Windermere Way - Day 3 Newby Bridge to Bowness

Distance: 12.5 miles
Ascent: 750m
Weather: cold, sunny
Going: icy

Hands trapped in gates: 1
Slippy slides: lots
Deer: 1
Pheasant: 1
Partridges: some, possibly 6
Cows in woods, jacobs sheep, honky geese

7:10am saw us getting on a bus to Newby Bridge, and we were dropped off in the dark just by the bridge at the side of a busy road. We turned off the road almost straight away up a lane, using headtorches in case of traffic - of which there wasn't any. The lane was very slippery so we kept to the edges and verges as much as possible.

The weather forecast for today was low clouds and mist, but we could see stars as our eyes adjusted to the dark, and as dawn broke the sky was clear. The valley below with Lake Windermere in was blanketed in low cloud and stayed like that all day.

The path took us through Chapel Plantation by Cop o' Cow Hill and over to Gummer's How, where we were overtaken by a very keen photographer. Thankfully he'd moved on by the time we reached the top and we had clear 360 degree views.

Picking our way down the icy path, there were impressive ice crystals in the bogs, we crossed a fence and headed passed a reservoir (unnamed) and into forestry.

Lunch was had on a grassy edge in the sunshine. Then we headed down into farmland, along what was heavily signed as a 'permissive' and 'alternate' path that actually followed the exact same route as the footpath marked on the map, and out onto a narrow lane. The signs are probably to discourage people from attempting to join a nearby track which is a more direct route, and although is a right of way, doesn't actually join up with the footpath.

So we went around the lane, sliding some more, and entered a new nature reserve with native trees and cows. And ice. I can't remember what it said on the information board but on the map it's marked as Birkett Houses Allotments.  Didn't see any sheds.

At Lindeth we briefly joined our route from Christmas Eve's walk but only very briefly.

From here we crossed a B road and headed up a lane which all of a sudden looked very familiar and we crossed the stone stile to Brant Fell. We followed the route to the farm and then went to the top. It was heaving and we joined the crowds walking back down into the misty gloom that had hung over Bowness and the lake all day.