Glorious walk in Winster (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Glorious walk in Winster

8:50am Friday 11th November 2011 in Walks By Mary Welsh

This is a glorious walk through the lovely Winster Valley. It takes over pastures, along leafy tracks and on narrow hedge-lined, virtually traffic-free lanes. The peace and quiet of this beautiful part of Cumbria is a job to walk. It is just over five miles and ideal for the short daylight hours of November and December. There must be a snag after all this eulogising. There is. It can be quite muddy in parts after all the rain during the previous months.

Park in the car park of the Brown Horse Inn at Winster, Grid reference 419935. Let the staff know you are there, then enjoy their fine line in large cups of tea after your walk.

Route 1 Turn right out of the car park to return to the A5074 where you walk left. Continue until you can climb a sign posted step stile, through the wall, on the left. Go ahead to the top right corner to pass through a gate. Carry on up a grassy indistinct path that winds half left and then arcs round to reach a gate almost in the right corner of the wall ahead. Beyond, ignore the gate immediately right and stroll on the grassy trod to go through the next gate in the wall down on the right. Walk on a narrow path for a short way to join a wide grassy track and turn left. Pass a pretty pool on your right and the continue on the airy gated way with fine views ahead and with Bow Mabble Breast woodland to the left. Follow the track as it descends to Thorneyfields.

2 Beyond the gate, keep ahead and follow a good track as it winds steadily left and begins to climb the pleasing way to reach a bend in narrow lane. Turn left and carry on to a T-junction. Bear right for a short way and watch out for an easy to miss narrow, once reinforced track, turning off acute left. The walled way is a delight and climbs steadily to high ground with views over the Winster valley. Carry on the track as it descends steadily, with views of Stonehills Tarn to the left. From now on you may have to negotiate some large puddles before crossing narrow Lindeth Lane. Press on to the side of the A-road once more.

3 Cross and stride the fine grassy walled outrake opposite. At the left corner, where the wall turns away, follow the signed path, keeping generally beside the wall on the left to a gate. Beyond, continue on the good track, walled and with woodland to your right. Go through the next gate. Ignore the signpost and carry on to step over a fast flowing stream. Stride on along the main track ignoring all other left and right narrow turns including a right turn that is a right of way. Walk on as the track begins to descend a little and then look for two large estate gates set back on the left, which you pass through.

4 Descend the very wide steep track through woodland where the leaves are just beginning to turn and the way is carpeted with an early fall of bronze leaves. After a left bend the route goes on down to reach the left side of the one-time stable block of Winster House. Look ahead to see a prominent waymark and take the lovely track going off left to walk through more magnificent woodland. Pass through a gate into a pasture. After a hundred yards look for a gate on the right, pass through, and then take a waymarked gate on your left into a huge pasture. Carry on alongside the fence on the left until you reach an easy-to-miss waymark on it. From here strike diagonally on over the field towards woodland. Continue right with the trees to your left as you go. Then tuck up against the copse and wind round where it ends to join a narrow road. Turn right and walk into Winster. At the A-road, turn right again and descend to the car park.

Information

Distance: 5.5 miles

Time: 3 hours

Terrain: Much easy walking. Expect some puddles if the rain comes.

Maps: OS Explorer OL7

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