Walk lead by John Wilson
A circular picturesk route of 6.5 – 7 miles and 1500 ft ascent following rout on the map anticlockwise.
It is a steady climb initially through a wooded area and the open land all the way up to
the summit of Wansfell Pike. There are plenty of places to stop and admire the view over Windermere, weather permitting.
The return is steep and short, it will be hard on the legs. On the way into Ambleside we visit Stock Ghyll Force waterfalls.
Walk lead by Peter Hitchcock.
For our final seasonal walk, we have a long-ish 12.5 miler but, as a low altitude route, there is hardly any climbing (except the Knott at the end!) so the going is pretty straightforward albeit muddy in parts.
From the town, we cross the railway and head off East along a coastal path in a ‘natural habitat’ area, then traverse a few fields, past an old castle (more later) before entering a lovely ‘inglenook’ wood leading us to the “Fairy Steps”. More on the day. We stay on a wooded escarpment for a while before starting a bit of a road trek south to Yealand Storrs and Leighton Moss bird sanctuary. (Bring binoculars if you want). On our return to Arnside, we pass the 14th C Arnside Tower before climbing the Knott to gain a panoramic vista from the Western Lakes eastwards to the Dales. A literally sea-level trot brings us back to the town and refreshments. There are lots of points of interest today on this varied walk which I hope you will enjoy. Some woodland paths are granite/limestone rocks which will be slippery if wet, so sticks would be a bonus.
Walk lead by Gwyn Jones
The walk takes us up over a shoulder of the Knott, down to Far Arnside, along to New Barns and back to Arnside. It is not a flat walk but we will have plenty of time to take a breather and enjoy the many views.
We start (at 90ft ASL) up a short hill which takes us towards the top of the town. Our path then levels off and shortly takes us alongside a wood to join the road which leads uphill to the carpark (300ft). It starts on tarmac but after a short climb we divert onto grass to make our way up to the car park. We then continue through woodland before making our descent to the riverside. After going through a caravan park we take a woodland path which rises gently before descending to another caravan park at New Barns. Depending on the tide we will return to Arnside along the sands. Otherwise we will take an inland road.
Lead by Andrew Philips.
This walk is a relatively easy 8 miles, commencing along the promenade to the Coastguard Station, and then progressing up out of the village towards the Knott. There is a fairly steep, stony climb up to the viewing point, from where on a clear day we should enjoy a panoramic view of the Lake District fells. We then descend back to the track round the base of the Knott and head towards Far Arnside. Crossing a caravan site, the route leads to Arnside Tower. Returning from the Tower we will circle Eaves Wood to Waterslack, where we cross the railway and proceed for a short distance along a lane, before crossing back over the railway and heading back towards the Tower. We then return to Arnside along the road and through Red Hills Wood, returning via the Coastguard Station, where there is a small café. Toilets are along the promenade, charge 40p, payable by card only.
Lead by Brian Thorne.
If the prospect of climbing a long extinct volcano which also happens to have a Neolithic hill fort at its summit sounds inviting, then this could be the walk for you! However, as with all good things there is a price to pay, so please be aware that the route includes two very steep climbs and two even steeper descents.
So, leaving the coach, we cross the A49 and join the lane up towards New House Farm. A good path then leads us to our first steep climb up to Three Fingers Rock and thence along the ridge and up to our highpoint of the day, the summit of Caer Caradoc. After descending steeply towards Comley, we then turn south through bracken and woodland to tackle our second climb, which takes us to the summit of Hope Bowdler Hill. Traversing the ridge we once again drop steeply down and into the picturesque village of Hope Bowdler. Our return to Church Stretton is then via Bull Lane and down through Hazler Hill woods.
Lead by Jennifer Mathias, 6 miles
This walk is 6 miles. It is undulating and the steepest part is in Rectory Woods.
As we leave the Coach Park we enter the railway station and head for Sandford Avenue. We turn left into Easthope Road crossing the car park to the cafe called the Bake House.
After refreshments we make our way through Rectory Woods, across the Burway Road and down into Carding Mill Valley in front of us is the Long Mynd. A pleasant stroll takes us up to a reservoir. Returning to the Valley the path rises up to the Golf Course before descending into Cwm Dale. Circumventing Nover’s Hill we climb down to All Stretton. If we have time we may visit the village before returning to Church Stretton via fields and Madeira Walk.
Lead by Richard Hawkins, 8.5 miles.
This is a “B plus” walk that has a long (almost 2 miles) rocky climb from Church
Stretton through Rectory Wood and then up along Motts Road to the top of Carding
Mill Valley. There are free toilets and a cafe at the National Trust visitor centre about
half a mile from the start. Leaving the valley we will walk along the top of the Long
Mynd on the Port Way or Shropshire Way to Pole Bank, the highest point of the walk
at 512 metres elevation with fine views of the surrounding countryside. We then
begin the most scenic part of the walk as we cross the Long Mynd down along
narrow paths high above deep valleys. Descending steadily, sticks will be beneficial
for much of the descent is steep and requires care as it has long drops into the valley
below to one side of the pathway. The final section is through hilly woodland leading
back to Church Stretton.
