The best walk ever?
We're not going to take a poll on which of our 13 annual sponsored walks was the best, but the Cumbria Way must surely be in there with a chance. Maybe the best hotel, the best town to stay in, the best scenery, the best youth hostel (almost), the best weather... Only the weather forecasting was below standard!
Very many thanks to everyone concerned with the very efficient organisation, notably of course Lesley Dodd, but also the backup team and the Walks Committee. Thanks also to our sponsors - we'll be with you again next year!
Our walkers' pages on the Justgiving website will be open for some time yet. There are links to them here.
Photos mainly by Ron Comber, Dorothy Gonsalves, Peter Moss and Steve Davis. Text by Patrick Wyman, who is responsible for any errors and omissions... Some photos added on 5 June.
Thursday
After our usual start in the small hours, Bryan's Transport Solutions plc and K & B Coaches got us to Ulverston exactly on time. The rain stopped a few miles before Ulverston.
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| Farmland north of Ulverston |
Leaving Ulverston, we followed becks and field paths for a few miles through farms and tiny villages, pausing at Bob and Betty's Drop Inn, set up at Gawthwaite.
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| Glimpsing the high ground ahead |
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| The Keswick youth hostel provided good food and friendly service. |
After Gawthwaite, the undulations became generally higher, reaching the high point for the day just beyond Beacon Tarn. Though there were those who complained about Thursday's walk being described as "easy", it really was much less hard than what followed. Our friendly coach drivers picked us up from the Torver pub and took us on to Keswick, where we found our accommodation.
Friday
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| Alongside Coniston Water |
We all started together on Friday morning, with a beautiful walk alongside Coniston Water. Approaching Coniston village, black clouds over the Old Man threatened a deluge, but those who put on waterproofs soon took them off for the steady slope up to Tarn Hows, where Bob and Betty had set up the Dropp Inn.
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| Approaching Coniston village |
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| The Dropp Inn at Tarn Hows |
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| In Langdale |
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| Recuperating at the Sticklebarn Inn |
More woodland and hill farms on the way to Skelwith Bridge, where we started on the trek along beautiful Langdale, to end at the Sticklebarn Inn.
Saturday
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| Going the right way, into Mickleden |
This was the day when a lot of us made the mistake of just following the people ahead! To be fair, the "wrong" path up to Stickle Tarn was rather clearer than the Cumbria Way route leading into Mickleden and towards the Stake Pass. Many of us found the climb up to the Pass less demanding than the steep drop down the other side.
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| The way down to Langstrath valley |
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| Stepping stones at Rosthwaite |
The walk along Borrowdale was every bit as beautiful as we had been told it was. After the excursion up towards Stickle Tarn and the slog over Stake Pass, it was perhaps not surprising that we didn't hear of anyone who had diverted over Castle Crag or Catbells on the way to Keswick. Maybe another time!
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| Derwent Water |
Sunday
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| Glenderaterra Valley |
The coach drivers had a morning off, and we made an early start directly from our accommodation in Keswick. The steady climb up to the first checkpoint below Skiddaw was followed by a generally level walk along the side of the Glenderaterra valley, passing the youth hostel at Skiddaw House. Then we dropped down past the Dash Falls, below the splendidly-named Great Cockup.
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| By the Dash Falls |
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| The Oddfellows Arms, Caldbeck |
From the Dropp Inn near Peter House Farm, there was a mixture of quiet road walking and moorland paths on the way to Caldbeck and the Oddfellows Arms. Everyone made it back to Keswick in time for the party at the Lodore Falls Hotel.
Monday
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| Alongside the River Caldew |
A beautiful morning for a beautiful walk along the quiet valley of the River Caldew, which we had crossed in its infancy soon after passing Skiddaw House. The valley was obviously a popular area for the prosperous to live.
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| Rose Castle |
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| Everyone finished in good order |
Full, middle and short distance walkers all started at different places, but we all arrived at the finish point over the course of an hour. There was time for the determined drinkers to squeeze into the pub at Dalston, before the coaches set off for Newcastle and the trains to London.
