Arnside Point

A bright, blowy day with distantly threatening showers. Helen, Robert, Jane, Chris and Tracey with Steven and Russell as staff were joined by Mandy, Moira and Louise; Geoff led the walk.

Starting at Arnside Knott car park again, this time it was low tide and we went downhill, through Copriddings Wood over a stile (well done Mandy!) to New Barns to join the shore and its vast expanse of mudflats with white horses, running before a strong south westerly wind, bucking the out-going tide.

Careful footsteps across the grassy, rocky, stony way led us round Blackstone Point to White Creek (with the caravan park through the trees) and further out to higher Arnside Point.

The start of a cold shower and hunger pangs persuaded us to take the path into the trees where we found a lunch-stop spot; the shower had petered out.

We returned to New Barns via the cliff-top path – only one or two near-edgey parts – conquered the stile again and regained the minibus by 2 pm. By now the tide was racing in, lapping Arnside Pier as we passed.

Coffee and biccies at Levens finished the walk in good time and – despite the forecast – sunshine!

Hamps Fell

The day started cloudy with Hazy views over the estury as we climbed up Fell End crossing the Cistercian Way and onto Hamps Fell.

We then went through Hampsfield Alotment and lunched in a field with a view before returning through Merlewood and Eggerslack Wood.

Sue led todays walk with Amanda, Dave and Steve, taking Leon, Colin, Chris, Helen, Carol, Tracey, Jane and Robert.

Siula and Storm, Amanda's Border Collie's came on the walk and Robert took sole responsibility of Siula for the whole walk.

Working on Joanna

As well as walking throughout the winter the Blackwell boats are refurbished and repaired by the volunteers and clients during the winter.

Joanna, one of the Blackwell whammel boats is up at Grizedale Farm for re-fitting and today Roger, Pete, Dave, Colin, Geoff and Amanda were busy varnishing and painting her ready for this years sailing season.

Ings to School Knott

Todays walk was led by Barbara with Russell and Steven as staff and Carol, Chris, Adrian, Alan, Helen, Jane, Colin, Leon. We walked from Ings to School Knot a total of 4 miles

Around Cartmel

Todays walk was led by Sue with David and Russell as staff and Carol, Chris, Robert, Tracy, Alan, Helen, Jane, Leon. We walked around Cartmel which was a total of 4 miles.

Silverdale

Silverdale AONB! and, luckily, no rain nor recent high winds.

From famous Eaves Wood car park, via Red Bridge, across the railway line and up the quarry truck-way to where tarmacadam was invented – Trowbarrow Quarry. Here waist-coated and cloth-capped workers quarried the limestone for one hundred years until the 1960s.

From their Shelter Stone we visited the 4,500 million year-old coral fossils like star-war amoeba transmogrifying from the rock itself, saw the limestone layers – now the haunt of climbers – heaved vertical by massive, volcanic forces, and Red Wall marked by climbers’ chalk and ancient tree-bole holes.

Then, after lunch beneath the Trough – a six-mile limestone scarp ‘corridor’ from Leighton Moss to Arnside –we went via a narrow squeezer stile onto planked trackway round Hawes Water (yes, the little one!) to pass Clay Holes field – a source of medieval pottery clay – and on up to Challan Hall.

A short road and track walk over the railway (again) brought us to Waterslack Garden Centre café and ‘coffee’! – they won the catering contract for the Queen’s 80th bash at Holyrood last year and their cakes are ‘beautiful’. Outside it had just started raining for the 5-min wood-walk back to the minibus.

Today's walker's were - Tracey, Leon, Jane, Chris, Robert, Colin, Carole, Russell, and Dave with Geoff as leader and it was 3 1/2 miles long.

Finsthwaite

Todays walk was led by Meg and Roger with Russell and Sonia as staff and Carol, Chris, Robert, Tracy, Alan, Leon, Jane, Colin, we walked around Finsthwaite which was a total of 4 miles.