School Friendly and other Lake District National Park, United Kingdom Off The Beaten Path Tips

I was invited with Philip's class to take part in an eco-tourism pilot scheme, in Grizedale Forest.

The children had to make their own homes out of what they could find in the forest. It was certainly interesting to see what they ended up with!!! They also" shopped" at a pretend shop full of items to help them in their battle for survival in the forest, both useful and unuseful items. It was incredible what some of the children decided was useful!!! An electric kettle, a picture and a water-bottle was what one group ended up with!!! I didn't fancy my chances of survival with that lot!!!!
Eventually they got the gist that luxury and electrical items would be totally useless.........

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Other Contact: Grizedale Forest

At Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre a new HighWire Forest Adventure has opened. It is an extreme tree-top tarzan course of rope bridges, trapezes and zip slides at heights of up to almost 60feet off the forest floor. Definately suited to those looking for a challenge.

Pre-booking is essential and under 18's must be accompanied by a participating adult. Min. age 10yrs.

Open 12th - 20th Feb. incl..
18th March - 30th Oct. incl..
Nov. weekends only
Dec. and Jan. closed.

18years + £18
10 -17years £13

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Phone: 0870 444 5562
Website: www.goape.co.uk

If you have the pleasure of walking to Aira Force, near Glenridding and Ullswater,you may come across a strange sight. As we were walking through the woods, I saw a tree lying down. It was knobbly all over and I thought it was covered in fungi. As my companions marched on in the rain, I decided to take a closer look.It was not fungi but copper money, pennies and 2p's pushed into the trunk. Well, I say pushed, they must have been hammered in as a lot of the coins were bent over. A suprising and unusual sight. Naturally, Philip just had to have a go at pulling some coins out but alas, it was not to be. The money was well and truly firmly embedded in the tree.
I'm not giving you directions for this except to say it was near the beginning of the walk!! Find it for yourself.

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Other Contact: Aira Force walk

No, not some Cumbrian hostelry or age-old custom, but a huge Bronze-age stone circle.
Long Meg and her Daughters are little known and are one of Cumbria's best kept secrets. Long Meg is over 12 feet tall and stands some distance from the rest of the stones, her daughters. Engraved on Long Meg are a cup and ring and spiral, clearly visible.
Originally there were over seventy stones in the circle but today fifty nine are left with twenty-seven of these still standing. The stones are reputed to be uncountable, ie; the number counted is never the same!
The best known tale tells of the circle as being a coven of witches in the 13thc. who fell under a Scottish wizard's spell which turned them all to stone. I like that idea!
The circle is well off the beaten track, on a very minor road, signposted from the A686 and about 6.5 km. north east of Penrith, 0.5 km from Little Salkeld.
We arrived here in the motorhome in the pouring rain and were fortunate to be able to park in one of the two very small parking areas. The grass was extremely wet so we had no intention of going off road. There is room to turn round (as the road is a dead end) if you continue towards the farm.
While we were there, a lone woman, in the torrential rain, went round all the stones, touching each one in turn. I'm not sure of the significance of this. It is an impressive sight though and I would love to see it from the air to get a true idea of it's size.

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Website: http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/majorsites/aa/long_meg.html

One clear, bright morning Michael and I headed for High Dam at Finsthwaite. We were desperate for some fresh air and a little gentle excercise.

I had walked this tarn many years ago with Nick and thought it time for a return, especially as the weather was right for some good photos.

To walk from the car-park all the way round the tarn probably doesn't take forty minutes and once you've coped with the first steep part up to it, the walk is mainly level although some parts are not easy walking. Wear decent shoes as parts can be boggy.

There are actually two dams, the lower retaining a smaller, murky tarn and the higher opening onto a pretty tarn with superb reflections from the trees and some great picnic spots. We thought it would be a wonderful place to camp but I don't suppose such activities are allowed. Certainly fires weren't.

The dams were created to supply the nearby Bobbin Mill at Finsthwaite, which is open to the public and a fascinating place to visit.

This walk is signposted from the minor road at Finsthwaite. Carry on up the steep hill and there is a free carpark.

We passed a grand total of four people whilst walking. It was mid Sepember but I was suprised on such a lovely morning that we had the place almost to ourselves. And only just off the A590.

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Website: http://www.ukattraction.com/cumbria+lake-district/high-dam.htm

This delightful packhorse bridge crosses the Duddon, way up the valley, enoute to Lakeland's highest road passes, Harknott and Wrynose and is just off the road, so doesn't involve lots of walking.

Birks Bridge is a special haunt for us, there is something magical about this place and it holds wonderful memories of our earlier days spent swimming in the clear, deep green pools beneath the bridge.As it is further along the valley than Ulpha Bridge, another swimming spot,it is not so well known,so not as popular.As the river flows towards the bridge,,the river narrows right down, forming small waterfalls which tumble into a deep pool under the bridge, creating superb swimming. Apparently there is an underwater cave here. People jump from the high rocks and bridge, here, plummeting into the green pool below.Obviously, the more days of sunshine the water has had, the warmer?? the water. It's a few years since we've been swimming here. I'm sure you'd still get me in though!!

On a very recent visit to the bridge, I could still feel the magic this place held for me and was relieved to find it untouched by man. Perfect nature at it's very best.

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This is a disused slate quarry situated some 2 miles north of Coniston in the Tilberthwaite valley. To get there, take the Ambleside (A593) road out of Coniston and in about two miles, turn second left, sign-posted Hodge Close. The narrow road climbs and winds it's way along Yewdale Beck, finally ending at the quarry. The slag heap has been levelled, creating a flat area for parking, but much of this has now been blocked off by huge boulders of slate.

The quarry was worked for roofing slates for nearly two hundred years, ceasing operations in 1964. The sheer open pit drops 300 ft down into the flooded workings.Naturally, the challenge of the sheer rock sides and the flooded tunnels attracts divers and climbers from miles, although diving is not officially permitted by the quarry owners, they can do so at their own risk. Certainly not for the faint hearted, as the entrance to the water is through a tunnel and then a ladder. into 30 odd metres of freezing water... Needless to say, there have been a number of nasty deaths in the quarry, mainly from divers becoming lost in the flooded tunnels.Brrrrhhhhh............

Apart from the unguarded 300ft drop into the quarry, the mammoth spoil heaps where you park are extremely dangerous, also having precipitous drops into the valley below. Watch your children.....

We were amazed that no such activities were in evidence whilst we were there. The area did seem popular with cyclists, walkers and even landrover safaris!

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Website: http://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/hodgeclose.htm