Walk around Bassenthwaite

Transcription

1 Walk around Bassenthwaite This is a fabulous walk, not least because it takes in a good pub halfway round! We park near St Bega s church which is a lovely little church, built on the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake over 900 years ago. To get to St Bega s, follow the A591 from Keswick (were we have several Lake Disrict cottages) towards Bassenthwaite. Carry on for about 4 miles and then turn left down a small single tracked road (signed Bassenthwaite Lake & Scarness). The parking for St Bega s is just down here and then you will need to walk across a couple of fields and an avenue of ancient oaks to get to the church itself. After checking out the church, where you ll find Melvyn Bragg is a patron in recognition of his book Credo, retrace your steps back along the oak avenue until it starts to go uphill and then turn left across the pasture to a wood which is accessed via a stile. This wood is beautiful in Spring with primroses and bluebells. It s a small wood, and once through, you cross another field and then into another wood beyond. The badger sets here are massive. In fact, my dog once had several hours of playtime underground checking out what was what. Once through the second wood, go straight across two field towards the large ash tree and through the kissing gate. Cross the farm track and into the field opposite. Head for the other side, towards the right hand corner (this is right of the woods) and there you will find a stile which accesses the small road just further down from where you originally parked. Turn left and follow the road for about 200 yards. Take the public footpath which is signed to your left, down some wooden steps just before the bridge. If you re lucky you might meet a horse in the field behind the fence here which is very friendly. The path follows a little beck and there is an abundance of wildflowers depending on the time of year. You ll cross a little bridge and eventually come to a gate which is some way left of the farm itself. This part of the walk is liable to be wet, so do wear strong shoes or boots. Go through the gate and then turn left towards Bassenthwaite Lake. This lovely stretch of water has a resident pair of swans all year, magnificent lily- pads in summer, and a variety of birds. The photo shows a pair of oyster catchers.

2 You then follow the lakeshore for about a mile and a half. It s very pleasant and quiet, being away from the usual crowds in the more central lakes. If there has been a lot of rain, you may bless those stout shoes. If it is sunny, then take a towel and have a swim! You will eventually come to some wooden lodges built on the shoreside. Before these is a landing stage. You ll need to cross the strip of land with the slipway and then through the gate at the far side. This brings you to a strip of woodland. Turn right up here keeping the wooden lodges to your left. Now it depends on whether you want more footpaths or whether you want to get to the pub. I tend towards the latter and so when you get to the end of the footpath (by the entrance drive to Bassenthwaite Lodges), I turn right along the road and then first left down another single track road, - signed Bassenthwaite, helpfully. There are not many cars here and it is lovely with the hedgerows starting to bloom in the springtime. After about a mile, you will reach the A591 again, go straight across the road here and follow the road opposite up to Bassenthwaite village itself. When you get to the village green, turn right through an avenue of lime trees and then follow the road past a small farm and the Sun Inn is just round the corner. It is a lovely pub and serves good food and fine ales. It does get busy during the school holidays so you may need to book the number is It was originally built as a farmhouse in the 16th Century and has oak beams, squeaking floors and low ceilings. Dogs are also welcome at the pub and tend to love the open fires. There are several Holiday Cotttages in Bassenthwaiteavailable. After you have been in a nice warm pub and consumed vast quantities of ale, pie and chips (or whatever else may have taken your fancy) you will either be feeling relaxed and sleepy or eager and ready to go. If it is the former, I would suggest retracing your route back to St Bega s church as this is a flat walk. However, if you fancy working off some of those calories, then you can get back to the car via the lower slopes of Ullock Pike. To do this, go back to the village green and then cut up left at the start of the green, (Back Green) towards Green Cottage and then left again past a few other cottages. At the end of the lane go through the gate, where the path is signed to Burthwaite, and walk to the opposite side of the field. Underneath the tall tree is another stile to go over and then you need to head towards the telegraph pole and the farm ahead. Before the farm, by the pole is a narrow gate on your right. Go through it, over the grass and to the single track road. On the road, turn left, go past the farm and carry on until you reach a wooded area on your right. Go over the stile beside a gate with a footpath sign and into the woods.

3 Opposite you is a small bridge over the river, go over this and up the hill beyond it. Then go left and follow the edge of the field to another gate. Cross the narrow road and head up the farm track directly opposite, signed Hole House. Here s a fine view of Skiddaw directly in front of you. Follow the track past the front of Hole House, down before the barn, then right before the track goes down to the stream, up a path marked Bridleway. Follow this path up through an oak wood, keeping the fence on your right, to the gate at the top. Through this, turn right onto another farm track, and walk 50 yards up to the farm. Over the stile, take the left hand track opposite the farm and follow it upwards keeping a fence and a line of larches on your left. When the track bears left through a gate, abandon it and instead turn 90 degrees right and head up to through the saddle with ancient hawthorn trees on your right. As you breast the saddle in 100 yards a breath- taking view of Bassenthwaite Lake appears, along with a ladder stile and a gate. DON T GO THROUGH OR OVER! Instead, turn hard left up a grassy track back towards Skiddaw. Follow this till you reach a gate and stile out onto the open fell. Go through, then turn immediately right and follow the wall (on your right) up onto the brow of the hill above you. Say hello nicely to this wall, it will be on your right for the next mile or so. As you crest the hill fabulous views open up of Bassenthwaite Lake, Lord s Seat, and off to the Cumbrian coast. Also, well off to the right, the wind farm at Bothel. If you re not that attached to the wall, you can allow yourself to drift up the hill and follow any of the sheep tracks that contour round the end of the hill, or you can stick rigidly to your new friend. On the right day, you may well find paragliders taking off above you and soaring along Ullock Pike. At the end of whatever path you ve chosen you will come to the main footpath leading down, and you should make sure you re back with your wall by the time it ends and becomes a fence surrounding a new plantation, and starts to descend rapidly. The path goes through a gate and into a mixed woodland via zig- zags that cross a forest track in 15 yards. Steeply down through another gate/stile right down to the A591. Turn right and up through the grounds of the Ravenstone Hotel on their drive. Afternoon tea on their terrace is very inviting, if you ve shaken down lunch. At the end of their drive you need to cross the A591 and pick up the path directly opposite, signed St Bega s church, by the bus stop. It leads off down and left, over a stile/gate, past three magnificent Douglas Firs into the field below Ravenstone Lodge. Aim for the kissing gate, and through it across the obvious path towards the copse. Over the stile, through the copse, and onto Kissing Gate Alley. There are four in 300 yards, so make sure you re directly behind someone you fancy! The last one leads straight to your car. Alternatively you can walk

4 straight from the door of several of Sally's Cottages - Self Catering Lake District which are in the are of Bassenthwaite. Dodd Wood - What a view of the Lake District A modest subsidiary peak of the giant Skiddaw range, its height belies the stunning panorama from the summit. The forest itself is part of the Mirehouse Estate featuring many different conifers and character tearoom. The Old Sawmill tearoom is situated in what was a working sawmill until The original saw blade is on display along with various forestry tools, old photographs and local history. Enjoy the wood burning stove through the colder months (if you like these we have lots of holiday cottages in the Lake District with either open fires or woodburners) or if it s warmer sit outside at the picnic tables and enjoy the sounds of the forest in the summer. Particular favorites include the Old Sawmill Special a large Cumberland sausage in a roll, Welsh Rarebit muffins and yummy gingerbread cake. Here you can also purchase Forestry Commission trail maps to guide you around the forest. Home to the Lake District Osprey Project, there are two viewpoints in Dodd Wood both of which are staffed with knowledgeable volunteers. High powered fixed telescopes and binoculars are provided by the project so you can watch the Ospreys nesting across the lake, fishing, feeding and flying. Since 2001 Ospreys have nested at Bassenthwaite and raised at least one chick successfully each year. You can normally see them between April and September. As well as Ospreys, Dodd Wood is a natural habitat for roe deer, buzzards and red squirrels. Look out for the different types of spruce, larch, pine and fir as you make your way through the wood. The circular walk from the tearoom to the summit is just over 4 miles following a mixture of paths and forestry tracks. Using the Forestry Commission guide you can chose from four routes ranging from gentle strolls to the rewarding climb to the summit, all of which are way marked with different colour wooden posts. The walk through the forest to the summit is rewarding as any of the larger fells in the area and involves much less effort. If you have a dog it is great evening or morning walk (you can stay at one of our dog friendly Lake District cottages). A variety of paths and forest tracks weave their way through the woods, eventually clearing the tree line to the summit to give an unrivalled panorama. From left to right, a clear day will give beautiful views of Latrigg and the Helvellyn range beyond, Derwentwater and the Borrowdale Fells, Great Gable, Scafell Pike,

5 Catbells and the Newlands group with the High Stile Group beyond, Coledale Fells, Whinlatter and beyond Bassenthwaite Lake you can see the Solway Firth, Galloway Hills and the Southern Uplands. A stroll up Binsey Binsey is a very much overlooked fell in the far north west of the Lake District. One of its many charms is the truly stunning view of Skiddaw and Ullock Pike, as seen from the summit. It is probably the easiest fell of all to climb, with very gentle gradients all around. In winter it is popular for sledging! There is limited parking around the base of the fell and a whole world of exploring to be done on the grassy slopes. Binsey is located near Bassenthwaite village, up the lane from the Bassenfell Centre and on the national Reivers Cycle Route (route 10). Being something of a pudding shape, Binsey rewards intrepid explorers with a 360- degree view from the summit. You can enjoy several different aspects of Lakeland, from the golden Solway coastline and the distant Scottish mountain Criffel to the vast Skiddaw range and the fells above Keswick and Derwentwater. To the west of the summit is a former quarry, and a gentle grassed track which descends to meet the wall around the base of the fell. On the top of Binsey is a summit cairn and a tumble down shelter perfect for a lazy picnic. The summit rocks are ancient and it is believed that the hill was part of a Roman line of defence, linked to an ancient fort at Caermote, two miles to the north. Binsey is located between Bassenthwaite, Uldale and Cockermouth, handy for many of our self catering Lake District cottages in the area. It is a lovely way to while a way an hour or more, even better if you have kids who are not ready for the big mountains yet. Lose yourself Back o' Skiddaw! This is a beautiful fell walk of medium effort, with only one steep short climb, just right for a bit of peace and solitude. The fells known as Back o Skiddaw are wonderful vast hilly expanses where you can walk for miles with only your own thoughts to disturb you. It is ideally located for some of our cottages and lodges in the outerlying areas of the National Park including the quietly situated lodges at Dukes Pond, Rowanburn and Larchwood.

6 Start the walk from Stone End where there is parking and head steeply up the fell and pick up a path that cuts through the scree or Rake Trod. The hard work is soon over and you will find yourself at the top of the craggy face. Now continue onwards to the summit of Carrock Fell. It is the site of an ancient Iron Age hill fort and the outline of the foundations remain. There are lovely views to the back of Blencathra and Skiddaw and across the low lying land towards the Pennines in the east. From Carrock Fell, continue on the easy grass tracks towards High Pike and enjoy a seat on the slate bench looking back over the ground you have covered. Descend using the mine tracks through the disused workings and call in for a pint at the lovely Mill Inn at Mungrisedale or the Old Crown in Heskett Newmarket, the UK s first co- operative pub. This walk is ideally located for many of our self catering cottages in the north of Cumbria and those in the Eden Valley. If you enjoyed reading about this quiet are of the Lake District, then please take a look at our Bowscale Fell walk which is in the same area. Sally s Cottages 7 St John s Street Keswick Cumbria CA12 5AP Tel: sally@sallyscottages.co.uk