England - Lake District - Along The Greta Line

Walk Summary

Starts at the mystical and magical Castlerigg Stone Circle. Includes the trail following the disused railway line from Keswick to Threlkeld. Admire the classic view from Latrigg over Keswick to Derwent Water and the North Western fells.

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Date: 15/02/2023

Length: 12.344 miles

Height Gain: 557 m

Terrain: Boggy fell, stone tracks, tarmac trail (disused railway line), lightly used roads

Navigation: Map and compass required. The route is well signed

Start: Castlerigg Stone Roadside Carpark

Route: Castlerigg Stone Roadside Carpark, Keswick Railway Trail, Threlkeld Bridge, Threlkeld, Wescoe, Derwentfolds, Latrigg, Briar Rigg, Keswick Railway Trail, Castlerigg

Map: OL5 North Eastern Lake District

Weather: Grey, heavy rain, windy

Walkers: Nun, Cabin Boy, Captain Mo

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Castlerigg Stones

Captain's Log

Castlerigg

The weather forecasters predicted a weather front to roll across northern England like a tsunami around lunchtime, and so there was nothing for it but to do a low level walk. I had a look at the map and decided that we'd base the walk around the River Greta near Keswick.

The early morning turned out to be the best of the week so far, with bright sunshine and clear skies. We parked near to the Castlerigg stone circle and wandered over to have a look at the 4,500 year old monument. There are around 40 stones. A myth says that each time you try to count the number of stones, you come up with a different figure. Nobody really knows the purpose of the stones. My view is that it was some sort of sports venue and involved two teams kicking an inflated pigs bladder about. It is in a dramatic position, being overlooked by Skiddaw, Blencathra and Clough Head. A woman who was viewing the stones, insisted in walking into every photo I was taking of the circle. During the time I was attempting to get that perfect photo the western skies turned grey and turbulent. It looked like the predicted weather front was approaching.

Bridge Over River Greta

Greta Line

By way of a little road walking and a permissive path, we walked under the A66 and arrived at the Keswick to Threlkeld railway path. This is a well constructed trail that follows the route of the old Keswick railway line and follows the River Greta, crossing it several times along the route. In 2015, Storm Desmond swept two of the bridges away and severely damaged another one. I remember trying to walk part of the trail around that time and seeing one of the large bridges about a hundred metres downstream. It was hard to believe the destructive capacity of the river, especially when it normally looks quite sedate. I shouldn't have spoken too soon since the weather had now turned and there was a light patter of rain.

We followed the trail eastwards, re-crossing the A66 and making our way alongside fields. At one point we went by a row of industrial units, one of which was emitting a rather pleasant spicy smell that made my tummy rumble. Maybe Brysons baked some of their pasties here.

The Greta Line

Crossing The River Greta

Threlkeld And Wescoe

The trail ended soon after leaving the secret bakery, and we followed a lane over to Threlkeld. When we entered the village, a man walking his dog asked us if we knew where we were going. He said we looked a bit lost. He seemed to have mud on every item of his clothing and it crossed my mind whether he was the village vagrant. I explained we were making our way to Latrigg and he departed, know doubt to wallow in some more mud. There seemed to be a lot of new house building going on in Threlkeld; it looked like the village was expanding.

We followed a lonely lane to the small collection of houses known as Wescoe. The road contoured along the hillside before terminating at some houses at Derwentfolds. We headed off on a footpath and it felt good to leave the tarmac at last.

View East From Latrigg

Latrigg

The views opened up as we started the long climb up to Latrigg. The mist had rolled down from the tops of the hills and then lost momentum and stopped just above us. We could see the long, steep path leading from the Latrigg carpark up the side of Skiddaw, before disappearing into the mist. A few lonely stalwarts were making their way up the path; the bad weather had not deterred them. On the summit of Latrigg, I cupped a hand around my camera, to shelter it from the light rain, as I took the classic shot of Keswick, Derwent Water and Cat Bells beyond.

During our descent down to Keswick, the sun poked its head from behind a cloud and decided to stay. We reached the outskirts of Keswick and made the short way across to the old Keswick railway station. The platform and station buildings are still there. An earlier information board had said that the line was used for transporting coal and also had a passenger service. It was opened in 1864 and eventually closed in 1972.

Derwent Water From Latrigg

River Greta

Return

The trail was now quite busy with people. Two young women ran past us pushing prams. They even managed to maintain a conversation. Another couple put one of their tired terriers into a carrier bag and carried him along the trail. His little head poked out over the rim of the bag, as though this transport service was the most normal thing in the world. At last, we got to the point on the trail where we had joined it earlier this morning. We headed off back towards Castlerigg stone circle. The mist had rolled back up Clough Head's craggy face and then lifted off its top completely. A cloud still hung to the very top of Blencathra. Castlerigg stone circle was a lot busier with people now. I scanned the field for my photo flashmob friend from this morning, but I couldn't see her.

The walk had been a bit longer than I thought, but it was fairly easy walking. The stone cirlcle and the railway line trail provided a lot of historical interest to the walk. It had been a great low level, rainy day walk.

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