Dartmoor Way: Trendlebere Down to Cranbrook Down

Monday 1st April 2024

The night before this walk I was camped on the edge of Trendlebere Down and woke to a cold morning with clear skies overhead and stunning views across the Bovey Valley, but with a saturated tent from the rain earlier in the night and condensation from the cold. After breakfast I made my way back down the hill and soon I was back on the Dartmoor Way and walking on a road, which seems to be normal. When I came off the road I entered the National Trust’s Parke Estate, initially beside a lovely bit of woodland, but all too soon I was dumped into a very muddy field. Eventually the ground hardened and I was able to make my way across the estate and into the town of Bovey Tracey, which is technically outside of the Dartmoor National Park. When Abbie Barnes of Spend More Time In The Wild did this walk in 2021, as shown on YouTube, the town was bypassed, which can all be done too easily, but instead of following my inspiration I decided to stick rigidly to the route. While in Bovey Tracey I bought something for lunch and filled my water bottles before setting off along the path through Mill Marsh Park and beside the River Bovey while ahead of me I could see dark clouds looming ahead that soon covered the skies, removing the sunshine that I had woken to and when I joined the route of a disused railway line it started to rain.

The rain was intermittent at first and I was reluctant, as always, to put on my waterproof trousers until eventually I relented which ultimately proved to be necessary, though not immediately. After a pleasant walk on the course of the old railway line largely through woodland lined with celandines and primroses, the Dartmoor Way veered off the railway onto a road and across the valley, and as the rain began to fall in earnest I turned into Pullbrook Wood following a forestry track past many log stacks. With the rain pouring down I ploughed on along the byway until I reached Becka Brook where the track crossed the stream by a ford, but the stream was now a raging torrent and could not be easily crossed. There must be a bridge at this point, but I didn’t see it though I didn’t really look for it and it may have been a short distance downstream. Instead I could see a slender path beside the stream so I took that, but it soon became obvious that this was not the Dartmoor Way as the path became increasingly sketchy and difficult to follow. As I made slow progress through the dense vegetation the rain stopped and astonishingly the clouds broke to reveal blue skies. When I finally lost all trace of the path I climbed up the bank to get out of the valley and when I reached an opening I was afforded me with views in the sunshine across the valley.

Eventually I reached a road and followed this through a meandering course past the tourist attraction of Becky Falls to a footpath that goes around the falls without providing me with a view, since you have to pay for that privilege, and instead I passed many signs that kept me away from the paying areas until eventually, beyond the falls, I finally returned to the Dartmoor Way after my long diversion around Becky Falls. A short spell of road walking brought me to the hamlet of Water where I turned into woodland, which initially I thought was a welcome change from the road walking that I had so often encountered on the Dartmoor Way, but soon I longed to be back on roads as the path through the wood was horrendously muddy, which made walking extremely difficult and left my feet and legs covered in mud. When the path entered Neadon Cleave it seemed to be descending all the way down to the River Bovey but eventually I turned left to pass through woodland that looked promising for flowers, but frustratingly at this early date in the season all I could see was green plants. If the path had been firmer underfoot and I was there a month later, then I’m sure this would have been a fabulous walk through gorgeous woodland, but instead I was relieved when I finally reached the end which heralded the start of a prolonged spell of road walking.

That ended on the approach to Dickford Bridge when the road became an exceptionally muddy track that got my boots covered in mud and then soon after I had to wade through deep water which washed all the mud off my boots and soaked my feet. Eventually I came into the pretty little village of North Bovey and beyond I crossed many fields, including one that was heavily ploughed and difficult to cross, until the final challenge on the path up into Moretonhampstead, which was stupendously muddy. The walking on this day was extremely difficult with many very muddy paths that were very quickly wearing me out. After passing through Moretonhampstead the path took me through pleasant woodland to reach the edge of Butterdon Down until eventually, and with low energy levels, I finally reached Cranbrook Down and climbed up into the remains of an Iron Age hillfort where I put up my tent. Several showers had passed through during the afternoon interspersed with some lovely sunshine and occasionally views towards moors in the west, but I was not in the mood to appreciate it. It started to rain soon after I reached Cranbrook Down, which did not help my mood as I tried to put up my tent and moaned that it was poorly designed and eventually I came to the realisation that I don’t actually like camping. I camp under sufferance. It was necessary during Covid and to get me to places I wouldn’t otherwise be able to get to, but I don’t actually enjoy it. With this realisation I began to change my plans for the year which had involved a lot of camping.

Dartmoor Way: Water Oak Corner to Trendlebere Down

Sunday 31st April 2024

After a cold and wet night I woke on the edge of Dean Moor in Dartmoor to overcast skies with the strong winds that had accompanied the rain earlier in the night now easing. Finally, I set off from Water Oak Corner onto grassy fields that reminded me of Easter Sunday last year when I had been in the Yorkshire Dales and the skies were similarly overcast, but I felt upbeat. The fatigue that I had felt the day before was now gone after a good night that saw me going to sleep when it got dark and waking up when it got light. It was great to be untroubled by alarm clocks and able to sleep for as many hours as my body needed while the clocks changing overnight passed by without me noticing, though my phone soon reminded me that it was an hour later than my watch indicated. The route of the Dartmoor Way took me across Lambs Down to the crossing of Dean Burn set in delightful woodland before a short climb brought me onto a road whose banks were lined with wildflowers, most notably primroses that were very encouraging for me as I walked along the road. When I finally turned off I passed through some fields and into Bilberryhill Copse, which was initially covered in wild garlic and then bluebells, though tragically it was too early in the year for me to see them in flower.

Beyond, an abominably muddy path took me past a farm and onto a road that led me into the market town of Buckfastleigh where I stopped at the Singing Kettle for a late breakfast. On this Sunday morning everywhere else was shut so this tearoom was a welcome place for me to rest and recharge. Onward, I crossed the River Mardle and turned up a long flight of steps lined with beautiful wildflowers to reach the ruins of Holy Trinity Church before a steep descent brought me back to the road after what seems like a complete waste of effort. With blue skies briefly appearing and the sun briefly breaking through I crossed the River Dart and headed towards the town of Ashburton, largely on roads, though not direct as I made several unnecessary diversions before finally descending into Ashburton where I stopped for lunch. When I resumed my walk along the Dartmoor Way I crossed a grassy bank above the waters of the River Ashburn, which I followed into the woodland of Whiddon Scrubbs where, beyond a fence, a brilliant display of woodland plants could be seen, all poised to come out in flower, just not at this time.

Once the path became drier underfoot, then it was a pleasure to walk through this wood beside the slender river, despite overcast skies and a lack of woodland flowers. Eventually the path moved away from the river and climbed on a wet, muddy track to reach Lower and Higher Whiddon which heralded the start of a prolonged section of road walking. From Owlacombe Cross a relatively busy road brought me to Halshanger Cross where I turned right for a quieter stretch of road walking that undulated along the foot of the moors until finally I reached Birchanger Cross. I had not been on the moors so far this day and instead there had been a lot of frustrating road walking, which was only enlivened by the primroses that lined the banks but this last stretch even lacked that so I was relieved when I finally reached Birchanger Cross, turned left and descended to cross the River Lemon. Another muddy path brought me up out of the valley and onto the open moor where I was overjoyed to be finally unfettered and able to see the widespread, though misty, views behind me and ahead past the gorse bushes onto the moor.

When Haytor Rocks came into view I was blown away by the enormity of them, so it was a shame it was so misty and windy and that a road passes just below so they were covered in people. The Dartmoor Way passes to the right, east, of these two granite outcrops, but I elected to pass between them before descending the slopes beyond to reach the Templer Way and the tracks of an old tramway, which is unusually formed of granite rails, shaped to guide the wheels of horse-driven wagons. At this point I was thinking it was too early to stop where I had intended, but it took me so long to follow the trail off the moor and around the edge of Yarner Wood, where the granite tramway continued, that by the time I reached Reddaford Water at the foot of Trendlebere Down it was about five o’clock, so I climbed up onto the moor and found a spot to camp with views looking over the Bovey Valley. Apart from a fleeting bit of sunshine, this day was very misty and overcast with a lot of tedious road walking, but there were many highlights including some great woodland and Haytor Rocks, which I’d never seen before, and overall this felt like a good day.

Dartmoor Way: Ivybridge to Water Oak Corner

Saturday 30th March 2024

After spending a few days walking through Dartmoor in 2020 I was keen to return and when I saw that Abbie Barnes of Spend More Time In The Wild had walked the Dartmoor Way in spring 2021 I thought that looked a good idea, which was strengthened when I saw the video on YouTube of Abbie’s walk. I actually planned to do the Dartmoor Way a year ago but then a High Court judge removed the right to wild camp on Dartmoor so I decided not to go. With that decision overruled on appeal I decided that this Easter I would do the Dartmoor Way, so I caught a train to Ivybridge on the southern edge of the National Park, where I had previously been in 2008 after traversing Dartmoor from north to south. With the sun shining I made my way beside the railway line to a road junction where I realised the Dartmoor Way passes, but the actual start was at the bottom of the hill. I considered ignoring the official starting point and proceeding along the Dartmoor Way from this point, but I wanted to do this properly so I headed done the steep road until I reached the medieval Ivy Bridge that lends its name to the town. Spring flowers greeted me and excited me for the prospect of my walk to come as I turned around and headed back up the same road that I’d just walked down. Soon I was hot in my fleece under the sunny skies as I climbed past the railway line, into Dartmoor National Park and eventually onto the open moor.

The ascent continued until I reached the trackbed of an old tramway where I turned right to follow it around the southern slopes of Western Beacon. I had planned to climb all the way up to the top of Butterdon Hill, but I was too tired so I kept to the Dartmoor Way gradually descending until I reached a small car park on the edge of the moor. A steep descent down a road brought me frustratingly back to the railway line and onto a busy road which I followed into the village of Bittaford where I turned left under an impressive viaduct and climbed back up the hill. Already, I was finding that the Dartmoor Way has a lot of seemingly futile and tiring ups and downs, but the good weather compensated with wild flowers, particularly celandines and primroses, decorating the banks. The agonising climb continued up the hill until I reached Wrangaton Golf Course on the edge of the moor where the walk continued beside the wall. The golf club was actually closed so no golf was taking place, which made me happy, though the boggy path was not so pleasing and I was glad when I reached the club house to start a prolonged spell of road walking. I knew there would be a lot of this on the Dartmoor Way so I was wearing my lightweight boots which I had worn on the Southern Upland Way last year. Celandines and primroses accompanied me beside the road, before crossing a number of wet fields to reach Lydia Bridge on the edge of South Brent.

The Dartmoor Way doesn’t go into the village so I diverted off to head into South Brent beside the delightful River Avon which was lined with wild garlic whose sweet fragrance filled the air. After buying some food I returned to Lydia Bridge to continue along the trail climbing steeply up the hill. Judging by the video, I’m sure Abbie missed out this next section by keeping to the road at the bottom of the valley, but I found it to the highlight of the day. A relentless climb eventually brought me onto Aish Ridge where I had views ahead of the high moorland while my track crossed a saddle and climbed over rocky ground to pass between the monumental stone gateposts of Corringdon Ball Gate. This led me into open moorland with little trace of a path so after a careful check of the directions I turned right to head across the moor, which provided me with some enjoyable, proper hill walking while the late afternoon sunshine illuminated the scenery around me across the Avon valley. The contrast between this stretch of moorland walking with the confines of road walking earlier was marked and added to the enjoyment of the former. Eventually I descended a steep, rocky path to the road at the bottom of the valley and soon I was at the popular car park beside Shipley Bridge where a tarmacked track up the valley passes spectacular rapids and small waterfalls.

This is a justifiably popular area and many people were coming down the valley as I made my way up until eventually I reached Avon Dam Reservoir, surrounded by open moorland that was very wet and with sketchy paths. Beyond the reservoir, at the crossing of the ancient Abbot’s Way I turned right to head over Dean Moor and as the light began to diminish I found a place to pitch up my tent. This walk was marred by being tired due to poor sleep, but I had been looking forward to this holiday for a long time. After the long wait through autumn and winter my walking season had finally begun and with great plans for the year I was eager to start. This walk was tedious while on roads, but great when I was on the open moorland and frustrating when I soon came back down, however I was thankful that the weather was good.

The London Stations Walk

Saturday 23rd March 2024

Following my walk of a month ago through the Royal Parks of London I was keen to return to London as soon as possible and eventually I bought my train ticket despite not really knowing where I was going to walk. My first idea was to do the counterpart to the walk I’d done in February, which would be the east London Sightseeing Dash from the YHA website instead of the west London walk done previously. However, there was less appeal for me in this walk as it largely passes through tedious city landscapes instead of the more natural scenery of the Royal Parks in west London, but I then realised it passes many of the mainline terminus stations in London and this gave me the idea of visiting every one, which would interest me as I am a bit of a railway nerd and since there is no such thing as an original idea, I found the route for a London Stations walk on the website for the Saturday Walkers Club. My train took me to Euston Station, but the walk starts at Kings Cross, so first I had to make my way there and soon I was standing outside the station. Inside, I saw the fantastic, high arching roof of the metal and glass train shed built by the Great Northern Railway and opened in 1852, but soon I emerged by the western entrance onto Kings Boulevard where I followed the advice of the walking club and turned right to pass over a canal and into Granary Square where the buildings used to be part of the goods yard for the station and rail tracks are still imbedded into the ground.

After a wander around I returned to Kings Boulevard and turned right into St Pancras International, originally opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway and I have fond memories of arriving there in the eighties when it was dark, dirty and underused. Now it has been transformed into the terminus for Eurostar as well as for trains from the Midlands and from Kent while the old underfloor warehouses have been transformed into the main passenger concourse. After a good wander around I eventually emerged to pass behind the British Library and return to the comparatively dull Euston Station. Opened in 1837 by the London & Birmingham Railway, it was ruined in the mid-sixties and now has low concrete ceilings in stark contrast of the high, sweeping arches of Kings Cross and St Pancras, so I quickly moved on and joined my route of the month before and was soon in Regent’s Park. I loved being back in the Royal Parks and comparing the changes in the flora since I was there in February. Daffodils had been the dominant flower then, but now it was tree blossom that caught the eye, though many daffodils were still in bloom. On the far side of the park I made my way to Marylebone Station which was opened in 1899 by the Great Central Railway and it looked quaint to me with just a small number of platforms and plenty of natural light. After years of neglect and threatened closure it is good to see this station now flourishing under Chiltern Railways.

My onward progress brought me to Paddington Station where four high arched roofs span an enormous space, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway and opened in 1854, and his stature stands between platforms eight and nine looking out over his work of art. This was my favourite station that I saw on the walk. Not far from Paddington I entered Kensington Gardens and reacquainted myself with this beautiful park, passing the Italian Gardens and walking beside the Long Water and Serpentine while enjoying my surroundings. It had been sunny at the start of this walk but with a cold breeze and now it was starting to cloud over, so even though the weather was poorer a month ago, it was actually warmer. When I finally came out of the royal park I passed through Belgravia on an extended stretch of road walking, but the streets were quiet and I passed by several European embassies until eventually I reached Victoria Station. At first I found this confusing with temporary barriers and narrow streams of passengers, but eventually I emerged onto a much more open area with high ceilings and natural light. Part of the reason for the difference was because this had originally been two stations, one opened in 1860 by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway and the other by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway in 1862, but also because the former part was later heavily redeveloped with offices built above the platforms.

After making my way out of the station, I passed through a shopping centre and soon found myself back at Buckingham Palace where the crowds in St James’s Park were as bad as they had been a month ago. These continued through Admiralty Arch and around Trafalgar Square until I finally got to Charing Cross, opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1864 and with a small, bright concourse but low ceilings on the platforms. Across the River Thames is Waterloo Station with, bizarrely, the tracks coming out of Charing Cross passing in front of the station. This was opened in 1848 by the London and South Western Railway and is enormous encompassing more platforms than any other station in Britain. The former Eurostar platforms were a notable see but it was difficult for me to get a good look beyond the ticket barriers elsewhere, though most of the station was good to look at with plenty of natural light through glass roofs. When I finally felt the station I made my way to the River Thames and walked along the south bank past the National Theatre to reach Blackfriars station, built on Blackfriars Bridge. Some would name this one of the London Stations, but since it is not a terminus I passed it by, though beside the southern entrance, until I reached Southwark Bridge where I crossed the Thames again to reach Cannon Street Station, which on this day was closed for engineering works. This was opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1866 and I was able to look through the barriers at the empty station before crossing the Thames again on London Bridge to reach the eponymous station.

London Bridge Station was opened in 1836 by the London and Greenwich Railway but has recently been heavily rebuilt with the result that I was unable to see the through platforms, but I was able to see the terminus platforms and they are surely what counts on this walk. The station is now similar to St Pancras in that the passenger concourse is on a lower level and the platforms are above. Back beside the River Thames I walked past the World War Two cruiser, HMS Belfast, and up to the iconic Tower Bridge, which was awesome to walk over, but the experience was severely diminished by the crowds so I was glad to get away and after walking around the Tower of London and between densely packed skyscrapers I reached Fenchurch Street Station. This tiny station was opened in 1841 by the London and Blackwell Railway and was a dark and unpleasant place, but with a striking frontage. The confusing street navigation continued till I reached Liverpool Street Station where I was told I was not allowed to take pictures of the station, which was a surprise to me, but the station supervisor later told me it was actually the security cameras I was not allowed to photo. It was surprising that no one had told me this earlier on any of the other stations I had been to, and this was actually my last one. Opened in 1874 by the Great Eastern Railway, it has escaped the ruination typical of other stations and I was able to get a good picture, clear of security cameras, overlooking the platforms.

With a couple of hours spare before my train was due I spent the time on the underground trains before finally returning to Euston, but my experience at Liverpool Street Station had rather marred the day. It was good to make a return visit to London and the Royal Parks, but the crowds have convinced me that I should not be such a hurry to return. It was interesting to explore the various stations and note that the best ones were those with natural light through glass roofs.

The Royal Parks of London

Saturday 17th February 2024

I had an idea, at least four years ago, of going for a walk through the Royal Parks of London, but Covid intervened and my plan was shelved until eventually I decided I would now do my long anticipated walk, so despite poor weather I caught a train to London. When I left the railway station I started to follow a route that I’d found on the OS Maps app and also on the YHA website described as a sightseeing dash. There are two tours and I was taking the one through West London, which was initially rather dull as I passed through enclosed streets with high buildings either side, but eventually I reached my first Royal Park: Regent’s Park, entering through the English Gardens. Even though I came to London many times as a child, I don’t remember being in Regent’s Park before as my family was focused on the usual tourist attractions and the Royal Parks were not a priority. Despite being February there were many daffodils in bloom thanks to the mild weather and there were even some snowdrops clinging on despite the mild weather. It was also noticeable how many runners there were in the park at this early hour, but I was happy to just walk as I made my way into Queen Mary’s Gardens where I turned left passing a wonderful display of daffodils and out of the gardens.

After passing Regent’s University and the boating lake I left Regent’s Park and turned right onto Marylebone Road, past Madame Tussauds waxworks museum to reach Baker Street tube station where a stature of Sherlock Holmes stands looking at the entrance. From there I turned down Baker Street for a spell of tedious road walking that brought to mind a comment I made a couple of months ago that I love walking so much I even love walking along streets and at this moment I was really testing that claim. I suppose what I found enjoyable about walking along a street in the Lake District was the trees lining the road and the lack of people, which I certainly didn’t have on Oxford Street, but fortunately I soon reached Marble Arch where I turned off the road and entered Hyde Park. The misty weather that had accompanied me so far now tried to rain, though it was never very heavy and soon stopped. Hyde Park was a maze of paths and finding the right one was often a game of trial and error until eventually I found my way to the Serpentine where I turned right to walk beside the lake past the many ducks that were quacking loudly to encourage the tourists to feed them.

Following the side of the lake I passed Serpentine Bridge to follow the lake now known as the Long Water to the northern tip and the fountains of the Italian Gardens which are part of Kensington Gardens and Budge’s Walk brought me to the Round Pond in front of Kensington Palace. After a wander around the Princess Diana Memorial Garden I set off along Mount Walk, before branching off to visit the enormously opulent Albert Memorial with the Royal Albert Hall beyond. At this point the prescribed trail headed past the concert hall into Knightsbridge where there are many large museums and then through Belgrave past Harrods, but I wanted to linger in the Royal Parks so I turned back into Hyde Park passing beds of crocuses to return to the Serpentine. I was now following the route of the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk and I realised that it had originally been my intention for the walk to follow this trail across the Royal Parks before I decided to follow the YHA walk instead. I lingered at the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and paused again beside a bed of snowdrops near the memorial to Queen Caroline for whom the Long Water and Serpentine were created.

Eventually I emerged through Hyde Park Corner to pass the military memorials beside the Wellington Arch and enter Green Park which was wonderfully decorated with daffodils and crocuses. I was now reunited with the YHA walk and followed that across Green Park to the tube station and past the Ritz before turning down St James’s Street to reach St James’s Palace. The crowds of tourists now increased significantly as I turned onto the Mall with the iconic Buckingham Palace ahead of me and it was interesting for me to note many small groups clustered around someone describing the scene in a foreign language. While walking past the gates of Buckingham Palace I realised that I hadn’t been here since I was a child, but I wasn’t enjoyed the crowds, which continued as I passed into St James’s Park and while walking beside the lake. On the far side of the park I crossed Horse Guards Parade and under the arch into Whitehall where the crowds continued as I passed by many government buildings including Downing Street and past the Cenotaph. While Big Ben struck twelve o’clock I squeezed through the crowds over Westminster Bridge and then turned left to walk beside the Thames and below the London Eye.

After crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge I was completely fed up with the crowds and by the time I reached Trafalgar Square I had lost interest in following the trail, which was now almost complete except for a traverse of Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circle. So I abandoned the trail, if only because I had plenty of time left before my train was due, and wandered back to the Thames to visit Cleopatra’s Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk erected beside the river. After returning to Trafalgar Square through Victoria Embankment Gardens my mind was now more decisive about where to go next as I made my way back onto the Mall and into St James’s Park to rejoin the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, which I followed along the southern side of the lake. Plaques set into the ground guided my route through St James’s Park, past the front of Buckingham Palace again and into Green Park. Protestors at Hyde Park Corner blocked my onward progress, but I was able to use a subway under the road to get past them and back into Hyde Park. The memorial walk took me through Hyde Park and into Kensington Gardens until finally I reached the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground.

I was now at the extreme north western corner of the circular trail having started at the eastern end while most of the rest of the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk had been covered earlier so I decided that I would now head back to the railway station. There was some appeal in taking the tube but since I still had plenty of time I decided to walk which was my purpose in coming to London. I kept inside Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park until I reached Marble Arch and then less appealingly I walked along Oxford Street until I rejoined the YHA walk for the final stretch past BBC Broadcasting House and beneath the BT Tower. This was a surprisingly strenuous walk that left me aching for several days afterwards, but despite the large crowds I really enjoyed it and was soon wondering when I would next be in London.

Churnet Valley and the Weaver Hills

Saturday 27th January 2024

For many months before this walk I had hardly done any walking, partly because the ground was so saturated after heavy rain that it wasn’t worth going for a walk, but with January being less wet I was keen to break out of my rut, drag myself out of the house and go for a walk, and I felt so much better for it. My place of choice was the Churnet Valley, a little-known area in Staffordshire that I first visited in 2021 and ever since I have been obsessed with it, loving its steep wooded valleys. I parked at the Mill Road car park in the village of Oakamoor and soon entered Cotton Dell Nature Reserve, which is a magical place in any season passing through a narrow valley where fallen trees litter the stream. The restorative effect on me of just a short walk through this wood was amazing and I was in awe of every step as I took loads of pictures and slowly made my way up the valley. When I reached a junction of paths I turned left, as I always do, to follow the right-of-way steeply up the muddy bank and out of the valley. A slender path continues up the bottom of the valley which I have often wanted to explore but that part of the valley is not open to the public so instead I have always followed the right-of-way that keeps high up the western slopes and past Cotton Bank Farm and Side Farm.

My route for this walk was taken from the OS Map app where it is called “Oakamoor/Alton circular (staffs)”, and I had already deviated from the route to visit Cotton Dell, but now I was back on course following a track north. So far I had been in familiar territory, but a right turning coming up took me into countryside that I was not familiar with and even that first turning was missed! Once I had retraced my steps I took the difficult-to-follow path across the valley and onto Cotton Lane passing the derelict buildings of Cotton College and St Wilfred’s Catholic Church. Eventually I turned left off the road to take a track up into Ramshorn Common where the path was very faint and often exceptionally boggy. At one point, after crossing a bog, I found a good path that was a pleasure to walk upon, until I realised that I was going the wrong way and I had to retrace my steps back to the bog and take a non-existence, boggy path through the wood. I suppose in better weather this would be a good walk, but not at this time of the year. Eventually I reached a farm where the Ordnance Survey map indicates that a track passes to the north of the building but in practice footpath signs took me through a narrow gap between the buildings and into a farmyard filled with cows.

Thankfully I managed to safely get away and after a short walk along Green Lane I crossed several wet, grassy fields to reach a gap between fields that the OS Map app directed me along but was clearly not a public right-of-way. Roads instead took me to Sycamore Farm where a path through grassy fields took me to the edge of Kevin Quarry. Ahead of me now was a view of the Weaver Hills and the promise of reaching these hills spurred me on through further difficulties with the path, weaving a course between various limestone quarries and battling overgrown bramble until finally I reached the foot of the hills. The prescribed route doesn’t climb the Weaver Hills, but I have wanted to climb these hills ever since I first saw them on a map while trying to find the closest hills to my home, first in 2009 and then again during lockdown. Initially I had been looking for the nearest hill more than a thousand feet high and although the Weaver Hills lost out to Alport Height, if I had been looking for the nearest hill twelve hundred feet high then this would have won and significantly the Weaver Hills are considered to be the southernmost hills of the Pennines.

Broad grassy slopes led me slowly all the way up to the windswept summit ridge where I made my way to the trig point that marks the top. The extensive views south were very hazy, while frustratingly west were the quarries that I had just passed but north the views took me into the Peak District. After lunch I headed back down the hill, rejoining the prescribed route and after passing through the village of Wootton I entered the country estate of Wootton Lodge, which is owned by the family behind the JCB manufacturing company. In places the paths were very well signposted but in others they were very sketchy, and surprisingly the public footpath passes very close to the grand seventeenth century country house of Wootton Lodge which was an impressive sight. When I reached Brookleys Lake I was reminded that I had come this way in 2022 and now I followed my steps over the hill and around the edge of Alton Towers Resort, passing the holiday cottages and hotel before dropping down the hill to reach the old railway line at the bottom of the Churnet Valley. A relaxing walk along the disused railway brought me back to Oakamoor and offered me a chance to ponder on the walk, where I had enjoyed the exercise but also where route-finding was so difficult I was frequently checking the map and still I made mistakes.

Cannock Chase Heritage Trail

Saturday 7th October 2023

Apart from my fortnight in the Lake District I did very little walking last summer, so when good weather and a window in my busy schedule coincided I forced myself to take the opportunity and grabbed my rucksack, getting off the train in Cannock. I first came to Cannock Chase in 2021 and I have been back only a couple of times subsequently, so a return visit seemed warranted and a short internet search revealed the existence of a Cannock Chase Heritage Trail, which seemed ideal as it runs between railway stations. However, it doesn’t start right next to Cannock station so first I had to make my way through Cannock until I reached the town centre and the old pumping station at Hall Green where I read up on the history of the area before setting off through the town centre and back to the railway station, but I was already finding that the Heritage Trail was not very well signposted and the map from the District Council website was also not very helpful. Therefore, I relied on an Ordnance Survey map and wandered around vaguely heading in the right direction going wherever I wanted, whether I was strictly on the trail or not. For example, after passing the railway station I entered Mill Green and Hawks Green Nature Reserve and immediately climbed up onto the embankment the runs alongside the railway line to walk through the beech wood rather on the tarmacked path that soon brings you out of the reserve and onto a busy road.

I had an enjoyable walk through the woodland making my own way through the reserve until finally I emerged at the northern end onto the busy road which I now followed to a roundabout where a cycle path took me through Anglesey Nature Reserve and into the town of Hednesford. A walk through the town centre brought me to the railway station, but just before I reached there I turned right past a superstore and entered Hednesford Park. The last traces of invasive balsam was the only flowers to linger in these parks and reserves at this time of the year and provided me with some interest as I made my way through these municipal areas, but I longed for more natural environments like the woods and moors of Cannock Chase. Eventually my wish was granted as I crossed the railway line and took a path that led me through Brindley Heath as I slowly climbed into the Cannock Chase Country Park passing through an area that I remember previously walking in 2021. I was now beginning to see signs marking the Heritage Trail, but rather than be clear, they appeared to be in the process of being removed or perhaps they were being replaced. Fortunately I was still able to follow the route with a map and since I was now in an area that I had previously walked I was able to make my way through with little difficulty.

By the time I reached the area of the visitor centre the long promised sun was beginning to break through the overcast skies that had lingered all morning, but it would stay rather hazy for the rest of the day. Eventually I left the crowds behind and descended into the Fairoak Valley to walk beside the Fairoak Ponds that I have passed on several previous occasions until on reaching the Stonybrook Ponds I turned right to climb away from the main Cannock Chase area and onto a road. Now, I followed a footpath beside Rising Brook, which was decorated with invasive balsam whose sweet smell added to the air as I slowly made my way into Hagley Park on the outskirts of the town of Rugeley. All that remained for me from there was to find a way through the town that eventually brought me to Rugeley Trent Valley railway station and the end of the Cannock Chase Heritage Trail. This was a disappointing walk since most of it passed through man-made areas that were just not interesting enough for me, while Cannock Chase itself was all familiar territory so also nothing special. However, at a time when I was struggling to find the motivation to get out for a walk this was exactly what I needed and I was prompted after this to start going out for walks in my local area as often as possible, which provided me with the recuperation and healing that I needed after a summer of stagnation.

The Roaches and Ramshaw Rocks

Saturday 17th June 2023

After walking over Kinder Scout in 2022, the men of my church were keen to do another challenging walk in the Peak District so I suggested the Roaches, copying a walk that I had done in 2021 with someone from work. However the event organiser was keen for us to start from Gradbach on the other side of the hill, which would have eliminated some of the problems with my 2021 walk, but since I was not familiar with that route we planned to echo my 2021 walk, but in the end it was cancelled because too many had pulled out, which left me free to do the Gradbach walk on my own. The Wildlife Trust car park in the valley was full, including a lot of campervans, though nearby fields were available for a charge and accompanied by swarms of flies I set off along the track through the Dane Valley, past Gradbach Mill, formerly a youth hostel that I had stayed in as a child, but is now a hotel. Soon, I crossed Black Brook and entered Forest Wood climbing steeply to some outcrops where I turned sharp left to reach Lud’s Church. Despite being there several times before, most recently in 2021, the chasm known as Lud’s Church was an awesome place with sheer rock walls covered in moss and the temperature noticeably colder than outside. With many wildflowers including wood sorrel growing in the crevices I was enthralled by the narrow ravine and really wanted to explore, but I was mindful of how I would direct a group of guys so I kept to the main path through and soon climbed back out into the wood.

Wooden boardwalks led me through the wood to a signpost where I turned right to climb out of the wood and through moorland to the ridge north of the Roaches. Turning left, I proceeded along the ridge but made a point of stopping occasionally so I could admire the view, despite overcast skies, along the ridge and into the Dane Valley. The ideal time to do this walk would be when the heather is in flower, when the moorland is ablaze with purple, while at this time the heather was overshadowed by the vivid green of bilberry leaves. Slowly, I made my way along the path at the top of the ridge that eventually brought me up to the trig point that marks the summit of the Roaches while passing many people on the way, most of whom were wearing shorts, which I soon found quite amusing when it started to rain. Eventually I turned off the ridge to pass below rock climbers and descend steeply with the isolated hill of Hen Cloud before me, which I tackled enthusiastically despite a tiring climb and having to come straight back down again. A path is marked on maps descending the southern slopes but instead I tried to descend the eastern slope beside a drystone wall, which took me into a wood where a clear path took me north back towards the Roaches. Soon, I branched off to pass near Well Farm as the rain began to fall heavily and I doubled back again heading south.

Route-finding was rather difficult at this point and after entering a very muddy section I decided to check my location and realised that I had missed a turning, so I had to double back (again) to reach the correct path and now I was on the Churnet Way. This is a long distance trail that I have followed in part on a few occasions but always further south in the wooded, steep-sided Churnet Valley while here the River Churnet is a slender stream amongst moorland. The path led me around a farm where wet grass saturated my shoes and then later a narrow path through overhanging heather and bilberry completed the job by wetting my trousers. While the rain continued to fall I made my way up to Ramshaw Rocks, which is a line of outcrops that I cannot remember visiting before, so I was excited to be there, though it was short-lived and soon I was crossing moorland to reach a road that had been on my drive in. Now the walk settled into a gentle stroll along the road, past Black Brook Nature Reserve and along a track around Gradbach Hill that led me back into the valley and the car park.

The route for this walk had come from the OS Maps app (“Gradbach, Luds Church, The Roaches, Hen Cloud, Ramshaw Rocks and Dane Valley”), and was surprisingly strenuous so I doubt it would have been suitable for the guys from my Church who would have probably preferred a much easier walk than going over the Roaches. I enjoyed the walk even though it had not taken me more than four hours and with the weather now improving I considered continuing north from the car park towards Three Shires Head, but in the end I decided to head home and be satisfied with what had been a good walk through stunning scenery despite poor weather.

Gritstone Trail: Timbersbrook to Kidsgrove

Monday 1st May 2023

At the start of my final day on the Gritstone Trail I woke to hill fog enveloping the Wild Boar Inn campsite where I had been staying for the weekend. This didn’t seem hopeful for the walk but after packing up I drove away from the campsite and was soon below the level of the clouds as I made my way to the railway station at Kidsgrove. The Gritstone Trail lends itself to being done using trains which almost run alongside the trail and indeed it starts and ends at railway stations. I had caught a train to Disley at the start of the trail and on each stage I was able to walk to a railway station to get back to where I needed to be, and now I caught a train from Kidsgrove to Congleton where I had reached the previous day. A short walk along the Macclesfield Canal and Brookhouse Lane brought me back onto the Gritstone Trail not far from Timbersbrook where the third and final stage of the trail begins. Soon I was on the Biddulph Valley Way, which follows the course of an old railway, and I loved walking through the gorgeous woodland which was filled with birdsong and overflowing with greenery including bluebells and stitchworts that was very soothing and uplifting for me. I couldn’t help contrasting this with my state of mind at the start of the Gritstone Trail when I had felt stressed and overwhelmed, but now the trail had completely restored my mind and spirit.

Eventually I moved away from the Biddulph Valley Way to climb slowly past a campsite and up onto a ridge, finally reaching the top at a dip known as Nick i’ th’ Hill whereupon I proceeded along the wooded ridge with bilberries lining the path until I reached a road. While the sky brightened with the sun briefly trying to break through the clouds, the trail continued along the road on top of the ridge with extensive views west across the Cheshire plain. There were many parking laybys beside the road to afford motorists the opportunity to appreciate the extensive views, but it was distressing for me to see that these were covered in litter despite bins being provided. I picked up loads of the litter and put them in the bins, but I could have been there all day and I would have needed many bins. This was very frustrating, but eventually I tore myself away and finally branched off the road to reach the Old Man of Mow where a tall, rock monolith sat amongst burnt heathland. Quickly, I made my way around the gritstone pillar and up to the trig point that marks the highest point on the hill behind before carefully making my way back down and across to Mow Cop Castle, though it was the millstone grit outcrops that the folly sits on that was of more interest to me and I enjoyed scrambling amongst them. There were extensive views south from the castle, but this only reinforced the knowledge that I was coming to the end of the trail and the high ground that I had been following throughout was no more.

I had enjoyed this walk which had succeeded in lifting my spirits more than anything else could so I was sad for it to end, but now I descended to the Cheshire Plain and picked up the Macclesfield Canal which I followed beside delightful displays of bluebells, briefly coming off to find somewhere to sit and have my lunch. Upon returning to the canal I followed it out to the junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal, which was a dirty brown colour from the iron oxide seeping into the water, mainly from Harecastle Tunnel. The urban surroundings of this canal were much less appealing to me than on the rural Macclesfield Canal, so I felt fortunate to not be following the Trent & Mersey for long and soon I returned to Kidsgrove railway station. This was a relatively short walk, by my standards, having reached the station by 1.30, but I wasn’t bothered by this as it meant that I was able to get home and enjoy the afternoon sunshine. This holiday performed wonders on my mental health after starting the trail feeling anxious, stressed and in a fragile state, but by this last day I was feeling relaxed and carefree. After just three days, the Gritstone Trail had performed a miracle on my mental state. The trail was surprisingly hilly, but I could have easily done it in just two days, though I enjoyed the more relaxed schedule which gave me a chance to relax and obtain the refreshment I needed.

Gritstone Trail: Tegg's Nose to Timbersbrook

Sunday 30th April 2023

At the start of my second day on the Gritstone Trail I returned to Tegg’s Nose Country Park where I had parked on day one and where the second stage begins. I was trying to take advantage of one of the bank holiday Mondays in May to do a long distance trail and I was taking my time because I wasn’t feeling great at the time and hoped this walk would refresh me, but the weather on this day was poor, grey and overcast with a strong, cold wind coming off the hills and rain was forecast. Soon after leaving the car park beside the visitor centre I reached the hilltop known as Tegg’s Nose where formerly quarrying was carried out and some relics of that era have been left behind and information boards revealed how the landscape was previously worked. Now the hill has been taken over by nature and heather, bilberry and gorse decorated the slopes below bare gritstone rock faces. After taking my time wandering around the hill I slowly made my way steeply down the hill past gorse bushes filled with yellow flowers that brightened the hillside under the grey skies to the two reservoirs at the bottom of the hill. The path across the dams brought me to Clarke Lane where a turning up a track led me to a stream where celandines, wood anemones and bluebells decorated a lovely dell that beckoned me towards it so I was frustrated when I discovered that the Gritstone Trail ignores Macclesfield Forest and instead turned south past Greenbarn Farm and Lees House Farm.

The contrast between the sylvan beauty of Bollin Brook with the dull grassy farmland was depressing and the scenery failed to improve except beside the occasional stream where wildflowers distracted me from the monotony, most notably beside Rossendale Brook where newly emerging bluebells raised my spirits. Eventually I began to climb again, up Fox Bank to the top of the Hill of Rossenclowes where I had extensive views west across the Cheshire plain, but it was very hazy and difficult to see anything, so it was to my left where the more interesting views were to be seen, into the Peak District. The ridge continued to climb until I reached the top of Croker Hill where a large radio transmitter dominated the scene and soon after passing that I dropped down the hill to reach the A54 road. My inspiration for doing this trail was the video on YouTube by Abbie Barnes who did the thirty-five mile walk in two days and stopped at this point, camping at the nearby Wild Boar Inn, which was so warmly praised I decided to stay there myself on the two nights either side of this walk. Unfortunately the pub is no longer open but I was still able to camp in the field behind and the facilities were very good. Since I was taking three days on the trail I didn’t stop at this point like Abbie and instead I continued along the trail over the top of Golden Hill on a road that provided me with nothing of interest underfoot and a strong headwind.

Soon it started to rain and would rarely stop until after I’d finished this stage of the trail, which didn’t help with my enjoyment of the walk, however at the bottom of the hill I encountered the tree-filled valley of Shell Brook but I was disappointed at the lack of wildflowers and it didn’t help that the path was very muddy underfoot. The trail took me across the eastern bank above Cartlidge Wood before finally descending into the Dane Valley where Barleigh Ford Bridge took me over the River Dane and up to the course of what at first I took to be an old railway and then an old canal, but is in fact a conduit for feeding the Caldon Canal. The overgrown sides of the conduit provided me with pleasant walking that proved to be so enthralling I missed the turning off and had to retrace my steps when I realised. The path now took me across some fields, a road, an actual disused railway line and along the bottom of the Dane Valley where I went the wrong way again. Generally the Gritstone Trail was very well signposted but it was not so clear at this point as I missed the turning and started to climb out of the valley. When I realised I took advantage of stopping to have my lunch before returning to the bottom of the valley and back along the trail through the thick grass of the meadow beside the river before turning up beside a beautiful little dell that carries Ravensclough Brook.

Many woodland flowers decorated the slopes starting with wild garlic then bluebells and later the white flowers of stitchwort that produced a beautiful scene that was over all too soon as I climbed out of Raven’s Clough. With the rain continuing to pour I climbed a grassy bank that brought me to the prominent hill and National Trust property of the Cloud that was attracting many people despite the weather so I didn’t linger and quickly made my way past the crags that adorn the northern edge of the summit. A good path took me through the heathland and into a wood until eventually I reached a road near the village of Timbersbrook where the second stage of the Gritstone Trail ends, but I stayed on the trail for a short while longer until I reached Brookhouse Lane where I came off to walk down to the Macclesfield Canal which took me to Congleton railway station. However when I got there I was dismayed to discover that the next train was in two and a half hours, but I tried to not let this ruin the walk which I had felt had gone well, despite the weather and some dull scenery, as there had been some enjoyable moments at the top of several hills and at the sight of many woodland flowers. With hindsight I should have parked at Timbersbrook and caught a train back to Macclesfield at the start of the day, so instead I wandered into the centre of Congleton and had a look around the museum.

Gritstone Trail: Disley to Tegg’s Nose

Saturday 29th April 2023

Last spring I thought I’d take advantage of the many bank holidays to go away during one of them and I was inspired by Abbie Barnes of Spend More Time in the Wild to walk the Gritstone Trail, who first did the trail in winter and then after that was unsuccessful returned in the spring with a much better experience. The Gritstone Trail is a thirty-five mile walk through Cheshire along the western edge of the Peak District, which I thought would provide me with an easy three day hike at a time when I was feeling vulnerable. Earlier in April I had abandoned the Dales High Way because I wasn’t feeling well, and because of bad weather, so I really needed to get back out for a walk and this was my chance. To start, I drove to Tegg’s Nose Country Park and walked down the road into the town of Macclesfield where I caught a train to Disley, the starting point of the Gritstone Trail, but almost immediately after getting off the train I fell apart. Firstly, I was anxious because I couldn’t find a toilet and then because I couldn’t find the start of the trail even though it starts at the railway station. Eventually I did find the start of the Gritstone Trail, by the railway station, just not on the side that I had gotten off but by this time I was feeling very stressed and insecure. Nevertheless, before me now was a large noticeboard proclaiming the start of the Gritstone Trail which led me up a flight of steps through glorious woodland decorated with celandines and wild garlic to a lane that brought me out into the countryside.

What I needed right now was some quiet and solitude to help me recover from the stressful situation, but there were too many people around and when confronted with a barking dog I was prompted to put my hands over my ears and try to get away as quickly as possible. I was in a very fragile state and needed to be by myself away from people where I could recover and eventually I thankfully found an area of gorse bushes where I was able to move away from the path, sit down and rest, have something to eat and find myself again. The Gritstone Trail is not very long so I had plenty of time to recover and eventually I set off again soon entering Bollinhurst Wood, whose peaceful surroundings performed wonders on my mental health so that when I entered the National Trust property of Lyme Park my mind was calm and I was able to walk past the crowds without a problem. Ahead of me was a large square sandstone structure known as the Cage that reminded me of Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds, but I avoided it because of the many crowds there and continued along the trail, past Lyme House and the car park before turning to climb up through Knightslow Wood and Park Moor. The views behind me across the Cheshire plain were extensive but it was the views into the Peak District that were more appealing to me. Turning south along a clear lane brought me over Sponds Hill, the highest point on the trail, where a viewfinder promised me that the Berwyns in Wales were visible to the west, but unfortunately not in the hazy sunshine that I had on this walk.

The descent gradually brought me down to a gap with the former mill town of Bollington in the distance and across various streams, firstly Harrop Brook where a stone packhorse bridge crosses the water beside celandines that decorated a scene so beautiful I was prompted to stop and take a moment to take it all in. Slowly, I crossed the gap and climbed the steep hillside opposite to the whitewashed monument known as White Nancy where I had extensive views west, but which lacked the interest, though restricted, that I had east into the Peak District. A narrow ridge across the Saddle of Kerridge brought me to the trig point that marks the top of Kerridge Hill while the Gritstone Trail crossed the lower slopes. The top of Kerridge Hill more than justified the diversion and I enjoyed the path down the other side and back across the side of the hill to pick up the trail and cross another gap in the hills before slowly climbing again through many small meadows whose only wildflowers tragically seemed to be dandelions. Eventually I returned to the car park for Tegg’s Nose Country Park just as it began to rain after a walk that had started very badly for me but soon began the work that I had hoped this walk would perform on my mental health.

Dunstable Downs and Ivinghoe Beacon

Saturday 22nd April 2023

I love woodland flowers so every spring I am keen to get out for a walk as often as possible and last April, despite an overcast weather forecast, I was determined to go for a walk. Having considered the Peak District I decided to head south instead to the Chilterns, which I had not visited for a couple of years and after a quick look around the OS Maps app I found a walk entitled ‘Dunstable Down – Ashridge Beacon Loop’ that seemed a good choice, mainly because the starting point was not far from the M1 motorway. I parked at the National Trust property of Dunstable Downs which sits on the northern edge of the Chiltern escarpment and so should have provided me with extensive views but fog prevented that and initially I ignored my walk to explore the downs wandering north over grasslands decorated with cowslip in amongst grass that glistened with water droplets. Cowslip dominate these chalk escarpments at this time of the year so this was not the only time I would see these small yellow flowers, but they were a welcome sight before I’d even started my walk. After rounding the northern tip of Dunstable Downs I returned to the visitor centre and finally began the prescribed walk as shown on the OS Maps app, which sent me along the top of the escarpment following the route of the Icknield Way Trail.

As the fog slowly began to clear I moved away from the escarpment and along a muddy path, ignoring the point where the Icknield Way Trail turned left so I could keep straight ahead and reach the B4540 road, soon rejoining the trial, which had diverted to visit Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, and I wish I had seen that now. Instead I obeyed the app and headed down Studham Lane and around Whipsnade Zoo, which I wasn’t interested in, but on the other side of the path I was delighted to find young bluebells. I hadn’t been hopeful to find bluebells on this walk and most were still in bud, but it was great to see bluebells for the first time this year. The path around Whipsnade Zoo eventually brought me to Whipsnade Park Golf Club, which I crossed as quickly as possible to avoid the dangers inherent in such places. My route continued to follow the Icknield Way Trail through the village of Dagnall and along Hog Hall Lane slowly climbing until I reached the National Trust’s Ashridge Estate where I joined the route of the Ashridge Estate boundary trail, which I had done in 2021. Soon, I was confronted by the gorgeous smell of wild garlic as I descended steeply into the Coombe, though foul smelling dog’s mercury became more dominant lower down and later the walk continued past many other woodland flowers that delighted me, including celandines and violets, until eventually I emerged onto the grassy Ivinghoe Hills.

I now seriously considered turning into south the heart of the Ashridge Estate and abandoning the prescribed walk to see more wildflowers, but eventually I kept to the route passing many cowslips while heading up to Ivinghoe Beacon where the Ridgeway trail ends. With many people at the viewpoint I immediately turned east to head back down the hill and towards Dunstable on a bridleway beside a tall fence that seemed to be protecting only a grassy field. On reaching a road I headed back into the village of Dagnall and my outward route where the walk on the OS Map app would have had me retrace my steps across the golf course and around Whipsnade Zoo. Since I didn’t want to do that, when I reached Dagnall I turned left onto Dunstable Road to head straight back, but soon I found that this was not a good idea as it is a busy road and there was nowhere to walk away from the oncoming cars. However, I pinned my safety on access land not far ahead where a lion has been marked out in white chalk on the side of the hill, but when I got there I found tall metal fences barring me from entering the access land so I had to keep going beside the dangerous road. Eventually, after turning right at a junction, I was finally able to enter the access land of Dunstable Downs and slowly climb the escarpment in a groove past many beautiful cowslips until I finally returned to my car after a good walk through the Chiltern Hills.

Grizedale Forest and Hawkshead

Friday 22nd December 2023

My final day in the Lake District was again affected by bad weather with nonstop rain forecast and the same strong winds that had plagued me all week still present, however, by the time I left the youth hostel in Coniston the rain had stopped. After getting something for my lunch from the village I headed beside the road around the northern tip of Coniston Water and up the hill into Grisedale Forest, which I assumed would provide me with a good alternative to the fells that were out of my reach again because of the strong winds and rain. An excellent track brought me up the side of the hill with views to my right across the lake, towards the village of Coniston and the impressive fells beyond until eventually I plunged into the conifer plantation where a selection of walking trails are marked by colour-coded rings on wooden posts. Green ringed posts marked the Silurian Way, which at ten miles is the longest walking trail and seemed the best for me, so I immediately started to follow these posts that at this point also had red rings marking the Carron Crag Trail. Ignoring the turning up to Carron Crag which I had visited a year ago, I followed a gloriously rocky path as it slowly descended into the valley of Grizedale, however, at one point a small tree that had fallen over blocked my way, but was easily circumvented. When I reached the bottom I thought I’d have a look around the visitor centre as I’d never been there before, but at the information point I was advised me not to do any of the trails because of the danger of falling trees.

This was very frustrating as it meant there was nothing for me to do anywhere. Obstinately I ignored their instruction and continued along the trail but soon after entering Priest Wood I came across another fallen tree and this one was so large I was unable to go around it. Rather than be thwarted I climbed the hillside above through the undergrowth and after a lot of effort I somehow managed to reach the trail again, but all too soon I found my way blocked by another fallen tree. By this point I was beginning to think that maybe it wasn’t possible to walk along the trails in Grizedale Forest, so while making my way up a delightful little valley through Braithwaite Plantation I started to plan my exit. When I reached a junction of forestry tracks, marked on Ordnance Survey maps with a spot height of 203 metres, I took a bridleway that headed north initially with extensive, but misty views and soon it started to rain heavily. I was now finding the landscape so monotonous, while passing a never-ending line of conifers, that I may not have done the whole of the Silurian Way even without the danger of falling trees, so that I was glad to be coming out of Grizedale Forest and eventually as the rain eased I came into the village of Hawkshead. Despite being very popular with tourists, Hawkshead has felt to me as being off the beaten track as there are no fells near it, so this was my first time in the village.

I found a warren of narrow lanes in Hawkshead that was interesting to wander around but all too soon I was at the large car park on the edge of the village where I had my lunch. It had always been my intention to end my walk in Hawkshead, but I was now several hours ahead of schedule so instead of catching a bus to the railway station I walked along a cyclepath that took me from Hawkshead, past the little-known Blelham Tarn and all the way into Ambleside. This was very well signposted and a pleasure as the weather improved on good surfaces that enabled me to maintain a brisk pace through farmland and later beside a road. The highlight was when Blelham Tarn came into view with Wansfell as a backdrop and the bulk of Red Screes in the distance with the flat top of Caudale Moor between the two, which brought to mind my last day in the Lake District last summer. Unfortunately very little of the walking on this day could be described as mountain or fell walking, with the rocky path coming down the eastern slopes of Carron Crag as the only exception. Despite the strong winds all week, I enjoyed my time in the Lake District which provided me with exactly what I had been looking forward to all autumn.

Blea Tarn, Little Langdale Tarn and Tarn Hows

Thursday 21st December 2023

With gale force winds in the Lake District this was not the day for walking over the tops of the fells, but I still needed to get from Ambleside to Coniston, which is a journey that I have done several times before, including Christmas 2022. So, to peak my interest with an original route and to stay low as much as possible to avoid the wind I decided to catch a bus to Dungeon Ghyll through the stunning scenery of the valley of Great Langdale. Despite the rain and strong winds when I got out of the bus, the view all around me was amazing with a surround of awesome mountains and it was a pleasure to walk from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel across the valley, along the road to Blea Tarn, before diverting through the deserted National Trust campsite and onto the excellent path that zigzags up the hillside while the excellent views continued to attract my eye, particularly behind me towards the Langdale Pikes. Once I reached the top of the pass it was the winds that now occupied my attention even though this is a very low pass so that I had difficulty just closing the gate beside the cattle grid. From there I joined an excellent path called the Blea Tarn trail which runs below Rakerigg and afforded me with views of my first mountain lake on this walk: Blea Tarn. A small woodland beside the tarn provided me with some welcome shelter from the wind and I was glad to get a good look at the small lake, which I had hardly ever visited before.

When the Blea Tarn trail turned east across the southern shore of the tarn I continued heading south beside the slopes that rose to my right up to Blea Rigg and ultimately all the way up to Pike O’Blisco. I had never taken this tremendous path before and I was astonished that it was so well-maintained and provided me with a good walk through great scenery, beside Bleamoss Beck and around the large bog of Blea Moss. Sheltered from the wind and with no rain at this point, it was a delight to walk upon this path that provided me with views across Blea Moss into Little Langdale and towards the low hills that have come down from the high Coniston Fells. Eventually I emerged onto the road over Wrynose Pass and followed that down into Little Langdale, past Fell Foot Farm and over the valley to the track from Greenburn that took me through the valley past my second mountain lake of the walk: Little Langdale Tarn. This is a little more familiar to me than Blea Tarn as I passed this lake just a year earlier while walking from Coniston to Ambleside, but it is still not as well-known to me as other tarns. It was very windy in this valley as it was exposed to the westerlies coming over the pass so as it was approaching midday I decided that I would nip into Cathedral Cave for a respite from the wind and have my lunch.

I had visited this old quarry the year before and I was happy to return and shelter from the wind and rain for a time before finally leaving the echoing cave and continuing along the track along the southern edge of Little Langdale. When I reached High Park I turned off my route of a year earlier to continue along the track as it turns south east to pass between Tongue Intake Plantation and the low hills of Great How and Oxen Fell. I enjoyed the look of the landscape to my right that extends south towards Holme Fell with an undulating line of hills that looked appealing to me and I wished that it wasn’t so windy that an ascent would have been foolhardy. In fact, I had ascended that way in 2017 but the weather on that occasion had been so poor I didn’t have a view so I wasn’t able to appreciate it. I must return sometime soon. When I reached the A593 road I used a path that runs alongside until I reached Oxen Fell High Cross where I turned onto a track that took me to my third mountain lake: Tarn Hows. This was originally three tarns, High, Middle and Low Tarn which were collectively known as ‘The Tarns’ before a dam was constructed to combine them into the larger tarn seen now, which most people call Tarn Hows that is actually the name of the area, though the Ordnance Survey still calls the lake, the Tarns. Coincidentally this is another tarn that I haven’t visited very often with the most recent occasion being at the end of 2012.

Slowly, I made my way around the eastern shore of the tarn on an excellent path that eventually brought me to the car park where I blindly took a path that starts alongside without checking my map to ensure I was going the right way. It was fun to wander along that path and see where it went as it took me through gorgeous woodland and beside a rapidly flowing stream. Eventually signposts revealed that I was heading towards Coniston and on emerging from the wood I came alongside a road, a couple of miles away from the village and with a good path beside the road to take me there. I still had a bit of daylight left when I reached Coniston so I bought something for my dinner before slowly making my way towards the youth hostel. The rain was not as prolonged on this walk as the day before with long periods without rain that provided me with pleasant walking when sheltered from the wind. There were moments when I wished I could have climbed to the tops of the fells, but the strong winds soon convinced me otherwise and I felt as if I had made the most of the conditions on this day with an interesting walk on paths that I wasn’t as familiar with and past three tarns that I had not previously visited very often.