September  Saturday 13th  -  Keswick

A Walk Lead by Peter Hitchcock

9 Miles,   1500ft Ascent

After an overly long recce, I have opted for a shorter route commensurate with the likely limited timescale available on the day (reckon we won’t start the walk until about 1045hrs).

But, the route offers fantastic views westwards across Derwent Water from a variety of different and beautiful Lakeland settings.

We leave the town south via the walking precinct to first climb a mere 162m high woodland knoll which will present a brilliant view across the northern part of the lake towards Cats Bells and beyond. We then contour the ridge all the way down to the iconic Ashness Bridge for a photo break/rest and possibly lunch – part 1 – depending on when we set off. Then its up on to the moor for a bit of Fell walking to the top of a lower level crag so you can get a good view of the whole of Derwent Water one way and towards High Rigg and Helvelyn the other (Lunch, part 2). The return to Keswick from there is a stroll along a mixture of moor and woodland trails and all downhill. The overall route is between 8-9 miles with very reasonable climbs up to only about 1500ft. Very manageable.

B Walk Lead by Andrew phillips

Latrigg Circuit

From the town, we will join the Cumbria way, which runs through the town, and head north. The route crosses the A66 over a bridge, and starts a climb of an hour or more (depending on the stops needed) through open woodland, with views to the west. The path circles round Mallen Dodd, up to the point where we leave the Cumbria Way, and take the path up onto Latrigg Fell. Continuing the steady climb, we reach a view point with a small bench, which will inevitably be occupied, but with views over Keswick and Derwentwater. Depending on the time, this may be a decent stop for lunch, sitting on the grassy slopes. The summit of Latrigg is not far ahead, signifying the end of serious ascent for the day. The descent is along a grassy path onto a track, which joins a lane leading to Brundholme Wood.

The path follows the contours through the wood, above the river, dropping down to the old railway line, leading us back into Keswick. Distance approx. 6 miles. I couldn’t work out the total ascent as my OS app was playing up but Latrigg is just 368 metres.

C Walk Lead by   Mike & Helen

5 Miles

The walk starts in the small village of Threlkeld which is just outside Keswick. We will walk on the road through the village stopping for coffee at the community centre cafe. We will then walk to the beginning of the old railway line which runs through to Keswick. It is flat all the way and a good tarmaced surface. There are some good river views along the route and a series of different bridges as well as a tunnel. We will take a break by the river in case anyone wants to eat their lunch although some might prefer to wait until we reach Keswick if they have had breakfast with coffee only a short while before. The walk is about 5 miles in total including the parts at the beginning in Threlkeld and the end in Keswick to the coach which will be parked outside Booth's supermarket. It is flat all the way other than a possible slight incline on the road going through Threlkeld village, thus an easy but very pleasant walk assuming the weather is on our side.