Windermere Way - Day 4 Ferry House to Ambleside

Distance: 12.5 miles
Ascent: 875m
Weather: cloudy, sunny spells

Lots of: bunnies, chiff-chaffs, robins, hordes on Loughrigg Fell
A couple of: swans, ducks, speedy children, squirrels, kingfishers
Fewer: buzzard

Our last day of the Windermere Way today was from Ferry House up to Ambleside,  in the other direction from the rest of our routes but we wanted to end in Ambleside due to transport being more readily available. Chances are that the ferries wouldn't have been a problem today, but we didn't want to risk getting stuck on the wrong side of the lake and trying to get a taxi to come out for us.

So we got the ferry first to Ferry House and walked up the hillside to the top of Claife Heights where, as every steamer captain will tell you, there is at least one of every species of native British tree growing. Our knowledge of trees, especially in winter, isn't good enough to confirm or deny but the information boards about the woods mentioned 8 types of tree here: sessile oak, birch, holly, rowan, hazel, ash, wych elm and bird cherry. There was also soil, but not officially natural soil.

We walked along the ridge of The Heald and then dropped down to Belle Grange, where we joined the lakeside track,  passing people enjoying a spot of fishing and car fumes.

At Wray Castle we turned inland, along a very swanky new path to Skelwith Fold where we crossed some fields up a hill and followed a lane into Skelwith Bridge. We had lunch by the bridge,  where Rob made a very funny joke two minutes too late, and were further entertained by the goings on in the car park.

After lunch we went up to Loughrigg Tarn which is very pretty and very popular,  and then over Loughrigg Fell which is also very pretty and very popular - less so on the side away from the lake though. We did see a few people, including a lady who was looking for the golf course (?) - ed. later investigation tells us that there used to be a golf course to the north of Todd Crag but not since the 1950s; although this doesn't seem to prevent it from being used as a navigation point in a fair few walk descriptions, there is no indication of it on the OS map.

The route down brought us to Clappersgate and, after a bit along the road, we followed the River Rothay around the lakeshore passing the Roman ruins to Waterhead to catch the steamer.