Rusland ramble (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Rusland ramble

8:00am Friday 7th January 2011 in Walks By Mary Welsh

THIS is a fairly long walk, slightly challenging and quite delightful, just right to welcome in the New Year. It is called a Rusland Ramble and an excellent laminated leaflet, describing much of the route has been designed by Rusland and District WI. It takes you along walled farm tracks and beside charming streams. It visits a restored tannery before climbing through glorious woodland. Once through the trees it continues over high moorland, rather wet in places, with fine views of the Lakeland fells. If all that is not enough there is an optional diversion around pleasing High Dam. Your return is through the hamlet of Crosslands and finally on to the lovely St Paul’s Church, on its hill, from where you started.

Park close to the roadside wall of Rusland Church, grid ref 338897. To access this, leave the A590 at Greenodd by the A5092. Half a mile along, turn right for Oxen Park. After nearly two miles take a right turn just beyond Whitestock Hall. At the next junction take the left branch signed for the church.

1 Walk back (west) along the road. Join a wider road and continue right over High Bridge across Force Beck. When you reach a road coming in on your right, turn left into a good track. As you near Force Beck again, to avoid the ford, take a signed gate on the right, into a sheep pasture and walk across the corner to the second gate in the fence, now on your left. This gives access to the confluence of Ashes Beck and Force Beck. Stand on the footbridge and look upstream to see where the two becks unite to become Rusland Pool and perhaps spot a male goosander. Go over the bridge, walk ahead to turn right on to a walled way, which leads you to an unclassified road.

2 Bear right and stroll on past an old barn, left, with a pentise and underhousing with cattle now in their booses. A short way along you reach the arched outbuildings of Rusland Hall. The road winds left here and comes to a junction where you turn right. Descend steadily to the old tannery, on the right. Go through the gate at the far end of the building and read the interesting information board, giving an excellent insight to an ancient industry. Then enter the building by the second door. You will want to spend time enjoying this attractive site.

3 Continue along the road and very soon take the lane on the left, signed Rusland Heights. Follow the track into the woodland. Climb gently and watch out for gate on the left, signed High Dam and Rusland Heights. This the start of a long, steep climb up through the glorious woodland, the path well marked all the way, by posts with white tops. Pause often as you go to get your breath back and to enjoy the quiet woodland. Eventually you do reach the open fell and still the good guide-posts continue. The high-level way is narrow but distinct. In boggy places, look for slight diversions made by other walkers. Soon you have a magnificent view of Dow Crag, the Old Man and Wetherlam. Further on the Langdale Pikes come into view and then you can see Fairfield and Kentmere fells beyond.

4 Soon the path winds a little right to a signpost, where you turn left for High Dam. The path becomes narrower and passes through more bog – expect to get your boots muddy after rain – the way still well marked with the white-topped guide-posts. This brings you to a signpost on a little eminence, just beyond a stile. Pause here to make a decision whether to continue downhill or, to go through the stone gap stile behind you into woodland about the Dam, adding nearly a mile extra to your walk. If the latter, go through the stile and follow the faint path under conifers, winding right for a few steps and then heading on through the trees for a short way to join a distinct path through an open area, where sturdy duckboards take over small streams hurrying on their way. Eventually the path turns to the side of a wall on your right and goes on ahead, leading to a wooden gate onto the circular path round the lovely sheet of water. Follow the path right and cross a footbridge over a little stretch of water. Go on, always taking the path nearest to the water to encircle the pool to return to the wooden gate. Beyond, return on the path over the duckboards and through the conifers back to the stone gap stile and the signpost.

5 Go ahead down the slope. Ignore a grassy path left and very soon take a branch, right descending the slope. Step over a stream, Little Mire beck, and go down, winding left. As you go, look down left to see a ladderstile over a wall. Step over the stream again and climb the stile. Walk ahead for a few steps, then wind right down between two hillocks and continue on to a waymark that stands out, prominently, in a gap in the wall ahead. Then bear towards the right corner of the pasture, to step across the stream again and beyond carry on a short way to join the road. Turn left to walk into Crosslands.

6 Walk through the attractive hamlet to a T-junction. Turn left and almost immediately take a footpath on the right. Slant diagonally left on a distinct path, go through a gap in the fence and climb the slope beside the wall on your left. Wind around its top corner, left, to walk a short path through scrub to join a narrow road. Turn right and walk on. Ignore a well-signed footpath that continues to the right of a house. Instead wind left with the little road to reach a T-junction. Walk right, cross the road bridge over Ashes Beck and the road beyond to climb straight up the grassy path, ahead, to go through the gate into the churchyard. To see Arthur Ransome’s gravestone - the author of Swallows and Amazons and other books - bear right and the little memorial stands half way along on the right. Wind on round through the churchyard to go through a large gate to the road, where you have parked.

Information

Distance: 5.5 miles – this includes High Dam

Time: 3-4 hours

Terrain: Some very quiet road walking. Good walled tracks. Woodland and moorland paths well signed. Good paths round High Dam. Indistinct way to the road. Expect muddy boots after rain.

Map: OS Explorer OL 7

NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.