A Walk for May

From Cumbria House turn left and walk along Ambleside Road. Take the right turn into Springs Road follow this all the way to Springs Farm where there is a gate into Springs Wood. The path follows Brockle Beck through the wood where you will see your first blue bells.

Where the path divides go right to the wood edge and follow the path up past the phone mast. At the top of the hill turn right along by the wall and over the stile into Great Wood. With bluebells to both sides go down the path and cross a small stream. As you go up the other side a faint path leaves the main track to the right soon joining a good track. This takes you downhill for about a mile through varied woodland with bluebells, ferns and a splendid patch of wild garlic!

50 yards past this take a small path on your left, cross a small stream and soon head down a steep slope towards a gate and stile out onto a narrow road. This is the entrance road for Great Wood Car Park. Go right along it and straight across Borrowdale Road - down stone steps. Go left along the main path parallel to the road for about 100 yards until you see the lake shore.

Go down to the lake and turn right along the shore. We always pause here to throw sticks into the lake for Kim. She sometimes needs a bit of persuading to swim after them but she certainly enjoys the water.

From here the lakeside path takes you all the way back to Keswick apart from one diversion through Ings Wood. On a warm day you will see thousands of tadpoles in the stream here. Out of the wood Kim needs her lead on because there are lambs in the field and I don't quite trust her to ignore them! From here you can either go right across the field to Cockshot Wood or keep along the lake shore to Friar's Crag and the jetties. Both routes bring you eventually to Lakeside car park. From here take the path up past the Mountain Rescue Post; cross Heads Road over to Borrowdale Road. Left here and then right up the path beside the Church - divert into the churchyard to view ( and smell!) the azaleas.

Here you are back at Cumbria House and ready for a well earned drink sat on the patio in the afternoon sun.

Design and © Cathy Colam

May 2000