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That time has come round again, it is my brother’s birthday and a planned hike for his day. Most of it a more leisurely walk and a short little challenge along with good food in between.
Total Distance: 12 Miles Highest Point: 1586 Feet Total Realistic Time: ~8 Hours
Wansfell is a fell in English Lake District situated 1½ miles (2.5 kilometres) east of the town of Ambleside. The fell is part of the long southern ridge of Caudale Moor and occupies the swath of territory between Ambleside and the Troutbeck valley.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wansfell
Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic building at Claife in the English county of Cumbria. The house and grounds have belonged to the National Trust since 1929, but the house has only recently opened to the public on a regular basis. The grounds, which include part of the shoreline of Windermere, are open all year round and are renowned for their selection of specimen trees – Wellingtonia, redwood, Ginkgo biloba, weeping lime and varieties of beech.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wray_Castle
The hike today was split into two hikes with food in-between. First one of the hikes is a more challenging uphill workout and the second is a longer walk but a leisurely one.
Car park and Toilets
We parked at the main car park in Ambleside as the usual free parking spot was full where we usually park.
Toilets available at free parking area by the Ambleside C of E Primary school. There are also public toilets dotted around in the area.
The route of the first walk – Ambleside to Wansfell Pike
Started from the free car park and headed towards Wansfell Pike.
A lot of stone steps going up, and it seemed like it goes on for a long long time. I felt fitter today and managed to not stop as much as last time I did this route up to the pike with my friend and her dog Barney. It was perfect weather for the day, not too hot and not too cold. Lovely views along the way.
Whilst we were going up the path, the same guy was running up and down, we saw him fly by about 8 times by the time we got to the top and back down from Wansfell Pike once 😳.
On the way back down to Ambleside we took a little detour to Stock Ghyll Park and saw some waterfalls along the way.
We headed for some lunch at Apple Pie Cafe in Ambleside before we did the second part of the walk to Wray Castle and back.
The route of the second half of the walk – Ambleside to Wray Castle
There is a stony footpath most of the way to Wray Castle from Ambleside, with a little road walk, a more leisurely walk going through woodland and seeing wildlife along with art work.
There are signs to the Castle and when you get there, it was a lovely sight. We stayed for coffee and cake whilst taking in the views of the building.
On the way back to Ambleside we went into Borrans Park which was once a Roman settlement.
We walked by Windermere lake before we headed back to the car park and headed back to my brother’s for dinner.
Enjoyed the day, a good workout at the start of the hike towards Wansfell Pike, got the heart pumping and adrenaline going. The views at the top was amazing, and worth the effort. Rest of the day after the lovely lunch at Apple Pie Cafe was a more leisurely walk where we could catch up with each other, not puffing and panting. Also good to see so many people out and about the area doing the 100k event.
To finish off the day we got a fish and chips from the local chip shop in Morecambe for dinner. Perfect end to the day.
GENERAL EQUIPMENT
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro (for taking photos/videos and mapping using OS Maps)
- Comfy walking shoes (most important)
- Waterproofs (to keep warm and dry)
- Flask with Hot/Cold drink (a good cuppa is always welcome)
- ibuprofen (helping hand if you have any aches and pains)
- Food and snacks (fuel to keep you going)