Cumbria Ways - Day 2 Gilpin to Flookburgh

Distance: 21 miles
Ascent: 230m
Weather: warm and sunny
Detours: 2, one of them intentional.
Godwits possibly (tbc - think they were whimbrels), oyster catchers, meadow pippets,  jackdaws and rooks, common gulls, little egret, swan, swallows, sand martens, buzzard and a peacock enjoying the jetwash at the service station.

Laden down with food,  we left the Gilpin Inn at about half past nine. We crossed the main road without too much trouble and then took a lane off towards the estuary. As we turned off into a field at Foulshaw Bridge, we saw a big old vintage car coming along the lane, which wasn't especially bumpy, but just looking at the suspension was enough to make you seasick.

From the field, we went along a track with an embankment on one side and a hawthorn hedge with sparrows and butterflies on the other. The tractor lines led off into a field leaving the track obviously long unused and very grassy. With damp feet, we made it to the steps that led up on to the embankment,  and walked along with the sheep and the meadow pippets, with views looking across Milnthorpe Sands towards Arnside. We heard the sirens warning of the incoming tide, we were well inland.

We eventually returned to the lane, which led through Meathop village and woods, stopping for a rest at a rocky outcrop, before heading into Grange-Over-Sands.

Grange lived up to expectations, with a busy promenade complete with pretty herbaceous border. We stopped at as sheltered a bench as we could find and made some inroads into our  enormous packed lunch. South of the town we followed a pavement near to the railway line that followed the shore, until Kirkhead, which is a wooded hill with a folly on it, but privately owned so we skirted around the back along streets with nice houses (one them with the rather unfortunate name of Thistle-do) and farmland and grazed marshland.

We decided to visit Humphrey Head (SSSI) a detour of a couple of miles, but worth it. The buttercup covered headland is limestone, with a cave and natural arch that I couldn't quite see from the cliff top. There were lots of crows enjoying the updrafts and lots of bunnies enjoying the sunshine. We stopped for some tea and some more lunch here.

The route goes around the edge of the peninsula, passing not far from where we're staying tonight, and as today is Sunday and we weren't sure what time the pub stopped serving food, so we called in to check and drop off our bags. Dinner organised, we headed back out down a long straight road that led to the south shore.

We had a fine late afternoon walk along Old Embankment and the marshes at Leninbrick. The tide was out now and it looked very sandy out on the bay. We had clear views over to Ingleborough, Heysham power station and Barrow in Furness. A couple of chaps in a very old tractor passed us and then we saw them trundling out onto the sands.

We returned to the Hope and Anchor in Flookburgh, the landlord told me that I looked like a movie star in my sunglasses,  but to be fair, there's a good chance he'd been drinking all afternoon.

We've had a fine dinner and a few glasses of Wizard ale. And we still have enough left from today's packed lunch to do us tomorrow.

Cumbria Ways - Day 1 Silverdale to Gilpin Bridge

Distance: 16.3 miles
Ascent: 200m
Weather: wet start, bright and sunny later
Detours: 1
Wedged in shoes: 1
Times licked by cow: 1
Oyster catchers,  lapwing, shelducks, mute swan,  grey heron, egret, pied wagtail, goldfinches, swallows and sand martens, greylag geese, black headed gulls. Goats, llama llama, bunnies, unidentified mouse vole thing and one grey squirrel.

At 11:30, an hour later than planned thanks to a points failure near Blackpool,  we were deposited at Silverdale station in the rain and set off walking towards the shore and the Lancashire Coastal Path.

A pretty wooded path with ivy covered stone walls and ramsones in flower led to the shoreline, where the tide was definitely in. We just about made our way over the rocky shoreline, I nearly lost my shoe in a cleft and had to prise it out and then we had to retrace our steps as the sea was too high and the low path was covered.

The alternative high tide route was a nice grassy path, through a meadow with flowers, which led us through the first of many caravan parks, and out on to a narrow path around the low cliffs of Arnside Park. Around here we crossed into Cumbria, it stopped raining and the sun came out, but the paths were still quite wet with sticky mud.

Lunch was had on Arnside Pier, which is made of stone and very short, then we crossed the railway bridge and followed the raised bank of a disused railway around a salt marsh.

For the rest of the day, after Milnthorpe Bridge we were on lanes. Lanes that were long and straight with sharp corners, leading to more long and straight lane.

We spent much of the way wondering if there was a nicer path over by the estuary embankment,  as we saw a few dog walkers out there but there was no indication on the map of a right of way there or a way to get through to it, the gate we passed was locked and signed private land.

The longness and straightness was broken up by seeing a buzzard, bunnies and meeting some friendly cows.

We arrived in good time at the Gilpin Inn and are now watching the end of the cup final.

Marsden Weekend - Day 2

Distance: 13.5 miles
Ascent: 580m
Weather: warm and sunny
Ducks, sandpiper, pied wagtail, kestrel, buzzard, pippets and skylarks, pheasant, tufted duck, possible sparrowhawk

Lumpy mattresses aside, we had been well looked after and had had a pleasant stay at The New Inn in Marsden, including a fine breakfast this morning, before setting off at about ten o'clock.  The haze was starting to lift and it was bright and warm. They are rebuilding the slipway along the dam at Butterley Reservoir, so we took a detour up the lane and crossed at the dam wall. A sign on the other side informed us that the footpath is only closed during on weekdays.  Ah well.

Reaching the track above the cottages,  we were accompanied by a lot of cheery mountain bikers until we reached the road, where they turned back to town and we headed over the moors on the Standedge Trail to join the Pennine Way.

No ice-creams were to be had, but we did have a bit of a sit, then followed the escarpment along Standedge Edge to the Oldham Way. Here we noted how eroded the path has become over the last couple of years due to motor and mountain bikes.

We had lunch at probably the windiest spot of the whole day above Readycon Reservoir,  then followed the Pennine Bridleway and paths over open access to Rooden Reservoir.

We returned home over the fields to avoid Angry Dog Farm, then around Brushes Clough and along the track. It was really quite warm by now. We did some litter picking,  unfortunately my carrier bag wasn't quite big enough so had to stop before we'd got back.

Marsden Weekend - Day 1

Distance: 10 miles
Ascent: 500m
Weather: hazy, windy

Shallows, skylarks, ducks in a dirty puddle, curlew, buzzard and crow, jackdaws, grouse, pheasant, grey wagtail, chiff chaff or warbler, house martens, bunnies, bees

After a lie in and a plentiful breakfast, we eventually set off at 10:30. It was bright and sunny, but considerably windier than we had expected.

The paths were mostly dry as we headed up the Rochdale Way up on to the moors and the Pennine Bridleway. As if it wasn't windy enough, we decided to take the path over Windy Hill.

From there we went over White Hill, where we had a chat with a couple who are on Day 3 of the Pennine Way, and then took the packhorse route into Marsden. Along here we stopped for lunch, and watched buzzards and crows playing.

As we walked along the canal into Marsden,  we realised we'd timed things badly and ended up in a crowd of people in comedy hats getting off the ale trail train.

Marsden Weekend - Day 0

Distance: 4 miles
Ascent:
Weather: warm and dry
Fieldfares, bunny, blackbirds, goldfinches.

We've done very little training for this year's big walk, due to Rob's ankle flaring up and family commitments.

So this weekend is our last opportunity before we set off to do a bit of walking and test things out.

We set off at 5:50pm and walked along the track to Pingot Quarry and along the footpath via Giddy Cow Field, which was bereft of cows, giddy or otherwise. We did meet a herd of dogs however.

We're now in Newhay at the Premier Inn, sitting outside with a couple of Hobgoblins. It's not as warm as it was earlier.

Piethorne Reservoir

Distance: 11.3 miles
Ascent: 500m
Weather: sunny, chill breeze when exposed
Tufted ducks, coot, lambs, goldfinches heard, Mick Hucknall*
*probably not Mick Hucknall

Rob's ankle swelled up quite dramatically while we were on our Kinder Loop walk over Easter weekend so we didn't do much last weekend, thinking it best to let it rest and recover.

Yesterday was spent planning this year's Big Walk, details yet to be firmed up, and by the time the snow/sleet/rain had stopped it was too late to do more than go for a potter.

So today we headed out for a ankle test walk, 11 miles around Brushes Clough, down the bridleway past the cattery,  down and around Piethorne Reservoir.  We stopped for homemade sammichs on the bench on the far side, and then returned via the path over the grassy fields avoiding snarling dog farm.

The going was quite squishy in places, but it stayed sunny with cirrus and alto cumulous clouds.

Kinder Loop Summary

Distance: 77.4 miles over 4 days

Accommodation:
The Queens Arms, Old Glossop
Dog and Partridge, Langsett
YHA Edale
The Bulls Head, Old Glossop