Day 1 …. May 8 …. Ulverston To Coniston …. 17 miles
A side street leads to The Gill, a car park where the Cumbria Way begins along a beck.
Up onto the hills it’s easy walking, a little harder to negotiate the farms. St. John’s Church is a delight built of dry laid field rock and has a circular nave on the south side. Here was my first view of lakeland mountains to the north where I’m heading.
It’s very nice and pleasant open country, passing over a clapper bridge, by a ruined stone farmhouse and around Beacon Tarn, then along a beck to Coniston Lake. The lake side path carried me to Coniston, a picture perfect lakeland village. Coniston Bluebird Brewery, one of my favorites, was hiding behind the Black Bull pub. Holly How YHA and my bed for the night was one km north of town.
I arrived at 16:30 and found the hostel packed with cyclists, only one other walker. The next day was an annual Lake District race, 112 miles including Kirkstone Pass, with 1200 cyclists. Average time is 7 1/2 to 8 hours. Spandex is everywhere.
Dinner was at the Black Bull. They had four
different Bluebird ales. The barman poured
me a sample of each, I chose the Blacksmith. The Old
Man Ale was a close second. I had an excellent
haddock with salad in place of potatoes. Back to the
hostel before dark, cyclists were already sacking
out. Tired from my first day, I was asleep by 9 pm.