My wife Trish and I have been thinking of a walk for 2007 for a mid summer holiday. This year it was the coast to coast and in 2005 it was the West Highland Way. I think we have come up with a winner for next May or June.
The idea is to string two short to mid length walks together to make a nice ten dayer, or there abouts. The plan is to walk our old favourite the Dales way again, starting at Ilkley and finishing at Bowness on Windermere, then starting the next day travel to Ulverston and walk the Cumbria way up through the lakes to Carlisle.
This would work perfectly for us , living as we do about 15 miles from Leeds with a direct train there from our local station
which is a mile from our house.From Leeds we can train ride to Ilkley and at the end of the walk catch a train back to Leeds from Carlisle. In the middle of the walk at Bowness we intend to catch the boat on Windermere to the lakeside terminus at the souther end of the lake then jump straight on to the steam railway for the trip to Haverthwaite where it is only
a short (4or5 miles)walk to Ulverston. Good idea? comments please, also how about we all post our intentions or just thoughts for next years walks on here, should make some interesting reading.
Robin & Trish

Sounds like being a very good 10 dayer AH. I hope you enjoy it.
BB.

My OS map of that area shows a footpath called the Cumbria Coastal Way (as opposed to the Cumbria Way) between Haverthwaite and Ulverston (it turns away about a mile from the east side of Ulverston, near Newland, but it gets you close, anyway.) It looks like a nice way to go the 5 to 6 miles between the two towns, without walking along the main road.

Sounds fun -- best wishes!

Hello HikeMania,
Yes I saw the Cumbria coastal path running from near Haverthwaite towards Ulverston and then turning away a mile or so from Ulverston and we will certainly use that route, as you say it will avoid a few miles of road walking
Robin & Trish

I was asking questions last year about the Dales way. HikeMania replied that he was hiking the trail about the same time we were supposed to. Unfortunately something came up and we couldn't go last year. We are going to try again this year in early september. If you read this HikeMania, any suggestions or recommendations about the trip or accomodations?





[This message has been edited by tshands (edited 24 January 2007).]

Hi tshands -- yes I'm still here. We enjoyed our Dales Way walk very much, and I'll be happy to pass on what I learned. (I'll have to wait a few days, though, until I'm home again and can look at my trip notes.) All in all, though, it was lovely countryside, and the accommodation was very good too. Check back in early Feb for specifics.

Hi

We also can't get rid of the traveling bug after making the C2C our first LDW in 2006. This year we are also stringing 2 walks together to get a distance (but not the climbs!!) and time close to the C2C.

We will be walking St. Cuthbert's Way followed also by The Dales Way (favourite part of the C2C).

Last year we flew to Manchester from Vancouver Island. For a change of pace, we are flying into Edinburgh at the end of May. Then we will take buses to Melrose, four days to walk 65 miles to Holy Island, taxi and bus to Berwick upon Tweed and train to York for one day's rest (and railway museum). Then train to Ilkley and then approx. 130 mile walk to Windermere over 8 days (with detour to Hawes for W & G cheese - even famous in Canada!!). One day's rest in Windermere and then train back to Edinburgh and flight home.

Twelve days and 195 miles of walking and lots of experience with British trains and buses!! We can hardly wait to get back to the second nicest people in the World (after Canadians!)

It sounds great. We've thought about adding the Cumbria Way to the Dales Way to build up the miles. Just one small point, and perhaps I'm missing something here, The Dales Way is no where near the C2C. Pennine Way yes, Dales Way no.

Hi Kates Dad,when the Gulf islanders say they are walking the Dales way (our favourite part of the c2c) I think what they mean is that the dales part of the c2c (Swaledale)was their favourite part, not actually the Dales way.
Robin.H.

Sounds good combining the two routes. I do them both occasionally as non-stoppers. I keep doing them because I like the routes so much, I do them both ways round too as going the other way is acompletely different walk. The cumbria way is harder than the Dales Way, although the overall ascent is only slightly more than the Dales Way, the terrain is rougher with steeper climbs, especially out of Langadale over Stake Pass and up to High Pike on the way to Caldbeck. It normally takes me around the same for both routes, 30 Hours walking non stop through the night. However the Cumbria Way is approximately 13 miles shorter.
Dave.