A Thursday to Tuesday trip with 5 walks:
Notes:
- Only one
of the walks below has been walked on the previous trip 3 years ago in the exact
same way. Two others have not been walked at all, and the other two are different
this time around (i.e. one is in reverse and with slightly different routing –
and minus a rather famous tree; the other has a major option that nobody walked
then)
- Train and
bus details are based on the current schedule, which may be different in summer.
- In case of
train strikes and/or track works this schedule will need to be altered, in the simplest
case by using Bus Line 685 along Hadrian’s Wall instead of the train for the two
Wall walks, or by shifting walks around if the Eden Valley Line is affected, or
– in the worst case if there are no trains along the Eden Valley line at all –
by walking other routes along the Wall, either repeats from the last trip or
sections not covered by the SWC route (i.e. west towards the Sea from Carlisle,
back by bus).
Friday 31 July: 08.24 Leeds train, arrives Kirkby Stephen
at 09.19.
Walk SWC Walk 416 Nine Standards (Kirkby Stephen Circular or to Garsdale): 18.1 km (11.2 mi) or 29.3 km (18.2 mi), with 584m or 899/819m
ascent/descent. Not walked 3 years ago.
Walk Options: loads of variations of the main walk, several involving
going through the lovely Kirkby Stephen village rather than straight to the
station, but also a tough extension along the British watershed above the
Mallerstang valley to Garsdale.
Saturday 01 August: 09.33 Middlesbrough train
to Bardon Mill, arrives 10.12.
Walk SWC 413d Hadrian's Wall Core Section (Bardon Mill to Hexham). 28.6 km (17.8 mi) with 455/509m ascent/descent. Not walked 3 years
ago.
Walk Options: bus shortcut by using Line AD122, which shadows this
stretch of HW close-by (every 2 hours in each direction, for example from
Walwick Farm last at 16.46 back to Haltwhistle and at 18.39 on to Hexham).
Sunday 02 August: 09.23 Leeds train,
arrives Appleby at 10.07.
Walk SWC Walk 415 High Cup Nick (Appleby-in-Westmoreland Circular): 23.9 km (14.8 mi) with 748m ascent. Repeat walk from 3 years ago.
Walk Options: Shortcuts and car parks halfway up the hill, but also a
tough Extension through an MOD Range on the moors (not walked 3 years ago).
Monday 03 August: 08.24 Leeds train,
arrives Garsdale at 09.33.
Walk SWC Walk 417 Wild Boar Fell (Garsdale to Kirkby Stephen): 23.3 km (14.5 mi), with 676/756m ascent/descent. Repeat walk from 3
years ago.
Walk Options: several minor shortcuts and extensions (see the webpage
for details).
Tuesday 04 August: 08.52 Newcastle train to
Haltwhistle, arrives 09.20 (or maybe a later one?).
Walk SWC 413c Hadrian's Wall Core Section (Haltwhistle to Bardon Mill). 19.5 km (12.1 mi) with 390/416m ascent/descent. Yes, yes: the stretch
with the Sycamore Gap walked 3 years ago but not the same walk: walked in
reverse compared to 3 years ago, and descending via the very impressive
Vindolanda Roman Fort, enabling a visit of it.
Walk Options: going over the hill on the descent from HW, rather than
going via Vindolanda (i.e. the reverse of the start of Saturday’s walk), or
going up to and around Vindolanda rather than going past its entrance in the
valley.
Last trains back to London from Carlisle on weekdays: 18.54 and 19.49.
#6days
6 comments:
walks now posted. no significant changes to the draft schedule
We've booked a flat with 3 twin bedrooms, but one of us can no longer come. So, there is a bed available in a twin room, for a woman. £145 for the 5 nights. If interested or for more information, please email judithharries at yahoo.co.uk (no gaps)
N=22 SWC folk in total in town, one of which returned home ill on the first morning though.
Quite a few illnesses and niggly injuries, compared to previous trips.
We were kind of lucky with the weather as the rain was restricted to a couple of short showers and cloud cover at the right times meant it was never too warm. Some very good heather colour ok many places, lots of Black Grouse on the moors, and some water flow in most rivers and streams.
A few people explored Carlisle (castle and museum are certainly worth a visit), others nearby areas - or even Glasgow - on days off while here.
Group dinners were had on most evenings, not necessarily all in the one same place due to the size of the group.
And there's a new favourite beer pub: Scott & Brassey in the train station, taproom of the Lancaster Brewery, in a beautifully restored large high ceilinged room.
We'll be back.
A great selection of walks in good company. Thanks to Thomas for organising. The cooler weather was welcome, the London heat was noticeable exiting the train at Euston! The live music in many bars was a good feature of Carlisle nightlife
Thanks Thomas for organising this trip and adding a great selection of walks in supplement to those from my last trip three years ago.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to walk all 5 days, (as you said illness was more rife than normal) highlights were still aplenty
I don't think anything can top the scenes at the castle ruins and being so close to the aeronautical sights in the sky but other highlights were
1: The Nine Standards
2: Haltwhistle burn walk
All in good company, remembering one swc walker no longer with us from the last trip and some new faces.
Thanks Thomas for all the time and effort put into researching walks, trains, buses, pubs and all the other elements that made this a great trip. The walks were epic.
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