18 The Cumbria Way (2014)

Length  : 70  miles

Started :  7  July  2013

Finished : 13 October  2014

Companions :  ( in full ) Dave Morris, Wendy  Guest ;  ( in part )  Helen Smith, Serena  Armstrong , Steve  Briggs ( these  first  three  all  completed  the  trail  through  doing  catch-up  walks ) ,  Pete  Hesketh,  Elizabeth  Currid, Andy  Roughley, Anthony  Barlow, Jane  Harrison, Ross  Bishop, Chris Hughes, Steve  Taylor, Rachel  Glascott, Allie  Fitzsimmons, Mark Woodall

Guide : The  Cumbria  Way - John Trevelyan ( Dalesman )

There  are  a  number  of  interlocking  stories  here. One was  simply  to  find  another  excuse  to  revisit  one  of  the  Group's  favourite  places  to  stay, Green View  Lodges  at  Welton ; the  Cumbria  Way  passes  within  a  mile  of  the  entrance Another  was  that  , with  my  fiftieth  birthday  approaching  rapidly  I   originally  intended to  largely  retire  from  LYPWG  and  this  seemed  a  fitting  finale  revisiting  some  scenes  of  earlier  triumphs. And  perhaps  somewhere at  the  back  of  my  mind  was  the  thought  that  it  was  unfinished  business  from  the  Michael  Smithson  era - I  bought  the  guide  in  either  Ambleside  or  Windermere  back  in  July  1981  at  the  end  of  our  great  hostelling  adventure.

We  did  the  first  section  from  Ulverston  to  Coniston  amid  blazing  sunshine. Steve  B  and  I  had  stayed  in  Ulverston  overnight  in  order  to  plant  a  car  at  Coniston  but  the  numbers  on  the  day  meant  we  still  had  to  do  a  shuffle at  the  start. This  in  turn  meant  we  had  to  keep  up  a  good  pace  in  order  to  finish  at  a  reasonable  time  and  that  was  a  tough  proposition  in  those  temperatures. On  top  of  that  there  was  nowhere  until  very  close  to  the  end  where  more  liquid  could  be  purchased. Wendy  and  I  had  a  paddle  in  Beacon  Tarn  but  that  was  the  only  relief  to  be  had  until  arrival  at  the  Monk  Conston  campsite  where  ice  lollies  were  devoured  at  a  very  fast  rate  while  news  of  Andy  Murray's  triumph  came  through  from  the  back  of  the  shop. I  couldn't  eat  anything  else  until  hours  afterwards.

The  next  section  from  Coniston  to  Great  Langdale  was  done  in  October  2013. Dave, Pete  and  I  stayed  at  the  independent  hostel  in  Ambleside  on  the  Saturday  night. The  accommodation  was  quite  basic. I  had  to  roll  myself  into  the  lower  bunk  because  there  was  so  little  clearance; good  preparation  for  a  coffin  I'd  have  thought.  Dave  and  I  enjoyed  a  good  curry  in  Ambleside  when  the  rain  wasn't  quite  bucketing  as  hard  as  before. On  the  morning  it  was  still  raining  hard  and  Pete  decided  to  give  it  a  miss  although  he  ferried  Dave  and  I  from  Great  Langdale  to  Coniston  which  made  another  shuffle  unnecessary. Apart  from  a  brief  spell  at  the  very  beginning  and  end  of  the  walk  it  rained  all  day  which  did  dampen  the  spirits  a  bit  although  it  made  Skelwith  Force  more  spectacular.

The  awkward  nature  of  the  next  section , Great  Langdale  to  Keswick  in  terms  of  transport  links  made  it  necessary  to  split  it  into  two  walks  over  a  weekend  in  April  this  year. I  let  people  sort  out  their  own  accommodation  in  Keswick. Julie found  us  a  place  to  stay  about  a  mile  out  of  the  centre. The  weather  was  even  worse  than  on  the  previous  section but  surprisingly  we  were  joined  by  two  new  girls  at  Keswick. I  don't  think  I'd  recognise  either  of  them  again  as  we  were  all  huddled  up  in  waterproofs  all  day. Although  scenically  lovely  both  walks  were  a  joyless  trudge  and  as  we  sat  dripping  in  a  Keswick  tea  shop  at  the  end  we  hoped  for  better  on  the  final  weekend.

Colin, the  proprietor  at  Green View  gave  us  a  generous  discount  for  previous  business  which  meant  it  worked  out  at  £46  per  person  for  three  nights, ridicuously  good  value. The  only  downside  was  that  the  pub  next  door  was  now  closed. The  rain  hammering  on  the  roof  when  I  woke  up  on  Saturday  didn't  bode  well  but  apart  from  two  brief  showers  we  had  perfect  autumn  weather  for  our  final  two  stages.

On  Saturday  we  walked  from  Keswick  to  Caldbeck  using  the  bus  service. It's  a  long  stretch  on  mainly  hard  tracks  and  the  toughest  bit  comes  just  as  your  energy  levels  are  starting  to  flag. I  led  it  too  fast  to  try  and ( fruitlessly )  suit  one  member  of  the  party who  had  to  get  back   and  managed  to  give  myself  sore  knees  and  blisters  for  the  following  day. Caldbeck  to  Carlisle  is  also  a  long  stretch  but  mostly  very  easy  or  should  have  been; in  my  case  it  was  a  rather  painful  ordeal  that  I  was  relieved  to  finish. Then  it  was  a  quick  dip  in  the  hot  tub , a  celebratory  glass  of  Buck's  Fizz  then  off  home  with  school  in  the  morning  for  Simon.

Because  of  the  weather  and  self-inflicted  wounds  this  won't  be  the  most  fondly  remembered  of  my  trails  but  it  is  an  excellent  route  from  start  to  finish  

17 The Witches' Way ( 2014 )

Length: 30  miles

Date  started  :  27  June  2012

Date  completed : 13  August  2014

Companions : Julie  Farrell ; ( in  part )  Simon  Farrell

Guide  :  Witches' Way   - David  Johnson  and  Jim  Ashton ( Dalesman  Books  1984 )

This  was  Julie  and  Is'  next  project  which  we  completed   a  bit  faster  than  the  Bronte  Way  but  given  the  length  we  were  still  a  bit  laggardly.

The  Witches' Way  is  the  most  obscure  route  to  feature  here. I  bought the  guide  in 1988 , four  years  after  it  was  first  published  and  I'm  guessing  it  went  out  of  print  not  long  afterwards. I've  never  heard  anyone  mention  it  in  the  last  25  years. I  chose  it  because  it  wasn't  too  far  away  and  passed  through  a  few  areas  of  Lancashire  that  were  unfamiliar  to  me.

The  walk  was  devised  by  two  long  distance  walking  enthusiasts  who  haven't   volunteered  any  personal  information  apart  from  their  home  addresses  ( Bury  and  London )  to  put  a  long  distance  trail  in  upland  Lancashire. I  think  they  meant  "long  distance"  in  terms  of  a  single  day's  hike, which  would  certainly  be  a  challenge  on  this  route !

The  walk  runs  from  Rawtenstall  to  Slaidburn  and  visits  the  summit  of  Pendle  Hill ( the  third  route  on  here  to  do  so ). The  story  of  the  Pendle  Witches  provides  an  overarching  theme  although  neither  starting  nor  end  point  feature  in  it  and  places  that  do  - Sabden, Newchurch  and  Barley  for  example - are  by-passed. It's  quite  a  tough  little  route  which  often  eschews  easier  alternatives  close  at  hand.

One  other  comment  on  the  route  should  be  made. It  was  quite  difficult  to  follow  in  parts  ( details  below )  and  we'd  have  come  unstuck  without  the  Forest  of  Bowland  and  Ribblesdale  OS  map. Quite  a  lot  had  changed  on  the  ground  and  it's  brought  home  to  me  that  I  can't  now  use  any  of  the  guides  I  acquired  in  the  seventies  and  eighties  by  themselves  ( except  of  course  my  beloved  Wainwrights );  if  I'm  still  going  to  use  them  they'll  need  matching  with  a  recent  map  beforehand.

We  started  it  in  June  2012  on  a  weekday  and  "against  the  clock"  in  terms  of  getting  back  to  pick  Simon  up  from  his  childminder  at  the  agreed  time. We  parked  in  Rawtenstall  and  walked  to  Hapton. I'd  done  most  of  it  before  and  it  was  fairly  straightforward  but  had  a  sting  in  the  tail.  On  the  very  last  stretch  into  Hapton  what  used  to  be  ( according  to  the  book ) a  simple  stroll  along  a  hedge  was  now  an  enclosed  path  between  two  wire  fences  and  it  was  completely  overgrown. The  friendly  guy  at  nearby  Sellars  Fold  said  no  one  had  tried  to  walk  it  for  years. With  some  misgivings  we  gave  it  a  go  but  halfway  down  a  substantial   tree  had  fallen  across  it  without  bringing  the  sturdy  fences  down. It  was  completely  impassable  and  we  had  to  retreat  back  to  Sellars  Fold  and  take  an  alternative  path. Once  at  the  finishing  point  we  needed  to  get  to Hapton  station  for  a  train  back  to  Burnley. The  path  we  took  ( not  part  of  the  route )  was  an  adventure  too ; although  a  very  scenic  valley  route  it  was  flooded  in  parts  and  we  finished  the  walk  with  wet  feet. Our  reward  was  a  free  train  ride  to  Burnley  as  no  one  came  to  sell us  tickets  and  we caught  the  bus  back  to  Rawtenstall.

The  next  section  from  Hapton  to  Read  was  done  in  July. The  weather  was  fine  and  it  was  a  good  walk  apart  from  one  short  stretch  behind  the  industrial  estate  at  Altham  Bridge  ( built  since  the  book )  where  the  path  was  very  overgrown and  boggy. Beyond  that  the  stretch  alongside  the  river  Calder  was  spoiled  by  the  litter  presumably  left  by  picnickers  or  illicit  teenage  drinkers. We  had  a  wait  for  the  bus  to  Burnley  at  Read  ; Julie  asked  an  old  guy  where  it  stopped  and  he  said  "Oh  aye  we've  got  buses  here"  and  proceeded  to  give  her  an  idiot's  guide  to  village  life. We  had  a  bite  to  eat  at  Burnley's  Witherspoon's  then   caught  the  bus  back  to  Hapton  where  we'd  parked.

We  didn't  get  round  to  the  next  stage  until  the  Easter  Holidays  in  2013  when  we  took  Simon  along  for  the  section  between  Read  ( where  we  parked )  and  Nick  o  Pendle. It  was  a  straightforward  and  enjoyable  section  although  Simon  didn't  enjoy  the  biting  wind  in  our  faces  on  the  high section  along  Wiswell  Moor. From  Nick  o' Pendle  we  dropped  down  to  Sabden  for  the  bus and  Simon  enjoyed  himself  in  the  play park  there.

Julie  and  I  did  the  next  section  in  July  during  Simon's  last  week  at  school  on  a  very  hot  day. We  parked  at  Clitheroe  and  caught  the  bus  to  Sabden.  The  uphill  walk  back  to  Nick  o  Pendle  was  strength-sapping  in  the  heat. I  didn't  tell  Julie  we  were  going  up  Pendle  Hill  to  see  if  she  could  work  it  out  for  herself. The  route  chosen  by  the  authors  was  a  strange  one , leaving  the  fairly  easy  main  path  from  the  Nick  and  striking  out   for  the  huge  cairn  on  Mearley  Moor  ( Pendle's  western  ridge ) .  The  approach  from  the  cairn  to  the  summit  is  a  good  one  but  to  get  there  was  a  rough, mainly  trackless  passage  made  more  difficult  by  the  heat. Julie  didn't  twig  straight  away  on  the  summit  but  guessed  with  some  prompting. She  didn't  like  the  stepped  descent  from  the  hill  and  took  it  very  slowly. We  then  had  some  catching  up  to do  to  get  back  in  time to  pick  Simon  up and  halfway  down  to  Downham  decided  we  had  better  abandon  the  route  and  head  down  the  road  to  make  sure  we  caught  the  bus  back  to  Clitheroe.  We  did  the  missed  out  section  ( ironically  completely  trouble-free  and  probably  quicker  than  the  road )  as  a  short  walk  with  Simon   in  August.

Julie  and  I  did  the  next  section  from  Downham  to  Grindleton  on  a  school  day  in  October.  Again  I  didn't  tell  Julie  about  Sawley  Abbey  so  it  would  be  a   surprise  to  her. We  had  lunch  there  and  Julie  told  the  workers  from  English  Heritage  about  some  doggy-doo  bags  that  were  disfiguring  the  site. We  went  a  bit  off  route  at  the  end   as  the  field  boundaries  had  changed  making  the  fguide  misleading,

We  did  the  next  section  last  week ( August  2014 )  with  Simon. We  parked  in  Clitheroe  and  caught  the  bus  to  Grindleton. We  got  back  on  the  right  route  but  had  a  problem  at  Steelands  Farm  where  the  book  explicitly  said  don't  go  through  the  farmyard  but  the  avoidance  route  has  since  been  blocked  off  and  we  had  to  crawl  through  a  wall. There  was  a  tough  bit  just  beyond  there  where  you  have  to  cross  a  brook  and  then  go  up  a  steep  slope  but beyond  that  it  was  an  easy  and  pleasant  stroll  alongside  Grindleton  Forest  to  Walloper  Well  on  the  Waddington  Moor  road. Simon  and  I  wanted  to  press  on  to  Slaidburn  and  finish  the  walk  but  Julie  didn't  fancy  it.

I  warned  that  the  weather  might  not  be  as  good  when  we  came  back  to  it  and  was  proved  right  yesterday  when  we  set  off  along  the  short  but  rough  section  across  Standridge  Hill  in  a  heavy  shower.  The  rain  had  also  made  the  wooden  stiles  very  slippery  on  the  descent  towards  the  Hodder  valley  and  we  had  some  difficulty  getting  over  them  safely.  The  path  had  changed  to  the  other  side  of  the  fence / hedge  since  the  book  ( or  they  got  it  wrong )  and  now  went  through  a  copse  festooned  with  quails  for  the  local  shooting  brigade  which  entailed  ploughing  through  thistles.  The  final  section  from  Easington  was  easy  and  pleasant.  We  had  a  meal  at  the  cafe  in  Slaidburn  then  took  the  bus  back  to  Walloper  Well.

Despite  the  little  problems  encountered  it  is  a  good  route  and  it  seems  a  shame  that  it  never  took  off.

 


  


   

16 Hadrian's Wall Path (2014)

Length : 85  miles

Date  Started  :  17th  September  2011

Date  completed :  4th  May  2014

Companions :  Andy Roughley, Helen  Smith, Serena  Armstrong, Dave Morris, Wendy Guest, John Hutchinson ( in part ) Chris  Cooper, Rachel  Fallows plus a  friend, Catherine  Seville, Pamela  Banks, Janet Whittaker, Phil  Burton, Steve  Taylor

Guide :  Hadrian's  Wall  Path - Mark  Richards  ( Cicerone )

By  popular  consensus  this  was  the  next   LYPWG  long  distance  trail  project  after  finishing  the Thirlmere  Way. We  started  it  in  September  2011, a  notable  month  for  me  for  work-related  reasons.
The  plan  was  to  walk  it  over  four  weekends  with  the  last  partly  given  over  to  socialising  in Newcastle  although  I  was  keen  to  make  sure  that  this  consideration  did  not  take  precedence  over the  walking  and  sightseeing  en  route. We  decided  to  walk  it  West  to  East ( i.e. Bowness- on- Solway to  Wallsend )  because  the  Bowness  to  Carlisle  section  is  largely  a  shortened  version  of  the penultimate  Cumbria  Coastal  Way  section  and  doing  that  again  on  the  final  day  would  be  too   much  of  an  anti-climax.

For  the  first  weekend  eleven  of  us  ( including  Julie  and  Simon ) stayed  at  Green  View  Lodges, Welton  where  we  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  our  friend  Colin  and  his  jacuzzi  once  again. This  time   round  the  pub  next  door  was  open  for  food  and  though  I  only   had  a  dessert  there ( we  self-catered ) everyone  else  gave  it  the  thumb's- up. Julie  was  disappointed  that  another  family  who  had planned  to  come  up  and  share  baby-sitting  duties  couldn't  make  it.

Bowness-on-Solway   is  a  quiet  and  remote  place  and  it  took  us  a  short  while  to  find  the  actual start/end  of  the  Trail which  is  a  little  gazebo  overlooking  the  Solway  Firth. The  walk  itself  was uneventful, the  long  road  trudge  no  more  enthralling  than  two  years  earlier, although  the  bus  journey back  from  Carlisle  was  enlivened  by  a  pisshead  on  the  back  seat  groaning  about  how  much  he needed  the  loo  the  entire  distance  

On  the  Sunday  two  more  members  drove  up for  the  day. We  walked  from  Carlisle  to  Newtown, just  short  of  where  the  first  visible  section  of  the  Wall  itself  is  to  be  found, the  lack  of  Wall  being a  frequent  cause  for  comment  over  that  weekend. Around  lunchtime  we  experienced  the  only serious rainfall  of  the  whole  adventure  but  it  lifted  soon  afterwards. We  had  a  tea  stop  at  Lanercost Priory. Some  of  us  stayed  over  till  the  Monday, two of  the girls  going  on  to  a  rainy  week  of  caravaning  in Scotland  while  we  went  on  to  Keswick.

The  next  stage  was  undertaken in  July  2012. I  booked  two  self-catering  cottages  at  a  remote  farm Talkinhead near  Brampton. We  had  another  last  minute  drop  out  but  at  least  he  paid  up. Two  girls who  signed  up  later  stayed  at  a  B and B  in  the  town  rather  than  risk  paying  extra  for  an unused  bed. As  it  happened  the  landlady  had  a  spare  cottage  that  weekend  and  invited  us  to spread  out. It  had  a  fantastic  view, was  clean  and  comfortable  and  the  evening  meal  we  ordered on the  Sunday night  was  excellent. Simon  enjoyed  playing  with  the  puppies  on  site.

The  walking  was  of  a  much  higher  quality and  the  weather  was  very  good. Some  of  us  had  lunch   at  Lanercost  Priory; others  just  ate  their  sandwiches  there. We  walked  as  far  as  the  museum  at   Birdoswald  on  the  first  day. On  the  second  day  the  plan  was  to  walk  to  Once  Brewed ; one  girl   placed  her  car  there  early  in  the  morning  to  get  back  in  time  for  Murray  v  Federer  in  the   Wimbledon  Final. When  we  got  to  Walltown  Crags  and  stopped  for  lunch  she  pressed  on  to  the   finish. However  by  Cawfields  Quarry  one member  was  feeling  under  the  weather  so  we  called  it  a   day  there  and  caught  the  bus  from  the  Milecastle  Inn  rather  than  marching  on. We (Julie, Simon  and I)  drove  off  to Keswick  for  the  rest  of   the  week  as  soon  as   we'd  had  tea; some  stayed  on  and   did  some  walking  on  the  monday.

At  this  point  one  member  bailed  out  of  the  project  due  to  a  non-resolvable  personal  issue  which had  clouded  the  first  two  weekends  to  some  extent. The  plan  was  to  do  the  next  stage  in  the   autumn  but  we  couldn't  find  a  date  that  suited  everyone who  was  committed  to  doing  the  full  route and  so  the  third  stage  took  place  just  over  a  year  later. This  time  we  stayed  at  The Twice  Brewed Inn  which  turned  out  to  be  the  poorest  accommodation  of  the  four.The  rooms  and  evening  meals were  OK  but  the  packed  lunches  were  poor  and  the  breakfasts  terrible. It  wasn't  an  ideal  venue for  Simon  either. Although  he  and  Julie  got  to  visit  Housesteads  on  the  sunday  she  decided  not  to come  up  for  the  final  stage.

On  the  Saturday  we  walked  from  Cawfields  to  Tower  Tye, stopping  for  20  minutes  at  a  country  fair  at  Steel  Rigg. We  stopped  for  lunch  at  Housesteads  but  didn't  explore  the  fort. Just  after  Housesteads  the  long  continuous  stretch  of  Wall  ends  and  the  scenery  gradually  begins  to  decline. At  Tower  Tye  we  had  to  wait  an  hour  for  the bus back  so  we  decided  to  do  a  car  shuffle instead the  following  day. We  walked  from  Tower  Tye  to  Halton  Shields  the  highlight  being  a  very  nice   tea  shop  at  St  Oswald's  near  Chollerford .

We  decided  to  do  the  final  stage  on  the  first  May  Bank  Holiday  the  following  year  although  two  of  those  involved  didn't  actually  sign  up for  it. Without  Julie  and  Simon  influencing  the  choice  of  accommodation  I  plumped  for  a  well-reviewed  farm-based  hostel , Houghton  North  Farm  in  Heddon-On-The-Wall.  and  wasn't  disappointed. The  beds  were  comfy, the  place  was  spotlessly  clean  and  the  landlady  couldn't  have  been  more  friendly  and  helpful  as  well  as  rustling  up  scrambled  eggs  at  breakfast  time.  We  were  also  near  a  nice  pub  The  Swan  which  did  good  meals  ; the  Carvery  on  the  Saturday  night  was  good  value  for  £5.95.

The  rest  of  the  Trail  was  a  so-so  walk  but  we  were  expecting  that. The  route  from  Halton  Shields  to  Heddon-on -the-Wall  hugged  the  B-road, often  just a  hedge's  width  away  and  we  were  in  Heddon  by  1.30. After  stopping  for  a  brew  and  some  victuals  at  the  tea  shop  in  the  village  we  decided  to  walk  on  a  bit  further  to  Newburn  on  the  outskirts  of  Newcastle. This  stretch  involved  a  steep  drop  to the  banks  of  the  Tyne  and  then  a  flat  but  hard  on  the  feet  stroll  through  urban  parkland. The  walk  ended  at  a  not  particularly  friendly  pub The  Boat  House - where  the  football-watching  locals  jealously  guarded  their  half-time  scollops  and  sausages- from  where  we  caught  a   taxi  back.

The  final  day  was  all  tarmac  and  concrete. First  it  follows  an  old  railway  line  through  Newcastle's  western  suburbs  to  a  bridge  over  the  A1  and  then  a  concrete  walkway  into  the  city  centre. We  had  lunch  either   from  Gregg's  or  a  market  vendor  on  the  waterfront  then  ploughed  on  towards  Wallsend  alongside  the  Tyne. After  an  unwelcome  climb  up  the  bank  where  the  landscape  became  industrial  we  had  just  a  tedious  tarmac  trudge  for  a  couple  of  miles  along  another  old  railway  before  arriving  at  the  Segedunum  roman  fort  and  museum  which  meant  we  had  completed  the  trail. The  museum  allowed us  in  to  take  some  pictures  then  we  went  to  the  cafe  for  drinks  and    over-generous  slices  of  cheesecake We  then  caught  a  taxi  into Newcastle  for  a  celebratory  drink in  the  city  centre.

Of  course  this  is  the  first  National  Trail  to  feature  here. The  waymarking  throughout  was  excellent  and  what  with  the  general  direction  being  pretty  obvious  all  the  way, the  guide  hardly  had  to  come  out  of  the  rucksack.  With  the  unappealing  sections  of  hard  surface  walking  at  either  end  it  can't  be  given  top  marks  but  was  certainly  worth  doing.