The Cumberland Way celebrates a remarkable, stunning county, Cumberland. It is a very challenging route – over high fells and moors, deep into dales and beside the county’s famous waters. It runs from the coast at Ravenglass, up over the fells and finally into gentle, green Edendale. Its finish is actually outside the county, in Westmorland’s county town, Appleby, but it is a very pretty finish.
From Ravenglass, the route climbs gently beside the River Irt, up to the shore of Wast Water, and follows the lake’s north shore. On either side the hill climb vertiginously: above the path is the treeless Copeland Forest, peaking at Seatallan, which across the water are Scafell and Scafell Pike, the county’s highest peaks.
Above the lake at Wastdale Head, the path heads north and climbs steeply, taking the Black Sail path between Kirk Fell and Pillar, then the Scarth gap Pass between High Crag and another giant, Hay Stacks. This leads to Buttermere overlooked by Buttermere Fell. Between Buttermere and Crummock Water, the path leads north-east over the high ground, up above Sail Beck and down along Derwent Beck to Derwent Water.
Around the pleasant west shore of Derwent Water you come to Keswick, which stands at the foot of the lake. To the north looms Skiddaw. Through the town and there is a little diversion to a castle mound with a spectacular view over Derwent Water and the Derwent Fells beyond and the way you have come.
Soon though it is eastwards, initially gentler waking through Castlerigg, then a climb up to the stone circle. From here on a mixture of roads and paths, the path runs south over the top of Low Rigg, then east, by St John’s in the Vale, then a steep haul up onto Threkeld Common, below Clough Head and along what used to be a coach road over the moors. To the north stands Blencathra.
Descending to the Aira Beck the path follows the beck down to the famous Aira Force, a cascade just above Ullswater. Then with a view of Ullswater, without touchin it the route heads east and north over the slopes until the county’s gentler side is shown. Crossing the Dacre Beck, the path leads east to Dacre, whose churchyard contains the famous Dacre Bears, and further down the beck to the River Eamont; the county’s border with Westmorland.
A footbridge over the Eamont takes the path along the Westmorland bank to Yanwath then to Eamont Bridge, birthplace of England, by way of its mysterious Stone Age monuments. Then through the village and over the bridge the path follows the Cumberland bank of the river, to cross back by Brougham Castle.
There then follows a straight runs south then east through Edendale, to Appleby-in-Westmorland and the finish.
The route: map
Maps
- Lake District – Pathfinder walks guidebook: Ordnance Survey
- Explorer maps (1:25 000): Lake District Map Set, including:
- OS Explorer OL04: The English Lakes: North-Western Area (incl Skiddaw and Keswick)
- OS Explorer OL05: The English Lakes: North-Eastern Area (incl Helvellyn and Ullswater)
- OS Explorer OL06: The English Lakes: South-Western Area (incl Scafell and Coniston)
- OS Explorer OL07: The English Lakes: South-Eastern Area (incl Windermere)
- Landranger maps (1:50 000):
Books
- Lake District – Pathfinder walks guidebook: Ordnance Survey
- Athelstan : The Making of England by Tom Holland
- In Search of the Dark Ages: a history of Anglo-Saxon England by Michael Wood