I went to Cockermouth on Tuesday. It's one bus there and one bus back, an hour each way from Carlisle and you have almost 4 hours to do a walk. You have to be careful to catch the bus at 14.35 as the next one isn’t until 18.45. I set a brisk pace going up Watch Hill.
Watch Hill ahead
Looking across to the Vale of Lorton, Mellbreak can just be seen
It was warm and although the cloud was low there were still some nice views
The obligatory shot of the tree and gate post
On Watch Hill looking to Setmurthy Common
Zooming in on Lorton Vale
Setmurthy Common ahead
Toward Sale Fell from Setmurthy Common
Looking back at the stile that leads into the woods at Setmurthy Common
I had set a faster pace than I thought I would and reached here in an hour, 4.5km and 250m ascent, not bad but the ground is easy walking.
When I reached the forest road after descending the path from the stile, I turned right down the forest road for no other reason than I’d not been down there before! I had planned to use the footpath to Elva Plain to get to the lane that leads to Brathay Hill but changed my mind.
On the forest road in Setmurthy Common
I stopped for some lunch in the trees near the road. It was cooler in the trees, there was a cold pocket of air here. I wish I'd stopped on Setmurthy Common summit it was warmer! Now this is when the day started to unravel. After my lunch I set off eastward toward Brathay Hill where I was going to catch the X4/X5 back to Cockermouth. Until a “Road Ahead Closed” sign stopped me in my tracks. “No Through Road” it said. If I’d stuck to my original route and got to Elva Plain a bit further along I might have had to retrace my steps and I might have missed my bus from Cockermouth. I took a right down a lane that lead to Lambfoot, passing Cockermouth Golf Club on the way, I could catch the X4/X5 from there instead.
Skiddaw and Sale Fell from the club house
Sale Fell, Broom Fell and Ling Fell
Another road sign at Lambfoot said that road was closed too, but the workmen were letting the buses through. The bus came and I arrived in Cockermouth with an hour and 15 minutes until my next bus to Carlisle. I got some shopping in Sainsburys then had a walk along the River Cocker southward toward Oakhurst.
River Cocker
Ling Fell, Graystones and Fellbarrow
I retraced my steps back to Cockermouth once I’d passed the sad looking Double Mills YH, it is boarded up but is up for sale and under offer. I got to the bus stop at 14.30, 5 minutes before the 600 was due. I waited for forty minutes and it didn’t turn up. I sent a text to beefy asking him to check stagecoach twitter for any info on the whereabouts of the 600 bus but there was nothing on there. Instead of the one bus direct to Carlisle it took 3 different buses to get there in the end. I went via Keswick and Penrith. I had time for some tea and cake in Booths in Keswick so it wasn’t all doom and gloom
Booths chocolate fudge cake is a bigger slice than Mrs F’s, very nice but not quite as nice as Mrs F’s.
I was in luck with the last bus, it was the 104 that goes up the M6 after High Hesket and the driver dropped me off at the first stop on the A69 so I could get home quicker by walking than if I’d had to wait for yet another bus from town.
My walk was Cockermouth - Watch Hill - Setmurthy Common - Cockermouth Golf Club - Lambfoot, bus to Cockermouth, then walk to Oakhurst and back 13.2km with 260m ascent. If you add the 1.2km walk from the bus top it was 14.4km altogether.
It took 2 hours more than it should have to get home. Not the relaxing day out I’d hoped for really, with the road closures and missing bus!
