Explore with Amie

This walk has many highlights: first it visits the spot where Alfred Wainwright originally decided to write his pictorial guides to the fells, it’s also a car-free walk as buses can be used to get back to Windermere from Ambleside and it was (kind of) my first solo Wainwright. Alex was away for the weekend and had taken the car wit him but with the temperatures soaring I didn’t want to be stuck inside all weekend. That went utilising the Lake Districts pretty good bus service. There are buses from Windermere to Kendal and Ambleside and then from there to Grasmere, Keswick and the Langdales so you have a lot of options. On this occasion, as I was also getting the bus to Windermere, I wanted a route around there.

The walk begins from Windermere train station and bus station which also has quite a large car park shared with Lakeland. I believe it acts like a normal pay and display, too so if you are travelling by car then that would be an ideal spot. Our first footpath to Orrest Head is right across the main road above the train station so, once you’ve crossed your off. There a two options to reach the top of Orrest Head: one is a miles-without-stiles route which doesn’t include steps or the uneven ground that characterises the other route. There is a lot of the the other way! The peak of this hill is only 238m but it has spectacular views over Lake Windermere and the Lake District fells. It was from this spot that Wainwright decided to write the guidebooks which eventually became the Lake District walkers bible and created the list of mountains I’m aiming to tick off.

It took around 30 minutes to get to the Orrest Head viewpoint and then it’s some easy walking through fields for a few kilometres. The hardest point of the navigation for the walk was this section here. It’s so much harder I think on open grass fields to work out which path to take, especially in popular spots like this where there are so many options! It is fairy well way marked though, as then I began following signs for Crosses Farm. I actually had company at this point as a woman came across me whilst I was dithering (unnecessarily) about going through a field of cows. We chatted – well mostly she chatted to me! – as we headed through Crosses Farm and then continued on through the fields towards Far Orrest, another farm. It was here that we parted ways as I had planned a different route. At Far Orrest, ignore the sign pointing to the left towards Troutbeck and instead, I took the path to the right signposted High Orrest. However, straight after crossing another field. I took the path to the left instead, away from High Orrest.

Sadly, this path was quite difficult and overgrown and there were a couple of those left to come, too! Each is only a short section though and I managed without getting spike by too many brambles and nettles. Soon, the path came to another road and I turned left and then right down Longmire Road. This is more of a gravel track and at time of writing has a large building project going on. After a few shouts from the building man which I’d have rather avoided, I continued down this track for almost 2km. You will come to a junction in the path, at which point you want to continue straight before taking the path on the left that bends rather sharply, almost going back the same way. This leads to Limefitt Holiday Park which is a Parkdean Resort. The routes takes your right through the centre of the park to the main road.

You once again, only need to cross the road to reach another footpath. This one is also signposted and crosses a field before you need to pass through one gate and immediately turn right to pass through another. The path soon meets another gate which his unfortunately broken and impossible to open. Luckily, there is a path around the gate which people had begun to make – it must have been like this for a while. With a boundary wall on either side, the path continues until it meets a gravel track. Another signpost tells you that the A592 is to your right and the public footpath to your left. Left it is. However, shortly after the corner, you’re looking for another path on your right. This one was also particularly overgrown. Whilst the walk does not require walking poles particularly (though it is a steep descent into Ambleside!), I was wishing I’d brought them for bush-wacking purposes on this little path!

Wansfell and Nanny Lane is handily signposted once again but you’re essentially going a little dog leg to the left and then right. Here was where it truly opened out onto the moors. Its a steep gravel track with very little shade on a very hot summers day as it was when I tackled this route. I’d 100% recommend this route but perhaps not when the temperatures are reaching 30 degrees as I was also getting mobbed by flies and horse flies. It was so worth it though! It was worth the steep ascent to Wansfell Pike because of the spectacular views across Lake Windermere and the surrounding fells. There’s nothing technical about the ascent; it’s just a steep one! Slow and steady won the race in that heat and I kept stopping to take a breather which definitely helped me get up there faster in the end.

You have to take some time to sit down and admire the views from here. I did just then, helping myself to an apple as a snack and reapplying some sun cream. Wansfell Pike is 484m tall and at that point I though I’d bagged myself my first solo wainwright. More research since I’ve got home suggests that that isn’t the case. Wainwright says that is a common misconception that this is the summit of Wansfell and looking at the OS map it certainly looks like it is the summit. However, that isn’t the case. Baystones is actually 3m taller at 487m and counts as the true summit. I think Wansfell is the name for the ridge and the Wainwright should have been Baystones. Or maybe I’m just saying that because I was wrong and didn’t go on to Baystones…

I might count it as a Wainwright bagged since I was so close anyway…but the completion-ist in me thinks it’s wrong. Is it close enough? Adding in Baystones takes the walk to around 13km instead of the 11km that I tracked but, I can’t say if this section is what moves this route from easy to hard as nothing I have seen to this point would warrant that grading. To be honest, I was more or less running out of water, didn’t have that much food on me and needed to get to Ambleside at 1pm to get the bus. I reached the peak of Wansfell Pike at around quarter to 12 so it would potentially have been possible, time wise but I think I’d have needed more water to be honest.

The descent into Ambleside is fairly straightforward albeit very steep. It’s a rocky descent too but they’ve been embedded into the landscape to create an almost step like path. You also have great views of Ambleside on the descent. Admittedly, my legs were feeling a little shaky at this point but we were on the home straight. The route takes you down into Ambleside alongside the Stock Ghyll Waterfall and your could take the path alongside the falls through the woodland on the descent. I intended to pop into Force Cafe so stuck to the road instead. Force Cafe was rightfully very busy and as I was only looking for a takeaway drink, I continued back down into the town. Grain was my cafe of choice and I had an expensive ice tea and bottle of water. I hadn’t quite realised how thirsty I was as I downed both in pretty much one swoop. It is a lovely place and it was good to support a local independent. Plus, the bus stop was right outside.

Luckily, I had made it in time and hopped on the bus before 1pm and off I went to Windermere. A short walk down to Bowness (only to kill time between buses), I got the bus home!

All in all a wonderful day out in the summer sun of the Lakes!

Have you walked this route?

Amie x