Distance: 9 miles / 14.4 km
Ascent: Approx 730m
Time: 7 hours max (Estimated finish time 16:00)
Graded strenuous
Meet time 9:15am
Start time 9:30am
Start point: Car park near the Church of St Peter at Martindale Hause (postcode CA11 0DS)
Car parking: car park next to St Peter’s church and parking on the roadside, all free of charge
It is the responsibility of each walker to make sure they understand where to park. If you are not sure where the car parking/meeting point is, you must contact the walk leader at the latest the day before the walk. You should not rely on mobile phones or postcodes. There is often no mobile reception near walk meeting points and postcodes are for the nearest place nearby but should only serve as a guideline. Please allow plenty of time to find a parking space so that walks can start promptly.
Description:
A great walk with lovely views over Ullswater. Beware there will be some steep ascent and descent. A little boggy in some areas only.
From the car park, we take the bridleway path to the right of the church. We will walk round a grassy knoll then within a few yards, we leave the bridleway, to turn right on a faint grass path which climbs steeply up to Birkie Knott. We follow that path all the way up till we come across the path that goes over Steel Knotts, we turn right onto that path and head to the summit of Pikeawassa.
From the summit of Pikeawassa, it is then a steep path down, heading towards the stone wall on our right. We will cross the stone wall where part of it has collapsed. We then keep following the wall (keeping it on our left), going over the summit of Brownthwaite Crag. We will then leave the path for a short while to take in the summit of Gowk Hill.
From Gowk Hill, we drop down a little towards the remains of a stone house. Looking up towards Whether Hill, there is a path which goes from bottom left to top right, heading towards Mere Beck. We follow that path up, but when we get to the fence/wall, we must not go over it. We keep it on our right and keep going up till we come across the large and clear path of High Street. We turn left at this point and follow the path all the way to the cairn marking the summit of Whether Hill.
From the summit of Whether Hill, we keep following the large path towards the summit of Loadpot Hill which has a trig point. This is where we will stop for lunch.
From the trig point, we take the path bearing right and follow it more or less straight ahead to the summit of Arthur’s Pike.
The summit of Bonscale Pike is just across from Arthur’s Pike but a direct line is not possible. Instead, from the cairn on Arthur’s Pike, we take the path that leads towards Swarth Beck. It leads to a sheepfold where crossing the beck is easier. Once we have crossed the beck, we take the path going up and bearing right which will take us to the summit of Bonscale Pike.
From the summit of Bonscale Pike, we keep the steep crag on our right till we see a very steep grassy path on our right which leads down to Mellguards. We then go through a gate, pass a house, across a footbridge and across a road. We are then back on the bridleway back to the Church and the car park.
Please contact Nathalie on number removed by 10pm on Friday 4 June if you are coming on this walk (text or phone only, I am not on Facebook). This walk is suitable for dogs but please make sure you keep your dog under control.
Please check the weather and bring appropriate clothing (waterproofs and spare warm clothing), footwear and enough food and water. The leader reserves the right to turn away any walker not suitably equipped. The leader may cancel the walk or modify the route dependent on conditions.
We strongly advise walkers to carry hand sanitiser and to touch as little as possible during the walk. We will walk 2m apart as much as possible. We will not be able to share any equipment, drinks or food. Please carry a mask in your bag in case it is needed. If we need to go through a gate, the walk leader will take responsibility for opening and closing the gate to save multiple people touching it. Car sharing is now possible – please contact the walk leader to arrange.
New members: please note the walk leader may ask for more information about your walking experience. This is to ensure you have the fitness required to complete the walk that is planned safely.