least there would be no midnight hikes to the toilet, in fact, at first we couldn’t find the toilet until I opened a pair of small white doors, which I’d thought was a built in wardrobe and found the Ensuite. There was not a lot of room in there either but the shower was good.

‘I’m just going in the cupboard’ became the standing joke of the holiday.

A good meal in the Crown Inn rounded off the first day.