Fiskerton, Rolleston and Upton, 2nd October 2022

 

Fiona's 6½ mile walk took seventeen of us across fields to Rolleston and then on to Upton for coffee before returning by Southwell Racecouse and the River Greet.

The start, on the banks of the Trent, just downstream from Fiskerton

The Kate Greenaway Trail

Southwell Racecourse

Rolleston Mill on the River Greet

Holy Trinity Church, Rolleston

Just off-route - Fiskerton Mill also on the River Greet

Derwent Water Weekend Away, 23rd to 26th September 2022

 This year's VBR Weekend Away was based at HF Holidays' Derwent Bank Country House on the shores of Derwent Water, a pleasant  1½ mile walk from Keswick via Portinscale.  Three walks were recced in May for Saturday, Sunday and Monday with options to shorten or lengthen them.

Thanks to Sue and Dave for organising the holiday (and entertainment), Elaine for helping recce the walks and Bill and Don for the photos.

The group at Derwent Bank

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.

Setting off together before ten split off to climb Cat Bells ahead

Looking across Derwent Water from the steamer landing stage

Traversing the marshy head of the lake on boardwalks

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.

Rocky going round Castle Crag

Bridge over the Derwent near Rosthwaite

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)

View over the Lodore Hotel and the end of Derwent Water

Ashness Bridge

Launches at the Keswick Landing Stage

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

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 

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

Bobbin Mill Tunnel

View up the Greta

Some of the goup walked round the base of Latrigg but others climbed to the top ...

... for this fine view over Keswick and the mountains beyond Derwent Water

The route over the top of Latrigg (in green)

Monday, Pooley Bridge and the Ullswater Way

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.

The restored Pooley Bridge

On High Street

The Cockpit Stone Circle - coffee stop

AW's Rock
Ullswater was described by Alfred Wainwright as "that loveliest of lakes, curving gracefully into the far distance"

Ullswater Steamer

View of our route (top left) taken from Gowbarrow Fell on the other side of Ullswater

Part of the Ullswater Way

Eakring, Rufford Park and Wellow, 18th September 2022

Phil's 12-mile walk from the church in Eakring took us first to see Mompesson's Cross on the edge of the village and then along the Robin Hood Way to enter Rufford Park from the A614 for coffee (and cakes for some!).  Further good tracks took us to the Maypole in Wellow for lunch.

A section of Eakring Road followed and some took a shorter, direct route back whilst the remainder headed towards Ompton and back to Eakring.

St Andrew's Church, Eakring - the start

Mompesson's Cross at Pulpit Ash
This marks the spot where, in the early 1670s, William Mompesson, the newly arrived rector, preached in the open air to his flock. He had come from the earlier plague-sticken village of Eyam in the Peak District, where he had witnessed a decimation of the population that included the loss of his wife. He is credited with having prevented the spread of the infection to neighbouring villages and with tending to his afflicted congregation.  During the epidemic he abandoned the church and preached in an open area in an attempt to avoid the spread of infection

Dovecote at North Laithes Equestrian Centre

Drinks stop

Fine lodge on the edge of Rufford Park

The impressive front of Rufford Abbey

The less than impressive back of the Abbey

Rufford Mill

A brave (or foolish) driver at Rufford Ford

Camera vultures at the ford waiting for the next victim

Dropping down into the deep cutting of the old railway line from Ollerton to Bilsthorpe Colliery

Lunch at the Maypole in Wellow

Autumn crocuses, Crocus sativas, at North Laithes

Fine avenue of trees on the track from North Laithes

Mompesson's mosaic inside St Andrew's Church

The land near Eakring and Bilsthorpe has hosted an extraordinary variety of energy-related projects, some old some new.  From top left: Eakring Windmill; Rufford Mill; Bilsthorpe Colliery; Duke's Wood Oilfield; Eakring Solar Farm; National Grid Training Centre; Eakring Wind Turbines; Rainworth Energy Anaerobic Digestion Plant; Eakring Ecohouses; and (not shown), Bilsthorpe Energy Centre (energy from waste); Fisher German green hydrogen plant; Rufford Battery Energy Storage System