Walk 142: a ramble through farmland…

View on the way back to Ulverston

As has been the case for some months, my free time has not been coinciding well with spells of decent weather, an indication that winter 2017-18 has been rather grim. Not harsh, just very damp and grey at home, and in the Lakes, quite a lot of snow.

I was breaking in a new pair of hiking boots today after the soles of my last ones finally parted company with the rest on High Rigg last month, so that, plus a weather forecast for the day that was rather ambiguous (particularly in the morning), added to my general lack of interest in battling with snow and ice and led me onto the low-altitude walk 142. This takes place right in the south of Cumbria, nibbling only the tiniest little scrap from the Lake District itself — this being the summit of Burney, the only one visited today.

Burney (on left) and Combs

It’s still a twelve-miler though, so not an insignificant hike even if much of it takes place through unexciting farmland. Good views of the Duddon estuary — but the sensitive will also have to cope with wind farms and the monstrous Kirkby slate quarries, which really have to be seen to be believed. But it makes a change from the usual landscapes.

As of today then I have bagged 135 of the 330 Wainwrights for a second time, so have 195 to go. I still don’t feel like I’ve made much progress over this poor winter, and only one walk in the last six has seen me above 2000 feet. But leave it with me — hopefully the weather will start to improve and I do intend to get out more often over the next few months. In the mean time, read about yesterday’s walk on the walk 142 page.