Three Tiny Toddles

Much as I love colossal hikes and epic long days on the fells, there is also much joy to be had in a short (under 2 miles) walk.  As you may know I've founded a project called #WalkOneStop aimed at encouraging folks to walk just a short distance - as Tesco would say "Every little helps" - and even a short walk can make a big difference.

These past few days we've scampered around 3 gorgeous short walks in tucked away corners of the county and we only saw other people on one of them (the second one) and even then, on a sunny Bank Holiday Saturday, we only saw a few and still had acres of room to park.

Winster Wanderings

Winster is roughly between Kendal and Windermere and is an idyllic Lake District hamlet comprised a few stone houses and a fine pub - The Brown Horse.  Obviously, even with a short walk, it pays to err on the side of caution when it comes to carbo-loading etc, so just to be on the safe side we wolfed down a hearty lunch before we set off - all freshly made and properly tasty.

They do rooms too - and after such a hearty lunch I was sorely tempted to take a bit of a nap but Steve insisted we should head outdoors.  I offered to watch and shout directions from the patio outside the room, but he was having none of it!

In the middle of a beautiful dry spell we picked the only drizzly day but the upside was that everything looked green and fresh and lush.

Looking back to Brown Horse Inn in the distance

Near the end of the walk was a rather lovely church - I always fancied a proper country wedding and this place would be perfect.

The route:

Hidden Away High Dam

Ever wondered where the locals go on a busy bank holiday weekend?  High Dam is tucked away up behind Stott Park Bobbin Mill and it's basically a smaller, quieter version of Tarn Hows.  There's some roadside parking or a pay & display car park with a path leading up through the woods to the reservoir.

If you want to tag on a little extra then follow the path over to Stott Park Heights for one of the finest views of Windermere.

The route:

Haverthwaite Mystery Passage

We found this one purely by fluke.  As we were driving from Backbarrow to Haverthwaite Steve spotted a tiny tunnel under the railway line leading up into the woods, so obviously we had to explore.  We parked by the river then headed up.

The circular route is 1 1/2 miles and marked with white topped posts which were easy enough to follow.  There was a viewpoint marked on the map but in such a dense woodland we didn't expect much and then we popped out to see this - proof that the best views don't always require the hardest hike.

Cumbria has something to suit every hiking ability so please don't be put off by the big fells - take a chance on a random signpost through a woodland and you may just discover a magical new view.

The route:

For more awesome views of Cumbria check out Steve's new book - out June 15th and available to pre-order right now via Amazon - or, if you wait until June you can order it directly from us and I'll even persuade him to sign it too.  😀