The Pictures:-

To see who was on the walk click on the following picture:-

To view all the pictures taken on the walk click 'HERE'. then on the first picture to view in full screen, and again on small arrow on the right to continue.

The Walk:-

Walk leader Stan Bradshaw.

Number on walk 16

Distance 14.4 miles

Weather. Apart from one minor shower dry with sunny spells.

 The walk itself went from our parking spot, a lay-by near the Strickland Arms, past Sizergh Castle, Holeslack Farm, Helsington Church to 'The Mushroom' on Scout Scar, where we took a break for morning coffee. Unfortunately the Lake District hills were shrouded in low cloud, masking what is normally a very fine view. Nevertheless we did get views over the Lyth Valley and east over Kendal, and any gloom there might have been, on the way to Scout Scar, was brightened up by gorgeous areas of snowdrops in Duke Plantation and in the woods around Holeslack Farm.

Coffee break over, we then continued our walk northwards to the high point on Cunswick Fell. By this time the low cloud over the Fells was starting to beak up and at last we got views of the snow covered Langdale Pikes and several of the other hills. Having reached the most northerly point of the walk, we now turned abruptly back on ourselves and headed back towards Kendal Fell and after crossing the golf course, dropped down into Kendal then up to Kendal Castle for lunch.

The castle was probably built in the late 12th century as the home of the Lancaster family who were Barons of Kendal. The best-known family associated with the castle was the Parr family; including Queen Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII of England. Her family had lived at Kendal since her ancestor Sir William Parr married the heiress of Kendal, Elizabeth Ros, during the reign of Edward III of England. By the time Catherine Parr was born, the family had long deserted the castle which was already falling into disrepair.

After lunch we dropped down from the castle to join the line of the old Kendal Canal, now sadly disused. The canal had suffered problems of leakage due to fissures in the underlying limestone and was finally filled in in 1955, although the last commercial traffic ceased in 1947. This was mainly the transportation of coal from Preston to Kendal Gas Works. We could only try to visualise what it must have looked like in them days as we followed it to just beyond Sedgwick. Here we left the old canal and crossed the swollen River Kent then up the strangely named Nannypie Lane back to our cars.

This is normally a clean, dry walk, but given the time of year and heavy rain overnight resulted in anywhere that could be muddy was muddy, particularly during the latter stages along the line of the old Kendal Canal.

Can I say what a pleasure it was to lead such a pleasant and sociable group, who kept together well, with neither 'hares' at the front or stragglers bringing up the rear.

Stan