Thanks to Sue and Dave for organising the holiday (and entertainment), Elaine for helping recce the walks and Bill and Don for the photos.
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| The group at Derwent Bank |
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| The view of Derwent Water from the front of the house |
Saturday - Derwent Bank to Rosthwaite
From the HF house one group took a lowland route on pleasant tracks to the end of the lake (3 miles) where there was an opportunity to cross the River Derwent at the head of the lake to reach the Lodore Hotel and Falls. An option taken by others was to climb up Cat Bells, then drop down to Grange.
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| Setting off together before ten split off to climb Cat Bells ahead |
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| Looking across Derwent Water from the steamer landing stage |
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| Traversing the marshy head of the lake on boardwalks |
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| Looking down on Grange |
Both groups then followed the River Derwent up Borrowdale through woods and round Castle Crag to Rosthwaite and the famous Flock Inn Tea Room.
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| Rocky going round Castle Crag |
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| Bridge over the Derwent near Rosthwaite |
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| The Flock Inn, Rosthwaite |
Four adventurers then climbed over to the hamlet of Watendlath and down to the lakeside via Ashness Bridge to pick up a launch or bus to Keswick. Unfortunately, buses were few and far between and they had to walk all the way back (17.4 miles)
From the disused railway station, we took the recently reopened Railway Trail in the beautiful valley of the River Greta with its impressive bridges and tunnel, returning around the flanks of Latrigg with its view up the Derwent Valley and mountains beyond.
Monday, Pooley Bridge and the Ullswater Way
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| View over the Lodore Hotel and the end of Derwent Water |
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| Ashness Bridge |
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| Launches at the Keswick Landing Stage |
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| The main route (blue) the Cat Bells option (green) and the Watendlath extension (red) |
Sunday - Keswick, Threlkeld and Latrigg
From the disused railway station, we took the recently reopened Railway Trail in the beautiful valley of the River Greta with its impressive bridges and tunnel, returning around the flanks of Latrigg with its view up the Derwent Valley and mountains beyond. |
| The start at Keswick Railway Station. The Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail follows an old train track that stretched from Cockermouth to Penrith. The line was officially opened in 1865 and was fully closed by 1973 and parts of it eventually made into a footpath between Keswick and Threlkeld |
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| Storm Desmond. On 6th December 2015, 180 mm of rain fell in Keswick and two of the original Victorian railway bridges that cross the River Greta were washed away and the route to Threlkeld was completely cut off. After 5 years and £7.9m it has now been reopened for walkers and cyclists |
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| The renovation of the trail included the reopening of the Bobbin Mill Tunnel under the A66 so that for the first time in almost 50 years the trail to Threlkeld can now be walked and cycled after tons of rubble were removed from the structure |
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| Bobbin Mill Tunnel |
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| View up the Greta |
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| Some of the goup walked round the base of Latrigg but others climbed to the top ... |
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| ... for this fine view over Keswick and the mountains beyond Derwent Water |
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| The route over the top of Latrigg (in green) |
From the new bridge on the edge of Pooley Bridge, we walked through the village and climbed on excellent tracks to the old Roman Road of High Street and the Bronze Age Cockpit Stone Circle with panoramic views up the lake. Dropping down towards Howtown we turned off to follow the banks of Ullswater back to Pooley Bridge.
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| The restored Pooley Bridge |
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| On High Street |
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| The Cockpit Stone Circle - coffee stop |
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| AW's Rock Ullswater was described by Alfred Wainwright as "that loveliest of lakes, curving gracefully into the far distance" |
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| Ullswater Steamer |
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| View of our route (top left) taken from Gowbarrow Fell on the other side of Ullswater |
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| Part of the Ullswater Way |
