Ulverston

This was the weekend after the 2nd wave of terrible July floods, so we were all glad to arrive safely at the walkers hostel in Ulverston.

We had taken over the top floor of the hostel, while the rest of the house was full of Buddhists at the annual Ulverston Buddhist festival.

The hostel has a very relaxed atmosphere with Jan as our effervescent host. She even supplied us with sherry before dinner!

Dinner at the hostel was an interesting collection of cold foods and we settled in for the night, getting to know each other and discussing the route ahead.

Ulverston to Lowick - 8 Miles

The first leg of the Cumbria Way is a very long one from Ulverston to Coniston - hardly a warm-up day to start with! So we'd arranged to split this first leg into two easier days.

Despite our fears of long lasting rain, the weather turned out to be warm and sunny.

We took this first day easily, warming up as we wended our way through the rolling country side north of Ulverston.

The Ramblers Association put this route together to show the wide variety of terrain across Cumbria, rather than just the lake district.

This first day travels through some of the less well walked part of the county.

Well, it was quiet until we met our first other group doing the Way, guided as it happened by Sally (another WW guide who also works with other walking outfits). Quite a coincidence!

We arrived at the Red Lion pub in Lowick to enjoy a pint of real ale and the sunshine, thinking that if it was all going to be like this it was going to be easy…

From here we had a taxi lift back to Ulverston Walkers Hostel for a second night there.

Lowick to Coniston - 9 miles

After a taxi lift back out to Lowick, we started our 'journey' proper today - moving from place to place for the next six days, while our luggage was ferried ahead each day to our next overnight stay.

After Lowick the terrain changes to the more rolling fells of the Lake District, and when we stopped for elevenses at Beacon Tarn we were high enough to see the higher fells of the Lakes.

The Old Man of Coniston looking very inviting in the distance (or 'Crone of Coniston' as women have named it!) It gave us something to aim for!

As we carried on towards the shores of Coniston Water we could see the clouds getting blacker and blacker, though the rain held off until after lunch.

By this time we were walking along the shores of the lake where the trees offered us some protection.

This is the most fantastic path, running right along the lake shore. We could see the steamer taking the tourists up and down the water.

When we arrived in Coniston village tea was much needed. We found a local hostelry which could accommodate us all and bought them out of cake!

We then dispersed to do some shopping before walking the last mile and a half up the hill to Coniston Coppermines youth hostel.

We all agreed that doing the first two days as one day's walk would have been pretty hard work!

Coniston to Old Dungeon Ghyll Gt Langdale - 13 miles

Now we had warmed up we were ready for a longer day.

When we looked out the window we couldn't believe how lucky we were, the sun was shining and it appeared as if it was going to be a fabulous day.

Margaret, our American woman, had the rough guide to the lake district.

This lists Tarn Hows as one of the 'must sees'. So she was delighted when we arrived here just in time for elevenses.

There was even an ice cream van selling the famous Lakeland ice cream. Heaven!

The route then took us past the end of Little Langdale towards Skelwith Bridge.

We stopped on a sunny hill side to eat our lunch and enjoy the views down towards Great Langdale - our goal for the day.

At Skelwith Bridge we stopped for a fabulous cup of coffee and, in some cases, as large piece of chocolate cake.

We then followed the course of the Brathay River to Elterwater, then walked through deciduous woods following Langdale Beck up Great Langdale with the stunning Langdale Pikes coming more and more into view.

Near the head of the valley we reached the Old Dungeon Ghyll which sits beneath the Langdale Pikes.

The ODG is an old coaching inn whose Hikers Bar has long been a welcome sight to walkers and climbers at the end of a long, hot and satisfying day!

Old Dungeon Ghyll, Gt Langdale to Borrowdale - 8 miles

After an enourmous dinner the night before, an equally generous breakfast we picked up our very substantial pack lunches and headed off again.

I think that the Old Dungeon Ghyll hold the record for the largest piece of flapjack in the world - and we were going to need it today!

Today's leg included more ascent than before but only involved us going as far as Borrowdale and not Keswick as suggested in the guide book.

The day started, as so many do in the Lakes, rather overcast and cloudy.

We headed through the superb U-shaped valley of Mickleden towards Stake Pass, the lowest point in the hills between Mickleden and the Langstrath valley.

It was a steady zigzag climb to the top of the pass and we were rewarded by the cloud lifting and the views becoming more dramatic as we climbed.

The drumlins at Stake Pass make the landscape look quite eerie and there was hardly anyone around.

Down the other side we zigzaged into the Langstrath Valley - our route to reaching Borrowdale.

Here we walked for 4 miles beside the Langstrath Beck.

It was a beautiful walk by the river and we were delighted when the Langstrath Inn in Stonethwaite village was open and more real ale was supped by our enthusiastic women.

From here it was only a short hop down the road to Borrowdale youth hostel.

It was a day for wildlife today. We had seen sundew, butterwort, orchids, dippers, buzzards and even fairly young Herdwick lambs.

Borrowdale to Keswick - 7 miles

Today was a sort of rest day before the two tougher days that finish the trek.

We decided to vary the route slightly and walk up the right hand side of Derwent water over towards Watendlath as this was the more scenic of the two choices.

We also had all day to cover a fairly short distance and so could make the most of it.

Unfortunately the weather was not as kind to us as it had been and we experienced the first real rain of the week.

Still we waited out some of it enjoying tea in Watendlath - usually quite a busy spot but were the only visitors there.

In fact, it had felt like we had the Lakes to ourselves all week - perhaps the result of all the recent flooding and rain...?

After this we descended towards Derwent Water along the banks of the Watendlath Beck.

The vegetation was thick and green after all the rain and the beck was full of water - it was magical.

We stopped for lunch at the view point above the Lodore falls and watched the Keswick Launch cross the water towards the landing stage below.

Realising that we would have to wait another hour in the rain for the next boat, we decided to complete the walk to Keswick youth hostel on foot rather than wait for the launch.

The group certainly picked up pace as the tea shops and plum bread of Keswick got nearer!

We took the opportunity of the day's early finish to rest and recuperate before the two long legs ahead of us.

Keswick to Caldbeck, via High Pike - 14 miles

More rain today, although not as heavy as the previous day. We set off early to give ourselves plenty of time to do this longer day.

We left the central Lakeland fells behind, heading into the northern fells.

This again is a quieter part of the lakes and we only met two other parties all day who were both walking the Cumbria Way.

We stopped for elevenses just before reaching Skiddaw House and watched a merlin in action.

The wildlife up in this area is protected as there are many ground nesting birds, such as stonechat living here. It really is a remote, untouched spot.

From Skiddaw House - formerly a youth hostel and now re-opened by the YHA as a camping barn - we followed the River Caldew to just below Carrock fell.

Then began the ascent up the, rather wet side of Grainsgill Beck to reach the High Pike ridge line. This proved to be pretty tough going after the easy paths we had been following up to now.

We were all more than just a little muddy by the time we reached the bothy at the top of the ridge - knowns as Lingey Hut.

We signed the hut book, adding the WW website url - you never know there may be a women staying in there who is looking for a holiday!

Then all that remained was the final pull up to High Pike (very windy so we didn't stop long) and a straight forward descent into Caldbeck.

Again the pace quickened as real ale called. The Oddfellows Arms was voted the best accommodation yet.

They were very welcoming and the rooms were spacious and the food fresh and good value. Just the thing at the end of a long, muddy day.

Caldbeck to Carlisle - 15.5 miles

Today was our longest day on the whole trail, and it took us well and truly out of the hills and through the meadows and pasture land beside the River Caldew to Carlisle.

It was another day for bird spotting 'firsts' as we watched sandpipers coming and going on the sandy shores of the river.

We also saw several herons, including two herons mobbing a buzzard.

Just over half way along our route we stopped on the edge of Dalston for lunch. We could tell we were headed back towards civilisation when people in cars passed us all clean and dry!

This day provided another reminder that Cumbria isn't all about the Lake District.

We surprised ourselves and arrived at our final destination - the castle in Carlisle - before the youth hostel had even opened.

We waited in the nearby Globe Inn (surprise surprise!) where the landlord was really welcoming, it being a student pub and him not being used to large groups of women descending on him.

We joked that we would be on the top floor of the hostel… when the warden gave us keys to third floor rooms we thought he was joking!

As Carlisle YH is a self-catering hostel, we decided to stay in and cook rather than going out to a restaurant to eat as planned.

We had a pasta and pizza party and the wine flowed as we all celebrated finishing the Cumbria Way!

Carlisle

The youth hostel had arranged with a local café that they would open early so we could have a cooked breakfast.

We feasted on smoothies and full English breakfasts before finishing the last half mile of the route to the market cross.

With a couple of hours spare before women's trains we decided to do the town treasure hunt, broken in the middle of course by hot chocolate.

Then, all too soon it was over and we dispersed to the various corners of the country ready to rest and recover after this great week of walking!