More driving than walking

Wednesday 11th February - Long Barrow (Dent) - NY 041 129 - Marilyn

Daughter's car needed mending so I followed her to Kendal then took her to school at Barrow-in-Furness and continued dramatically over the Corney Fell road to Egremont. 

The Corney Fell road is a desperate 14 kilometre single-track short-cut for those travelling south or north in west Cumbria, and at the times when it coincides with  a shift change at Sellafield,* you  drive at your peril when radio active commuters turn it into the National Park version of the 1000 mile Mille Miglia road race (now defunct, and only once one by a non-Italian, Stirling Moss). Fortunately I travelled in between shift changes both ways.

I had naively thought that the dual named Long Barrow (or Dent) would be a quick dash from Barrow. But by the time I had arrived, seen, and conquered, and returned to Barrow with only minutes to spare to pick up daughter at the pre-arranged 3:30 I realised I had been deluded. By the time I got back home to Arnside (via Kendal again) I had driven 175 miles.

When I parked for the ascent I saw a sign indicating I was embarking on part of Wainwright's Coast to Coast which I walked in April 1990, and back home my research revealed that there would have been no alternative but to follow the C-to-C over the summit of Long Barrow, but being unsure about this on the spot, and in any case relishing the thought of a walk and some fresh air I made the ascent, and whilst now I have no doubt I had been there before, I hadn't the slightest recollection of the terrain.

This was a pleasant walk through woods and then on to the open fell, but cloud was down and I saw almost nothing of the view. For those interested in what I might have seen, including apparently, the Isle of Man see Wainwright's description below which I hope you may just be able to read, but even better if you click to enlarge. 

Long Barrow (Dent) summit

* With acknowledgement to Wikipedia, and included here for the staggering, supposed fact revealed in the final paragraph.

Sellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England. The site is served by Sellafield railway station. Sellafield incorporates the original nuclear reactor site at Windscale, which is currently undergoing decommissioning and dismantling, and Calder Hall, another neighbour of Windscale, which is also undergoing decommissioning and dismantling of its four nuclear power generating reactors.

The total cost of decommissioning, which will be borne by UK taxpayers, is now considered to be in excess of £100.1 bn.^[1]

Doing what I do best

On Sunday I walked locally, and even though this was only a few miles from home it was new territory for me, so my only information was from public footpaths shown on the OS map. After the first one hundred yards on an unsurfaced, but sound track there was a branch left through a gate. This lead into a lane overgrown with nettles and long grass and other mixed flora. After much recent rain this was all sopping wet. I thrashed my way through for about three hundred yards until I emerged into a field.

Further on I crossed the river Bela which was a fine sight in full flow between lusciously green fields.

I met one other walker along the way and also stopped to chat to a friendly farmer as I tracked through his farmyard.

At 2.8 miles this was my longest venture so far, and the knee seemed to hold up well. The main thing is that I just couldn't have done that walk before the operation.

Modest as this short trip was, I was elated to be walking in our  rewarding countryside again exploring new locations, and having surprise encounters.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sunday - one day later.


Uplifted by yesterday's jaunt I was off again. I parked the car at Dallam Bridge (yes, I am driving again). I walked over Dallam deer park to Beetham.

Dallam Bridge

At Beetham I stopped at The Old Post Office Tea Rooms for soup, tea and a chocolate brownie. The tea shop owner is a young girl and a keen outdoor type providing a friendly welcome, with good food, and proclaiming "dogs welcome". I chatted here with the girl and her mum and heard about a backpacking trip round the Isle of Man - sounds interesting - must look it up.

The tea rooms at Beetham - always worth a visit.

I crossed the A6 where one often sees cyclists and walkers tackling Land's End to John 'o Groats (or t'other way round). Branching off the A6 after a few hundred yards took me up Paradise Lane, and then onto another new footpath for me across fields to Milnthorpe, over the cricket field and back to Dallam Bridge.

This trip was just 4 miles which is a half decent afternoon's walk, so things are progressing. Watch out, I may be following Mick and Gayle on The Pacific Coast Trail before long.