18th June 2009 -- Around the Vale of Winster

Area:	Lake District (SE)	Ascent:	970feet
Walk No:	270	Time:	3hours 30minutes
Date:	18th June 2009	Parking:	Winster Church (SD417931)
Distance:	5.75miles	Weather:	Mostly overcast and quite breezy

Route:

Car -Winster House - Birket Houses Wood - Rulbuts Hill - Stonehills Tarn - Thorneyfields - Bow Mabble Breast - Car

For those of you that are thinking of going onto the hills I would strongly recommend that you read the advice given by the Mountain Rescue organisation of England and Wales. To read this advice, which will open in a new page please click HERE. If you would like to make a donation to the Mountain Rescue organisation which is purely voluntary please click HERE. Please make the time to read the advice page.

"7.5km south of Ambleside at the geolocical meeting of dark Silurian Slate and white Carboniferous Limestone, the lovely woods and rolling ridges around the Vale of Winster provide delightful walking. The route first rises to the west above Windermere before dipping over the valley to rise again to the east".......Bill Birkett ...exploring the Lakes and Low Fells ..Vol 1

Not the best of days for photography but this walk is a pleasure to do on good tracks for most of the way.

The start point at the church is about 200 yards to the south of the village.

We walked a short way back towards the village to take a path across a field towards a wood. (Note: It's a wall stile with no sign. It's fallen into the field)

If you've got it right you'll come to this stile into the wood.

After a short walk through the wood.

You will emerge to cross the footbridge over the river. Yes, this is the River Winster which flows sedately down the valley to empty its contents into the Kent estuary opposite Arnside. It does get a little wider but a good long jumper should make it across even at it's widest.

Walking up the fields near Birket Houses

Eventuall you reach a track which if followed takes you to Winster House

Winster House. From here the path goes to the right of the building up through Birket Houses wood.

This section is probably the steepest part of the walk, although it doesn't show here but it is shortlived.

Eventually you join a well made track running along the spine of the hillside. Turn right to follow it towards Rulbuts Hill.

The views from here should be quite good to the west. The Conistons and Langdales are hiding in there.

The path continues in a N'ly direction

Mental note.....do this on a clear day!

Eventually the track will meet a path where you take the the track to the right. You may also want at this point to make the short climb to the top of Rubuts Hill. No more than 100' for the views over Windermere. However you've seen enough of the Conistons and Langdales lately and I wasn't going through waist high wet stuff!!....I have enough joint problems.

Instead we made the gentle descent down the track.

At this point with High House farm over the wall to the right take the track going off to the left.

We are descending all the time now until we reach the A5074. We will then take a track up the other side of the valley.

Approaching the A5074 which is running from left to right by the trees. We will take the lane opposite, metalled at first then becoming a rough track.

Up we go again.

Passing a small pool on the way.

Higher up the path Stonehills Tarn comes into view

Whilst taking the last picture Edith noticed this egg. The size of a small hen egg.....no free range chucks about though

Edith in Dr.Dolittle mode again

Looking across the valley to our outward ridge. At the end of this lane we joined a minor road. Turning right down it for a short distnce we then took a turn off to the left and at a zig zag in the road took a lane on the right.