Day Six: 6th June 2009.
Weather: Overcast and fine rain after lunch, followed by real rain when we finished drenching later in the day.
Kendal to Bowness-on-Windermere, then up to the station: 14.4 miles on SatMap Active 10 GPS
After the drag of the walk down into Kendal last night, I couldn’t face the walk back up through the town centre and the traffic, so we cheated today and got a taxi back up the A6 to Billy’s tea shop – but at least we didn’t miss out any of the route. I’m glad we did because we met two delightful ladies from Harrogate, who had a guide book but were walking the guide back to front. They were only doing three days before being picked up by hubbies. But what fun – I wished they were walking our way. They told us that they had stayed at Burneside last night and were appalled at the state of their accommodation. They took their fish and chips back to their room to ‘improve the smell’, and then refused to pay the rate for the room – good for them. They recounted the tacky carpet curling back at the edges, mould on the wall, and the peeling wallpaper – I guess Kendal wasn’t such a bad choice after all. What a great pair, but we didn’t delay them too long, as they had a long day, the forecast was rubbish, and I feared for their wellbeing. A look to the sky confirmed that the leading edge of the weather was on its way to us and it was only a matter of time before we got wet today.
A bright enough start to the day
The route ahead to Kendal
Meadows at Burneside
We continued through the freshly cut hay fields following a dark green path against the newly cut yellow hay. Passing by Sprint Mill just before Burneside was a wonderful wobbly building and we wondered how the windows managed to stay put without breaking. Shortly after this was the thinnest style\gate I had passed through for a long time. Anyone with beefy legs should watch out here as it is definitely a squeeze through. A little way along the road we passed Burneside Hall, now a farm but it looks like the remains of a Pele tower are in its grounds in a very dilapidated state. We reached the village which only has the one place for accommodation – The Jolly Angler (as far as I know). That’s strange really as it has a large paper mill, but stranger still is the post office that is tagged on to the side of the parish church. After popping into the local store for our sandwiches and Hula Hoops, and some sweeties we returned to the riverbank and this time it was the River Kent and its reward to me was the sighting of a Green Woodpecker just past another small hamlet of Bowston.
The post office tagged on the side of the church
The River Kent
The falls and old mill building at Cowan Head
Old walls and gateposts
To the north west of the village is the River Kent that narrows through some rapids at Cowan Head and between old mill buildings that have been converted to flats – probably holiday or retirement flats. It has its own golf course - nice. From here on we were truly in the Lake District and the unmistakable landscape of craggy bluffs here and there. It was a little hillier than yesterday but the gradients were still gentle, as we passed through some very old field boundaries with massive stone gate posts. To the north the higher fells eventually come into view, and in true Lakeland style it started to spit and spot, not too heavy but a persistent drop. So for the first time in 5 ½ days it was on with the waterproofs, but that didn’t stop the birds singing and it was still a delight to be out and about. As we approached Stavely there were more glorious meadows to walk through, with the buzzing bees still working away busily. We passed through the edge of Stavely and under the railway line before starting to head uphill across the pasture and on a newly laid farm track at New Hall. As we reached the brow of a hill we found an empty barn to eat our sandwiches in the dry – it was full of cow dung, but it was dry and the rain although light was more persistent.
Meadows at Stavely
Getting closer to the fells
And finally it started to rain
I stood in the doorway and knew the journey was nearly complete, always a thought provoking moment – enjoyment of the walk nearly done and thoughts about where next? On from the barn we wandered along the road and up the only real climb of the day to walk across sheep grazed fields to the west. The big hills were to our right shrouded in mist with cloud pouring over their summits – it wasn’t going to get any dryer from where we were, and Windermere was still out of sight over the brow of the next ridge or two. The route now was along typical Lakeland fields and lanes – always enjoyable whatever the weather thrown at you, the fells getting closer and craggier as we progressed. One thing I noticed today that where some of the drystone walls have protruding stones the sheep have used them as an itching post. They have been rubbed smooth over the years – have a look and you will see many of them around. One in particular has been stained a shade of turquoise by constant use, presumably after they have just been tupped and the paint has rubbed off.
The rhythm of the day –up and down field paths
Happy as a pig in…..
True Lakeland weather
The higher fells to the north
Approaching Windermere soon
Drystone walling the traditional way
Nearly at Windermere now
About 3 miles from the end of the walk we came across another tea room at Hagg End, and as they had the decency to build this place for walkers, we thought it only fair that we should have a cuppa. As we approached the farm (they have B&B I believe) there was a field with a couple of large pigs laid flat out in the shelter from the rain – their house was the back of an old pickup truck or van. Suitably refreshed we had a spring in our collective steps as we got ever closer to Bowness-on-Windermere. We stopped and had a chat with a dry stone waller, who had started the day in a T-shirt, and was now in full winter gear. The high fells were now in full view or what we could see of them, with low cloud down in the valley and higher up the slopes the clouds were funneling down to lower ground – very dramatic in places and I stopped and stared for a while, and a little further on our final surprise of the trip was to watch 3 Red Deer leaping over a wall and galloping off through the fields to a small copse. From there on it was down through the fields passing a Western Skunk Cabbage with information label attached – apparently they can generate their own heat, so when it had been snowing earlier in the year the ground around this plant was clear, it looked like a banana tree with no trunk. We walked over a final brow of a hill and Lake Windermere came into view and so did the slate bench with its plaque – ‘for those that walk The Dales Way’. As Mrs RP sat down for a picture the heavens opened and I really couldn’t get a dry shot – I think she was quite pleased with herself though.
The bench at the end of the trail
And down to the shore to dip the boots
Down into Bowness-on-Windermere by the back lanes we hit the crowds of tourists and dipped the boots by the lakeside – much to the many Japanese’s enjoyment. That was it – a brilliant week in great weather amongst some of the most beautiful landscapes in England. All that was left was a walk to Windermere to collect the bags, and catch the train home. I picked up the bags from the baggage drop at Daryl’s Café and didn’t fancy a cuppa at this greasy spoon – though the weather didn’t really show it at its best. Then it was a short stumble along the road to the station and finally into the dry to wait for our train home – no stops and no changes. One last thing before I leave you in peace – it was a bit chilly on the train so the conductor turned the heater on. Now that would have been ok normally, but when someone has been walking through sheep droppings all day the smell soon wafted through the carriages – it made me smile, but not the townies though ha ha.
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