CUMBRIA WAY ADVENTURE JOURNAL | Part 3

Back in Summer 2023, Jenni (my coast to coast and West Highland Way hiking buddy) and I walked the Cumbria Way. Well, the Cumbria Way-ish. We used this 73-mile waymarked long-distance trail in the Lake District as inspiration for a week hiking in this beautiful part of the country.

In part three of my adventure journal series, I’m chatting through our second day hiking the Cumbria Way. On day one, we’d hiked a little over 17 miles from the official start of the trail in Ulverston, into the Lake District National Park at Gawthwaite, up onto the fells and to Beacon Tarn, and then down to and along Coniston Water to Coniston.

On day two, then, we would walk 12.5 miles from Coniston to Great Langdale. Highlights according to the map and Cicerone guidebook would include Tarn Hows Wood, Tarn Hows, The Tarns, Stone Chair Hill, Colwith Force, Skelwith Force and Skelwith Bridge, Elterwater, Chapel Stile, and Great Langdale.

And while on day one we had to be fully self-sufficient as we didn’t pass any shops or cafes along the way, on day two we had the opportunity to fill ourselves up at several cafés and pubs along the route. There would also be more opportunities to dip our toes in water, and to continue with our chosen slow pace to ensure we were making the most of being out on the trail.

It might have been a shorter day in terms of mileage, but it was even hotter than day one, and would not be any less tiring. We’ll start where I left off… laying in my bottom bunk bed at YHA Coniston Holly How.

Cumbia Way Day 2 | Coniston to Great Langdale, 12.5 miles

It was very nice having a six-bed dorm room to ourselves. For one, we could set an early alarm for our agreed get-up time and not worry about waking anyone else up in the room. The early morning sun woke me up well before said alarm went off, though, and while I slept well enough, I could have done with more sleep (when is that ever not the case?!).

We’d booked the all-you-can eat breakfast the previous night for 7.30am when it opened, costing us just shy of a tenner each. It was decent; there was a variety of different food to choose from – hot and cold – and plenty of tea and juice to wash it all down.

I probably didn’t eat quite enough to match the spend, so will opt for the continental-only option next time. I did, however, do my best to drink as much as possible, wanting to at least start the day well hydrated. It turned out fluids would not be a problem today, but beginning the day having drunk plenty was still sensible.

Other People’s Hikes

As we ate, we chatted to a couple hiking the Cumbria Way south from Carlisle to Ulverston. I love YHAs for this – there is always someone to meet and chat to if you wish. Remember Dave from our Coast to Coast hike?

We were able to swap tips on the sections we’d already hiked, and it was great to hear about their favourite parts of the trail we were about to do. It’s so interesting to hear first-hand how the idea of hiking your own hike plays out in reality. I was also especially pleased to hear they recommended the café I’d earmarked as our lunch spot, so we committed to making the small detour to get to that.

The couple posted on the Cumbria Way Facebook group in the early afternoon that they’d reached Ulverston and had completed the trail. I’ve absolutely no idea how they did it that fast, but well done them, it sounded like they’d had a really great week.

Heat Anxiety

The route for day two looked stunning, and we were both very keen to hike it. But the weather forecast showed it was going to be very hot indeed. It was It was 26ºC when we left Coniston, and got hotter and hotter until late afternoon; over 30ºC at the hottest point of the day. And in case it needs saying, for us Brits, that is incredibly warm.

We were therefore quite anxious about overheating. But this was the week we had to hike, we had lots of water, knew there would be places to stop, and we were just going to have to roll with it.

To give you an idea of our pace, we packed up and left a little before 8.30am, and made it to our half-way-ish stop seven miles later a little before 1pm. Which is slow. Especially when the terrain wasn’t particularly difficult or steep. In that time, we did have two lengthy boots-off breaks for paddles in inviting bodies of water, so it wasn’t like we were dragging our feet when we were walking. But it did mean we were taking a long time to get anywhere.

It’s very hard not to dwell on just how hot it was, and how hard that made things. It’s my lasting memory of the Cumbria Way, for sure.

Anyway, let me get back to the scenery, because that was nothing short of glorious… especially in the sunshine.

The First Paddle of the Day

Our first landmark of day two of the Cumbria Way was an interesting Dog Kennel Folly just north of Coniston. Built in around 1830, the folly was once used to house hunting hounds, but has now been refurbished, with seats inside offering shelter to those using the footpath. Although when we looked inside, it was full of sheep trying to keep cool. Fair play to them!  

The path gradually made its way up hill, through Tarn Hows Wood and then up to Tarn Hows, a very pretty lake. This lake was created in the mid 1860s, and sold to the National Trust when Beatrix Potter bought the estate in 1929. It’s a very scenic place to visit, easily accessible by car with a large car park, surrounded by woodland.

It was here we stopped for our first paddle of the day. Not quite as long as our break at Beacon Tarn on day one, but we did take time to sit and enjoy the scenery in the quiet and calm of Monday morning. It was so peaceful, with just a small handful of other people passing by as we sat and had our second breakfast.

Don’t Get in the Water…

Except then we saw the leeches… which was a little disconcerting. We watched intently as they wiggled their way up and down the shoreline, apparently in search of something. It seems the leech could smell meat. But it wasn’t us (phew!). I can only imagine its disappointment when it discovered the meat was very dead indeed. A half-eaten sausage, I assume left over from someone’s Sunday barbecue at the lake, was floating on the shoreline. Mmmm tasty.  

Googling it, we discovered that it’s common to see leeches at Tarn Hows, and some people won’t go in the water there as a result. Although looking again now as I write this adventure journal article, I can’t find any mention of it anymore, which is weird.

Official Detour to Colwith Force

Leaving Tarn Hows (after watching the leeches for quite some time!), we looked out for red squirrels as we walked through the large woodland. I spotted the back end of one as it scurried away, but our real sightings would come later in the hike. No photographic evidence, of course, they are far too elusive for me and my phone camera. It’s a shame these little pretty creatures are so few in numbers these days; I don’t mind a grey squirrels, but the red ones are much cuter! Am I allowed to say that?!

As I think most people who walk the Cumbria Way for the scenery choose to do, we took the official diversion to Colwith Falls. Which was absolutely worth the extra few hundred metres of distance.

Yes, it was hot, and we were slow as a result, but the scenery was so pretty – especially the woodland at Colwith. As I said in part one of my Cumbria Way adventure journal series, slowing down so as not to overheat was probably one of the biggest lessons of this week-long hiking adventure. Rushing – or even hiking at our usual pace – was simply not on the cards. We had no choice but to take in the beauty around us, and make the most of where we were walking.

The footpath here catches up with the river high above it, and descends to it via some old, slabbed steps to the top of the falls. Given the heatwave, and the fact there had been little rain in the Lake District for a while, the falls were not as impressive as they can be. But they were still splendid.

Boozy Honesty Cafe

Our route took us along the river still further, and we took a couple of side trails to get as close to it as possible. We had hoped there might have been a spot to get in the water, at least to dip our toes in, but that wasn’t possible along this stretch.

Once back on the official route (honestly, if you are looking at hiking the Cumbria Way, make sure you take this detour), we walked up into Elterwater Park Country Guest House. It was here we came across the Muddy Boots Café, an unassuming honesty café in an old animal barn.

We didn’t stop to partake in the offerings here as we were on our way to Chesters a little further down the trail, but we (of course) had a look inside. It was so cute! There were booths fashioned from the old animal stalls, and a variety of drinks and snacks laid out. Unusually, when compared with any honesty shop or café I’ve ever come across, you can call to order a Gin and Tonic or Prosecco!! I imagine many hikers are tempted to while away some time in this spot on the trail!

Skelwith Force Waterfalls

The Cumbria Way makes use of a steel footbridge to cross the River Brathay on the outskirts of Skelwith Bridge. We were making the short quarter-mile detour into the village for lunch, but not before we’d had that boots-off break with our feet in the water we’d promised ourselves.

After looking at the falls, we headed down to the river’s edge. We clambered across the rocks to find the perfect perch. Jenni is much better at that than I, so I dutifully followed as she headed down to the river’s edge, picking her way along the slippery-in-places boulders, to decide where to get in.

It was another wonderful spot to cool off the feet and rest the legs, and one probably only made possible by the fact we were in a heatwave and the water was therefore calm enough for such an activity. I used the time spent here to update my journal – is there anything more delightful than sitting in the sunshine, with your feet in a river, reading or writing?

We eventually walked into Skelwith Bridge and to Chesters by the River, a vegetarian café serving lunch and cakes. It was very busy (bordering on chaotic), but worth the detour and wait – we found a table outside and enjoyed a hearty lunch. I had the Turkish flatbread which had a spicy kick mitigated by yogurt and pomegranate seeds, followed by a slice of mango, orange and coconut cake.

Both were delicious and hit the spot perfectly. Although I have to say I was disappointed that everything was served in/on disposable cups and plates – and the bins were overflowing. It was basically a takeaway with seating, which didn’t seem to match the vibe at all. So, while excellent food, and an ideal location, it wasn’t all great.

Wainwright’s Inn

It wasn’t far to Chapel Stile from Skelwith Bridge, mainly along a nice easy going flat footpath which followed riverbank to the edge of Elter Water, through woodland, and to the village of Elterwater itself. We played pooh sticks on the bridge over the river (I lost, my stick got stuck…), before making our way to Chapel Stile.

This is where we, along with a bunch of other hikers out enjoying the sunshine, ended up in the pub. Of course we did! I mean, the pub is called Wainwright’s Inn, so it’s kind of the law when hiking in the Lake District!

At 28-degrees and with a few miles left to go, we really were making the most of this ‘hiking slowly’ thing. We used the handy picnic table and less frantic vibe in the beer garden to check our route for the following day, and spent some time chatting to the Cumbria Way hikers we’d met the previous day as well as to a few others who sat on the table behind us. After a suitably refreshing orange juice and lemonade, and filling up our water bladders from the free water tap provided for thirsty hikers and dogs, we did eventually leave the pub.

We weren’t done in Chapel Stile though; we made use of the local village store to stock up on crisps, sweets and drinks for the following day, knowing there would be no such resupply in Great Langdale that evening. The heatwave-related signs outside the shop made me smile – we don’t normally need to be quite so worried about where to buy extra sun cream in England!

Cragside Walk to Great Langdale

From Chapel Stile it was a little under three miles to Great Langdale, first passing through the wide-open flat fields of Baysbrown farm and campsite. Much like the site we’d walked through on Coniston Water the previous day, it was heaving with campers in tents and vans, clearly making the most of the sunshine in the Lake District.

This was a really pretty stretch of the Cumbria Way, and was a fantastic way to end day two of our hike. The route passed beneath the towering crags of Lingmoor Fell on a rugged and undulating path. We had sheep to talk to, and big views of the peaks all around.

We could see a little cluster of buildings, including New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel – our digs for the night, from quite a distance. Thankfully it didn’t take long before we stopped going along the line of the hill and descended towards the hotel. The river we crossed on the way to Sticklebarn was almost dry, so no chance of a final dip before we hit the showers!

New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel

Getting sorted at New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel was nice and easy thanks to being able to check in online a little earlier in the day (another good reason to stop at the pub that afternoon). Our room was right at the top of the hotel, with windows overlooking the back. It was a large room with twin beds, a large ensuite shower room, and all the usual guest house amenities.

It cost us £110 total (so £55 each) for bed and breakfast, which seemed reasonable enough for what we got. More than the YHA, but this was a hotel rather than a youth hostel, so I shouldn’t really be comparing the two.

After freshening up and devouring the biscuits provided in the room, we headed down to get a drink and make use of the massive beer garden. The real benefit of hiking in a heatwave has to be the evening sunshine, which can only be described as delightful. It helped that the views from Great Langdale are utterly insane. It sits right in the valley beneath the Langdale pikes, Pavey Park and Lingmoor Fell, with gnarly peaks all around. Gorgeous.

The reviews I’d read meant I didn’t have high hopes for dinner. It wasn’t as bad as some said, but it certainly couldn’t be described as freshly cooked or homemade. Think more delivered-in-lorry chain-pub grub than gastro pub food. The meal at the YHA the previous night had been better. To be fair, these places are okay if you choose your meal accordingly; picking something that goes in the fryer or heats in the oven is your best bet. It did the job and wasn’t too overpriced.

The End of Day Two

We had mooted the idea of hiking to Dungeon Ghyll Force, an apparently impressive 40m high waterfall that sits a little above Great Langdale, before dinner that evening. We’d got a route plotted in OS Maps ahead of time, mainly because 12.5 miles seemed like a pretty short day given the amount of daylight we’d have to play with.

I think it was probably my fault we didn’t. It had been such a hot and tiring day, I really wasn’t in the mood, and felt like I needed to save my legs and lungs for the hike up Stake Pass the following morning. Jenni didn’t seem to want to persuade me otherwise, and so it went on our to-hike pile for a future visit to this area of the Lake District.

Instead, we went for a bit of a wander after dinner to see what we could see. We didn’t last long… it got a bit too boggy for the evening shoes we’d packed, and the mozzies were out in force, so it was back to the beer garden for another drink and to watch the sun set.

As the darkness fell on day two of our Cumbria Way hike, the temperature also dropped, which helped sleep to come quickly when we did eventually retire to our room.

Reflections on Day 2 of the Cumbria Way

Day two of the Cumbria Way had been another very slow and hot day. We left Coniston at around 8.30am and arrived in Great Langdale a little after 5pm, which is a lot of hours to hike 12.5 miles, even in the Lake District. I mean, our route didn’t have much elevation (1,500 feet), the terrain was relatively easy, and OS Maps suggested it could be done in a little over four hours. We were just slow.

Of course, it should be said that we also took a lot of breaks, which is the real reason we took all day to hike along the Cumbria Way from Coniston to Great Langdale. And that was absolutely part of the fun of it. We got in the water at Tarn Hows and Skelwith Force, had lunch in a café and a drink in a pub, and had several other sit-downs along the way. Yes, slow hiking is lovely, thank you very much. And if you think I’m trying to convince myself as well as you, then you’d be right. What a strange torn feeling I have with this idea of moving slowly!

It had been busier on the trail in places than I expected on day two; there were lots of people out and about enjoying the Lake District. This was especially noticeable at the café and pub. Thankfully the trail didn’t feel too busy, the number of people was noticeable, but not stressful. It was especially nice to meet some of the same walkers we’d spoken to on day one, and chat with some new ones, too.

Highlights and Lowlights

When it comes to my highlights of day two of the Cumbria Way, I think I will be a bit predictable and say the woodland around Colwith Force, and that rugged fellside footpath after Chapel Stile towards Great Landgale.

Woodland walking has to be one of my favourite ways to be outside, and the area on the way to Colwith was really special – moss covered trees, lush bracken, rooty footpaths, and worn old stone steps. And this woodland had the added benefit of taking me along a roaring river with powerful waterfalls. We came across a few day hikers in this area and I can totally see why you’d want to spend time here.

And that footpath below Lingmoor Fell, which undulated just within the contour line, provided such great views. It felt very Lake District in its terrain and its surroundings, and filled my soul up with the goodness of being outside. It was also very nice for the feet. We’d walked a fair distance on country lanes and hard-packed footpath during the day, and so this section was a delight for the feet. Even if we did have to concentrate on our footing thanks to the rocks dotted all along the trail.  

With a highlight must come a lowlight, and while I have harped on about us being really slow, I don’t think I can spell out one thing that wasn’t great about this day. Apart from maybe the dinner at New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. Or the initial shudder when we spotted the leeches in Tarn Hows. Little things, for sure.

Looking Ahead

Despite very much enjoying the slow pace, I went to bed that night feeling quite worried about the mountain days. I mean, if a reasonably bog standard 12.5 miles took us that long, how was I going to manage Skiddaw, Blencathra and Helvellyn in the second half of the week?! Three peaks over 865m in three days was going to be a real test of my fitness and stamina. I just hoped they would be enjoyable.

First, though, we had to reach Keswick. And that is a story for my next Cumbria Way adventure journal article.  

If anything in this journal article has planted a question in your mind, please feel free to ask it in the comments below.