This is an old Publication that is no longer available
Cicerone publishes guidebooks for long distance walks and treks, day walks, family walks, scrambling, climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering, cycling guides, hill and mountain skills and outdoor photography. Cicerone's aim is to inspire you, and to provide the information needed to enable you to plan and enjoy your favourite outdoor activity, whether in the British Isles or overseas.
Les Maple and Publisher's Information 2007
Publishers information:
With a flavour of each of the main Lakeland valleys, and time to stop and wonder at their charms, the walk described in this book leads quickly away from the busy tourist centres to the quiet pleasures of the fell country. Designed as a scenic tour of the Lake District, the route is primarily one of valleys and passes, rather than a tick list of peaks attained. The shepherds and drovers chose their paths well, logical links from one valley to the next, and many of these ancient ways have been chosen for this walk. All footpaths and bridleways used are on established rights of way. The walk starts at the railway terminus at Windermere town, quickly leaving the crowds behind and passes through Ambleside, the Langdale valley, Coniston, Dunnerdale, Eskdale, Wasdale, Ennerdale, Buttermere, Newlands Valley, Keswick, Borrowdale, Grasmere then Ullswater, before returning back to Windermere via the Troutbeck valley.
Book Review by Les Maple:
This new 93-mile tour takes the idea of a typical European mountain trek and adapts it to the Lake District. The circular route starts at Windermere and passes through Ambleside, Coniston, and Eskdale before heading north to Keswick. It then heads south, through Rosthwaite to Grasmere; across to Patterdale and thence back to Windermere.
The author has sub-divided his route into 12 stages, although I would expect the seasoned, and experienced, LDWA walker to complete the walk in 6 days or even less, depending on how leisurely you would want to do the walk. There are five high-level alternative routes that take the walker over the region’s main peaks; also nine half-day walks can be undertaken from specific points along the route. In addition to the background information about the area there is a useful chart which provides information about available facilities such as where one can get food, accommodation and public transport.
For the regular Lake District enthusiast I suspect that you will not find anything new in this guide but for those seeking a good circular walk this could be ideal. The author did spend two years researching and writing the book during a period when he was a warden at one of the Lake District youth hostels.