Eden way 3 - upstream

 Sunday 23rd June 2024 - Carlisle to Wetheral

Straight out of the back door of the Sands Centre, after using the facilities, I was back on the Eden Way having taxied* there after leaving my car at Wetheral.

In the excitement of seeng a dramatic bird sculpture on high, and an unexpected early start to photo snapping, I failed to investigate further, nor did Internet search back home succeed - good job I was not writing a guide. But then Stuart Greig's guide talks about paths through fields and the like for the first mile as far as Memorial Bridge. In fact it is now a tarmac path all the way. The guide was published in 2018 and I would have thought the well established tarmac must have been laid before that, so another mystery.  Stuart refers to the bridge "for pedestrians only" as "hugely over engineered." As I approached the bridge I was overtaken by a walking group, they thankfully crossed the bridge...

...I didn't. I descended to follow the river with a golf course to my right. On the course there had been an enthusiastic planting of hundreds of trees strategically sited only perhaps twenty yards apart making the chances about fifty fifty of a hit, and only to be avoided by mere chance. Every hundred yards or so a series of oldish wrought iron benches were placed, some having been vandalised with twisted components that must have taken some effort, and others with picnic remains scattered. This was all a bit sad because generally this was a more upmarket location to be so unexpectedly trashed, but there were several access points to the river only a few yards off the path which would attract more than the usual number.

I emerged to a perilous crossing of a complex crossroads on the A69 and then past the prestigious new Jaguar/Land Rover showroom and through an industrial estate where I lunched sitting on a low wall, and then ascended to cross over the M6. A hill prominent in the far distance caught my eye and I think it must be Cooms Fell, 490m, 22 miles to the north. and situated in a large area of wild country I know little about except on passing through Kielder on my LEJOG a few miles to the east. 

More road walking took me into Scotby. Their pretty red sandstone church sits well on a little hill as you enter the town amd I refrained from a photo there thinking it would look better from a few yards further on. At the appropriate spot the cburch was now largely hidden by trees. There was a party coming down the steps from what I found out had been a christening. I was quzized by one of them about my walking credentials and she became excited and hailed her sister to come and tell me about her walking of the Coast to Coast and we had a jolly little exchange.

Scotby is an attractive village with a wide main thoroughfare with grassed areas and a general feeling of well-to-do. Even the village shop and PO looked more prosperous than the average village store. 

After a couple of crossings of the railway, one over and one under, and a mix of farm track and then roadwork I was back to the main road leading a few hundred yards to my car. I passed a newly built house faced out with attractive grey Lakeland slate and it was amusingly called Grey Gables.

Would you believe:

On 1 January 2021 episode number 19,343 of The Archers on BBC Radio 4 will mark 70 years of the world’s longest running serial drama.

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The bird without a story

A naff bit of presumably, sculpture. A few old flagstones dumped on some decrepit pallets -who'se kidding eho?

The new mile of tarmac path, pre or post 2018?

Memorial Bridge. "Hugely over engineered" Stuart Greig

In Arnside we have The Amblers, The Ramblers, and The Scramblers. When I came here twenty odd years ago I enquired but was told I couldn't take my Springer along so I never bothered

There they go. I took a right

Litter in an attractive area that deserves better

I think they had a sadist golf course designer

Imposing

The hill I mentioned is at the far end of the motorway - see zoom below

Possibly Cooms Fell 490m - 21miles north

Scotby posh main street. More cars parked than usual I think because of the well attended christening at the church

The well appointed village shop and PO, unfortunately closed on Sunday

Grey Gables

All blue = full Eden Way download from LDWA. Alternating colours = my daily stints

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*Radio Taxis, Carlisle.
Good service on all three trips. Recommended
I will in future be out of their area