Walking in Cumbria - Beyond The Lake District

1. A Short Haul on the Wall

If you’re looking to see a good section of Hadrian’s Wall but not wanting to invest too much time and energy, or perhaps you have young children with you, then this is the walk for you.  A 2 mile walk starting from Cawfields Quarry offers fantastic views and a good look at the ruins of a milecastle too (milecastles guarded the gateways through the Wall).  The walk should only take roughly 1 hour but does have some steep sections.  We enjoyed a sunny Sunday afternoon walk here in February.  It was quite muddy and we were glad we had our wellies, but well worth it and we’re sure we’ll be back.

We printed out walk number 9 from nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall

2. Monks & Mysteries – Wetheral Caves Walk

There’s a lot on offer in the little village of Wetheral in Cumbria.  There’s also The Crown Hotel’s dog friendly pub, as well as Fantails Restaurant and the village shop and café.  Well worth a visit!  But, did you know there’s also a lovely riverside walk along the river Eden to some caves?  The caves are man made and make for a fascinating visit. Catching a glimpse of Corby Castle on the other side of the river is interesting to see too.

The walk is an easy, family friendly walk and the “Monk’s & Mysteries” walk map route to follow can be downloaded here from Cumbria Tourism’s website.

Park on the village green and walk the circular 3.5 mile route at your leisure. (The route can easily be shortened too if tired little legs are ready for back to the car, just miss out the last loop over the viaduct into Great Corby.)

3. If you go down in the woods today – Walking at Gelt Woods

Gelt Woods is a beautiful walk alongside the river Gelt.  It’s a 5 mile route and mostly riverside all the way, so don’t forget your camera!

At certain times of year, look out for the magical pixie doors which appear at the base of tree stumps and trunks – a little mystery, and fun for children to see how many they can spot!

This walk is fairly steep in parts and the path can be uneven with tree roots, so might not be for everyone.

Well, that’s just a taster!  There really is so much to explore in this picturesque area of Cumbria.  We hope we’ve whetted your appetite to start planning your visit here soon!

If we’ve ignited the inner adventurer in you then why not have a look at our range of self catered cottages in The Lake District & Cumbria on the Premier Cottages website.

Local information kindly provided by:

Vicki Karg, Tottergill Farm Holiday Cottages, Cumbria