This Weeks Walks

It would be very much appreciated if all walk leaders submitted a description of their walk. Preferably by the Monday preceding the walk. Descriptions can be emailed to 

ramblingclubjohn@aol.com or telephone: 530306

Wednesday 7th March 2018

Borrowdale

7 Miles Grade 3

Leader: Sue Greenwood

Sunday 11th March 2018

A Walk

Lords Seat - Spout Force

7 Miles Grade 2

Leader: David Bulman

Sunday 11th March 2018 Car Walk: Sands: 9.00am

Sunday 11th March 2018

B Walk

Allen Banks - Staward Peel

8 Miles Grade 3

Leader: Stephen Parker

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Park at National Trust car park. If you are not a member of NT, please use the ticket machine. Please be aware that NT rangers check car park several times over every weekend, so please ensure your car has a visible ticket.

From the car park we will follow the trail alongside the bank of the river, which is on our left. Due to closure of most of the riverside path due to landslides, the trail ascends after a short while. Although steep in places, it is short until you reach the bank trail along the top which ends at a gazebo overlooking the valley. A good place for a pit stop.

Then we follow the trail down to the river passing through some woods until we reach the footbridge which we cross and continue alongside the left bank of the river into Staward Gorge which compared with Gelt Woods gorge, is a little disappointing but has plenty of wildlife including roe deer if your’ lucky.

 After a while, we ascend a smallish hill to Staward Peel, long since passed its glory days, we then trend back down to the river and continue back the way to the footbridge we crossed earlier.

Going through Planky Mill farm, we walk up the farm road a 100 yards or so, and then turn left back into the countryside. Following the river we soon enter the woods again which is festooned with sandstone crags on both sides in places. Passing some outcrops of rock (on our right), we eventually come to man-made stone steps that rise steeply twisting and turning following the rock strata contours until we reach the top of the bank where turning left, gentle walking takes us to the secluded Morralee Tarn which we circumnavigate before returning back down twisting downward paths to the river bank, coming out on the opposite side of the river and car park.

When we leave the Allen Banks land, we go under the road bridge, up through a gate and cross the bridge to the NT car park

NOTES:

[1] There are decent toilets in the NT car park.

[2] I did the walk on Wednesday and there was still small patches of snow in the shade, plenty of mud, and some fallen trees which fell under weight of the snow and very wet soggy ground which could not hold the shallow roots. SO PLEASE TAKE CARE. WALKING POLES ARE ADVISABLE BUT NOT TOTALLY NECESSARY

[3] Approx. 8 – 9 miles, Grade 3, roughly 6 hours but sections can by cut out if need be due to weather.

Frank Grant

This Weeks Walks

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Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

affiliated to hfholidays

Thursday 8th March 2018

Thursday Night Dinner

The Bridge End - Dalston - 7.00 - 7.15pm

Contact: John McKay

Borrowdale, parking at the Climbers` Hut (old school ) in Grange. If it looks exciting we will try High Spy again (missed it last time as too wet and windy). If weather changes for worse we will do a lower level good walk through to Rosthwaite, waterfall, back via Castle Crag. We will not be hurrying as I can`t and there is no need,( if you are in training for a marathon this is not for you) so lots of short stops for views and conviviality,

Hope we get a good day.

See you

Sue 

Due to persistant winter conditions and low cloud on the high fells I have decided to change Sundays walk as part of the route will be dangerous.

Instead we will be having a second shot at the walk we abandoned 0n the 28th January due to high winds (and which is scheduled for 25th April but I will think of something else for then)

So we park at Spout Gill free car park just past Whinlatter on the road to Lorton NY 181256. We walk the forrest track for 20 mins before cutting off through the trees for 10 mins to gain the open fell leading to the first top of Brow How and then Whinlatter at 517 mtrs. Crossing Tarbarrel Moss we re-enter the tree for a short way before reaching Lords Seat - the highest point at 552 mtrs. From there we follow the ridge to Broom Fell then on to Graystones. The descent from there is quite steep but without difficulty otherwise and gets us down to Aiken Beck before a short climb back to the cars.

Hopefully the weather will be clear at these heights and we will have the views over the entire Solway - even to the Isle of man - and higher fells. This walk also bags 4 Wainwrights.