Harter Fell and Green Cragg

Following on from Saturday's ascent of the Old Man we decided to stay in the Duddon Valley.  I have this silly idea of walking all the Wainwrights, the hills Alf detailed in his pictorial guides.  This is a slow burning ambition and, to date, I've completed nearly 100 in about 15 years, however, there have been many repeat ascents and I'm in no real rush.

We drove up to Birks Bridge and began the direct ascent of Harter Fell which was reached surprisingly quickly although a little steep at times.  Kiki disgraced herself on the way up.  I assume she was chasing deer in the woods although, thankfully, I managed to catch Heidi before she could join in.

Looking back towards Dow Crag and yesterday's walk.

The gap between Harter Fell and Green Cragg was a little on the soggy side with only a very indistinct path.  There were also a couple of sheep lurking which we noticed before the girls but the final drag to the summit was pleasantly quick.

A lovely walk which was noticeably quieter than yesterday, I think we only saw about half a dozen people all day compared with a steady stream up the Old Man.  We retired to the Newfield for the usual post walk pint.

This had turned out to be one of those fantastic weekends in the Lakes.  The cottage was lovely and warm in temperatures that didn't move much above freezing all weekend.  Maybe I'm getting old but the thought of sleeping in a tent with two wet dogs didn't really appeal.  The Newfield was as I remembered and the isolation is a welcome change from London, you could even see stars.

The Old Man of Coniston

Well, that's been a lot longer than I imagined.  Sorry, life has got in the way.  We've still been going on walks but I haven't found time to document them.  There is some catch up to do if I ever get the chance but we were lucky enough to manage a weekend in the Lakes recently.

The original plan had been to camp but, following several weeks of rather wet weather, enquiries to various campsite suggested that they were mostly underwater, we managed to find a cottage, at very short notice, in Hall Dunnerdale that would accept two dogs.  This fitted in rather nicely with the original plan of camping at Turner Hall, somewhere I'd not been for around ten years.  It also meant that the Newfield Inn would be our local, somewhere I was looking forward to revisiting having fond memories of the previous trip.

The journey up was uneventful with a brief detour to Sunbury to collect Neil and a slightly longer one to Crewe for Glyn.  We made reasonable time and were able to stop off for a quick pint in The Prince of Wales in Foxfield.  The pub looks rather decrepit from the outside but was a real find and I would happily recommend a visit.  We were expecting it to be deserted, however, there was standing room only inside.

The following morning we drove over to Coniston with the intention of walking up the Old Man, a first for Neil although both Glyn and myself had climbed it on separate occasions in the past.  The day was beautiful and clear although there appeared to be plenty of snow on the higher ground.  We parked in the town and walked up the Walna Scar road before turning right to Low Water and then onto the summit.

 

We returned via Goats Water and back into Coniston for a quick pint in the Sun.  A fantastic day out although the wind was a little strong towards the summit.  Both girls behaved themselves, thankfully most of the sheep are down in the intake fields at this time of year although there's always one or two lurking so you have to keep an eye out.  Heidi particularly enjoyed the summit where a lot of people were having lunch and she was more than pleased to assist if they were struggling.

The journey home over Wrynose Pass was interesting in the ice, the conversation dropped noticeably at some point but we made it home for an enjoyable evening in the Newfield Inn.

The Well House - RIP

Sorry for the lack of posts.  We've still been out on walks but Kiki is proving slightly harder to train than we first imagined and has been staying on the long lead as a result.  This means all my time is taken up trying to control her rather than being able to photograph the walk.  We'll get there eventually, I hope.

On a different note, Sunday was a sad day for us.  We'd attempted to go to the Well House for a drink the previous weekend only to find it closed for refurbishment.  About time too you may say, it was certainly looking tired in some areas.  We were wondering if they could tidy the place up without losing any of the charm.

Alarm bells started ringing as we walked through the garden, staff were wearing uniforms.  The tables in the conservatory had place settings with wine glasses laid, something was clearly up.  On entering the bar it all became clear.  The pub has been taken and is now far more food orientated. 

Sadly, the pint of Shere Drop I tried in the Well was bland and lacking in life, they clearly used a sparkler on the pump.  Prices have also increased but I imagine this was inevitable following any refurbishment.

On the plus side it still welcomes dogs and both girls were pleased to be offered a biscuit.  We shall, no doubt, give it another go but I can see us using the White Hart far more in the future.

Ightham Mote

Saturday took us to Ightham Mote near Sevenoaks, another National Trust property.  I had downloaded a walk from the NT website some time ago but we'd never got round to visiting.  We took advantage of their parking facilities, membership does still have some advantages but they seem to be getting less and less these days.  I shall have a rethink when it comes to renewal.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the route we intended to take was now waymarked which simplified navigation, I'm beginning to get out of practice map reading and am mildly concerned for our visit to the Lake District in the summer.  Never mind, it all adds to the fun.

View across the Weald

Ightham Mote

Oast house near Mote Farm

View from Wilmot Hill

The walk itself totalled just over three miles according to my phone, not the four estimated in the description.  It was, however, a very pleasant stroll with lovely views over the Kent countryside, the fact the sun came out certainly helped matters.

Continuing on a theme from earlier posts, there were plenty of signs up warning of the damage dogs can do to livestock, however, there was no sign of any livestock anywhere along the route with most of the fields being full of rape.  I wonder exactly what damage a dog can do to this?

We attempted to visit The Old House pub in Ightham which has the rare distinction of being in both The Good Beer Guide and Doggie Pubs.  Unfortunately, despite it being well after midday, there were no signs of life and it looked like the pub may have closed although it could just be a relaxed landlord.  Anybody have any idea?

We ended up in The Chaser in Shipbourne.  This is an attractive pub with a nice garden but is clearly geared towards food and was very busy, not really surprising given it was Sunday lunch time.  We enjoyed our drinks in the garden and it was nice to see plenty of full water bowls for the dogs.

Thursley

Bank Holiday Monday took us to Thursley, between Guildford and Hindhead where we explored the Common and Nature Reserve.  Parking is available in the Moat carpark on Thursley Road just south of Guildford although this appears to be very popular and we were lucky to find a space.

The common is a nice mix of woodland...

and open healthland.

Heidi was enjoying herself although Kiki kept disappearing.

We also walked around the duckboards surrounding the nature reserve.  Signs politely request that dogs be put on leads due to ground nesting birds in this area. This can be something of a bugbear for me, many National Trust properties put similar signs everywhere despite there being no obvious risk or signs of the livestock mentioned, however, we were only too happy to oblige in this instance given the hunting nature of our two.  

We decided to try the Three Horseshoes in Thursley for a quick drink and I was very impressed.  The menu looks a little pricey but if the quality matches the beer then it should be worth it.  The pub is dog friendly and there is a large garden out the back.

All in, a lovely walk with a very nice pub.  We shall certainly return to the area.

Foxley Wood

The weather on Sunday morning was fairly awful and we weren't inspired to travel far so we decided to try Foxley Woods on the Purley - Kenley border.  We'd never been before but it had recently been recommended by a fellow dog.  We parked in Woodland Way, Purley and let the girls loose.

The wood itself is basically a rectangle which was relatively straightforward to find our way around.

The view could be quite impressive on a good day.

The girls enjoyed a good run around and thankfully didn't disappear.

All in, a perfectly enjoyable, short walk with no navigational challenges  It's one of those places which you wouldn't go out of your way to find but makes a pleasant option to have locally.  Thankfully the weather improved in the afternoon for the second walk over Farthing Downs.

Devil's Punchbowl

We decided to venture slightly further afield last Sunday and decided on the Devil's Punchbowl near Hindhead in Surrey.  We'd not been there for many years, certainly well before we had the dogs and were pleasantly surprised to find the busy road alongside has now disappeared thanks to the completion of the tunnel.

We walked up to the trip point with lovely views back to the North Downs.  It was still overcast at this point but given the torrential downpour on the way this was a nice surprise.

And over to the celtic cross.

We then dropped down into the Punchbowl itself, what a lovely spot to live although it's a fair old walk to the pub.  The day was beginning to brighten up by this time.

Heidi enjoyed herself as usual, particularly with the ponies.

And walked back through the trees with occasional glimpses back towards the bowl.

The view from the car park.

For post walk refreshment we visited The Woolpack in Elstead.  A pleasant enough pub although clearly more geared to food and dog friendly but be warned they have rabbits running loose in the beer garden.  We opted to sit inside...