Furness Way

FW06: Witherslack to Cartmel

Friday 25th March 2011

The logistics to support these walks are becoming progressively more challenging as we move further away from Kendal. Today's stage began at Witherslack Church, which is some distance off the main road and ended at Cartmel- a lovely place but seemingly not on any bus route. Fortunately, however, Ian and Cynthia had asked if they might join us.

Might they? Not half!!!

We met in the car park at Cartmel racecourse and Ian drove us all to Witherslack.

We were now on unfamiliar walking territory so I was using Paul Hannon's Furness Way guide book to direct us. Perhaps I should have paid more attention to the map as, today, I found the instructions lacking in clarity on a number of occasions. To be fair, they were written twentyseven years ago and last revised seventeen years ago so some things are bound to have changed. However, I think it is the gross imprecision about distances between action points that serves to confuse.

All of which is my explanation as to why our initial route varied somewhat from his; a feature that would arise twice more before the day was out! At least we soon had two washing displays for Margaret!

Washing 1

Washing 2

The first half of the walk was a pleasant if unspectacular stroll down the lower part of the Winster valley.

Down the Winster valley

The only thing spoiling the unexpectedly nice day was the fact that Margaret could not recall locking her car and did not have the keys with her. Had we left it unlocked in Cartmel? Were the keys in the ignition? Would it still be there when we returned?

We tried to put these thoughts behind us but maybe they were still distracting me when I took the team photo. The camera must have picked up my dash to join the group as the focusing is all awry but I didn't notice at the time!

Team photo

Horses on the Winster bank

Cynthia and Margaret

A Jag with potential!

Crossing the lower valley was a bit scrotty but thereafter the nature of the countryside improved markedly.

The view from Newton Fell

After climbing up onto Newton Fell, we had a great vantage point overlooking the Kent Estuary where we took afternoon tea. Unfortunately we then followed the wrong path into Lindale, although this had the benefit of exposing more of the village to us than would otherwise have been the case.

Had we found the book's path, we might have missed the early flowering cherry blossom and the carved bear though probably not St Paul's Church or the leopard on the footpath sign!

Ian takes in the scenery

The early cherry blossom

St Paul's Church

Ian takes in the scenery

The leopard!

The next phase, climbing out of Lindale to Hampsfield, was fine but then finding the way onto Hampsfell from Eggerslack Wood didn't seem to correspond with the directions. Maybe things have changed.

The Hampsfell summit plateau with its limestone pavement and watchtower, known as The Hospice, made all the frustrations worthwhile. What a plateau! What a view point!

The limestone pavement

The Hospice on Hampsfell

Conistion Range from the Hospice. Click on picture for full panorama

Margaret and Cynthia with Hampsfell behind

Cartmel Priory

Thereafter, it was a gentle stroll back to Cartmel in the evening sun although the anxiety level rose as we approached the car park and thought about Margaret's car. What would we find?

! Relief ! The car was still there !

!!! Relief !!! The car door was unlocked !!!

!!!!! Panic !!!!! The key was not in the ignition !!!!!

!!!!!!!! Relief! !!!!!!! The key case was on the backseat! Don't ask me why !!!!!!!

To celebrate, we adjourned to the Royal Oak Inn for a bar-snack before heading back to Witherslack to retrieve Ian's car and go our separate ways home.

Don, 25th March 2011

Here are some photos taken by Ian: