Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway was built to to ferry iron ore from workings near Boot to Ravenglass on the west coast of Cumbria. Having been saved from closure in the 1960s the Railway now carries thousands of passengers each year on the seven mile journey from the village of Ravenglass through two glorious valleys to the foot of England’s highest mountains.

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway provides a geat dog friendly day out in Cumbria and welcomes dogs for a fee of £1.50 per journey. After 40 minutes or so with ears flapping in the wind you and your dog will be spoilt for choice in walks, long or short. There is normally a choice of open or closed carriages, hauled by one of the four miniature gauge steam locomotives in regular service or one of the diesel units.

Hiking to the top of one of the surrounding peaks is not everyone's cup of tea and with that in mind our walk took in a couple of miles of some great valley walking and provided lots of opportunities for the the dogs favourite pastimes, swimming and fetch.


Swimming in the Esk

From the station we headed towards the Brook House Inn before turning right along the well signposted track leading to St Catherine's Church. The track passes several cottages before reaching the small church beside the River Esk. Here, you can use stepping stones to cross the river or head upstream for a short way before crossing over a small footbridge and following the path back past Gill Force. There are many deep pools in the river which, provided the flow is light, make for great swimming! Following the river downsteam we found more open woodland and fields for a long game of fetch before winding our way back past Dalegarth Hall to the station at Dalegarth.

The dog was made welcome in the bar area of the Brook House Inn, which also has plenty of outside seating if the sun is shining. All in all a great dog friendly day out!

Click here for information about the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. .

The Ruins of Hollinshead Hall and Great Hill

Our quick jaunt up to Redmonds Edge yesterday left us wanting for more so once again we headed to the Crookfields Road car park, just off the A675 between Abbey Village and Belmont.

Our route to took us through the picnic site adjacent to the car park before cross ing the road to a stile where the road turns sharply left towards Tockholes. We passed through the kissing gate a few yards further on and followed the pleasant path through fields where sheep were grazing, with great views of our intended destination, Great Hill.

After a quarter of a mile or so the path rejoins the road, where we crossed, to follow a narrow footpath leading downwards to the ruins of Hollinshead Hall. A spectacular display of bluebells aligned the path before giving way to the well kept ruins themselves. In the past we've stopped for a quick game of fetch here but in the morning heat it didn't seem like an attractive proposition so we continued onwards, along a pretty tree lined path, to join the A675.

Taking great care when crossing the busy road we joined the obvious path which leads to the summit of Great Hill. To say it was hot seems like an understatement. Even though I always carry water for myself and the dog on our summer walks the dog took every opportunity to paddle in the one or two streams that we crossed en-route. We were soon at the top though and enjoying the breeze. Unfortunately the haze obscured any distant views but it was nice enough to remain cool in the sunshine.

Our descent took us along the well made path towards Redmonds Edge before deciding that the shade of Roddlesworth Woods would be more welcome than open moorland. Following what were little more than sheep tracks along the fence line and a small stream we soon made it back to the path down to Hollinshead Hall.

After a short walk through the woods we returned the to car park, ready for another BBQ!

A short walk along Redmonds Edge

Summer has arrived! Today was the first scorcher of the year and after an early morning trip to Sainsbury's to stock up on drinks for this afternoon's obligatory BBQ there was just time to take a short drive out to the West Pennine Moors.

Wanting to make the most of the now dry moorland we parked up at the car park on Crookfield Road, just off the A675 between Abbey Village and Belmont, with the intention of following a route we have taken before to Redmonds Edge and on to Great Hill.

Crossing (carefully) over the A675 we went through the kissing gate and followed a well defined path beside a small stream up the hillside, turning sharply left uphill towards the top of Redmonds edge rather than traversing towards Great Hill. Normally, this route is incredibly muddy and rough but today was easy going, and within a short time we were high on the ridge with views to Rivington, Preston, Blackburn and beyond. We followed the well made stone path on the ridge towards Hordern Stoops for a while before deciding to sit and admire the view, and share a well earned drink.

We retraced our steps to the car, with me feeling slightly less bothered about the quantity of burgers, sausages and kebabs that I'd be likely to eat later in the day. Of course I can't speak for the dog. As usual he was probably disappointed with the outcome of the BBQ, after all despite following anyone who appears to be a soft touch and lurking under the table, he's a dog and eats dog food! (crumbs and dropped scraps excepted).

Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!

Click here for Google Map

Sheep do graze the moors and although there's no lead in sight on the pics it was unfortunately lead on all the way whilst walking. Today we saw only one ewe with her lamb. Both were completely nonplussed by the dog and seemed more interested in keeping close to the nice watering hole they'd found. The feeling was mutual!

I nearly forgot, if you're admiring the dog's new haircut, it was done by Dial a Dog Wash. We've not used a mobile before but were not disapointed. The van is well kitted out with all sorts of paraphanalia, the groomer was good and the dog didn't seem bothered by the experience. All they need is to be able to park outside your house so they can plug a power cable in to your mains. If for any reason you need or want a doorstep service they're well worth looking up.

Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team Donation

Advertising on the blog has raised £60 which has been donated to the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue team. Thank you.

You can donate online by visiting the team website http://www.bowlandpenninemrt.org.uk/supportus.htm