Cost and availability
Cost
Public walks
Normally £15 per adult per day.
Private bookings
For walks, from £60 for one person, additional persons £10 each. Discounts for parties of more than 4.
For navigation skills training days, normally £70 for one person, £15 each additional person.
Rates for contracts with commercial and educational organisations are subject to separate negotiation.
Child reductions
Please enquire.
Booking
In advance, by telephone, to 01539 725921, before 9pm. Latest booking, 9pm the previous evening. Enquiries may also be made by email to , although I cannot always guarantee a speedy response.
Payment
In advance by cash or cheque (can be accepted at start of walk). Cheques should be made payable to J. Nash.
Calendar
Anyone can join my public walks, subject to booking in advance. These walks are ideal for individuals or families who want to join a larger group or simply keep the cost down. The programme shown below is provisional and will be extended if there is sufficient demand. All walk starts are close to public car parks and the majority can be reached by public transport. In some cases it may be possible to arrange lifts. Start is normally 9.30 and finish before 17.00.
Most other days are available for private hire.
Activities take place throughout the year, but participants should note that for safety and insurance reasons they will be cancelled in the event of extreme weather or hazardous underfoot conditions (e.g. ice and snow).
Public Walks
2008
June
Tuesday 10th
Coniston Old Man and Swirl How
7.5miles, 3200' (~12km, 980m)
A relatively easy circular walk taking in a high ridge with magnificent views. From Coniston we take the route to work of former quarrymen, passing many remains of interest to the industrial archaologist, to Low Water. This jewel of a tarn sits in a magnificent ice-sculpted basin with the Old Man's summit perched on it's edge. We reach the summit by a steep zig zag path. After taking in the summit view, which must be one of the most extensive in Britain, we stroll along the ridge to Swirl How. From there we descend, steeply at first, to the large tarn of Levers Water. There we can inspect, from a safe distance, the deep man made chasm of Simon's Nick, from which a rich vein of copper ore was once extracted, before we descend to Coniston. Meet Coniston Village Information Centre (SD 303975), 9.30
July
Wednesday 23rd
Bowfell - Langdale's highest summit
7.5miles, 2900' (~12km, 880m)
A round over rugged Bowfell, superb scenery in the heart of the Lake District. Bowfell sits at the head of 3 major valleys - Langdale, Eskdale and Langstrath and it's rocky summit gives superb views of the wild eastern flanks of Scafell and Scafell Pike. Our route climbs steadily up the long ridge known as The Band all the way to the summit at just short of 3000 feet. The round continues with a descent to Angle Tarn below the north face. We return via the ice sculpted valley of Mickleden. Meet Old Dungeon Ghyll, Langdale(NY 286060), 9.30
Wednesday 30th
The Langdale Pikes in close up
4.5miles, 2900' (~7km, 880m)
Experience the varied and rugged scenery of the Langdale Pikes at first hand on this challenging (short but steep) round walk over the Pikes' summits. Never fear. I allow plenty of time for the steep pull up the ever popular path to Stickle Tarn, our first destination. This tarn, nestling at the foot of the 200 metre cliffs of Pavey Ark, has a real mountain atmosphere. We gain the top of the cliffs via a hidden rocky gully to their right, for an easy traverse to Harrison Stickle, the highest of the Pikes. There, if it's not too windy to linger, we can take in the superb panorama over lunch. We cross Harrison Combe to the summit dome of Pike of Stickle, which on its south side plunges 600 metres (2000ft) to the valley floor. Amazingly, in the Stone Age there was a thriving axe industry up here, hewing axes out of the hard volcanic rock. Gaining the summit itself is optional as it requires a little handwork and needs care, but is worth it for that "on top of the world" feeling. The final summit, Loft Crag, is gained easily by a panoramic stroll above the crags. We then have a steep descent on a well-defined path back to the valley. A short diversion en-route into "the dungeon" of Dungeon ghyll is well-worthwhile. This is a gloomy cleft into which the beck plunges in a spectacular waterfall. Meet National Trust car park, New Dungeon Ghyll (NY 294063), 9.30
August
Wednesday 13th
Scafell Pike
8.6miles, 3400' (~14km, 1,040m)
A circuit over England's highest mountain. Scafell Pike owes it's origin to volcanic eruptions around 450 million years ago, but the current rugged landscape was sculpted by glaciers over the past million years. From Seathwaite, the route takes us alongside the gorge of Ruddy Ghyll, with the cliffs of Great End towering ahead. We circumvent these via the high pass of Esk Hause to gain the summit ridge. The ridge is a wilderness of rock and boulders requiring care. After taking in the magnificent panorama from the summit(weather permitting!),we descend via the Corridor Route, which weaves a careful path across the face of the mountain, skirting the tops of the gorges of Piers Gill and Greta Gill. This takes us to Styhead Pass, where we join the former Wasdale to Borrowdale pack pony route down to Seathwaite. This is a tough walk in rough terrain. It requires sure-footedness and also, for one very short section, use of the hands. Meet Seathwaite (road end, NY 235121), 9.30.
Sunday 17th
Coniston Old Man and Swirl How
7.5miles, 3200' (~12km, 980m)
A relatively easy circular walk taking in a high ridge with magnificent views. From Coniston we take the route to work of former quarrymen, passing many remains of interest to the industrial archaologist, to Low Water. This jewel of a tarn sits in a magnificent ice-sculpted basin with the Old Man's summit perched on it's edge. We reach the summit by a steep zig zag path. After taking in the summit view, which must be one of the most extensive in Britain, we stroll along the ridge to Swirl How. From there we descend, steeply at first, to the large tarn of Levers Water. There we can inspect, from a safe distance, the deep man made chasm of Simon's Nick, from which a rich vein of copper ore was once extracted, before we descend to Coniston. Meet Coniston Village Information Centre (SD 303975), 9.30
September
Sunday 21st
The Langdale Pikes in close up
4.5miles, 2900' (~7km, 880m)
Experience the varied and rugged scenery of the Langdale Pikes at first hand on this challenging (short but steep) round walk over the Pikes' summits. Never fear. I allow plenty of time for the steep pull up the ever popular path to Stickle Tarn, our first destination. This tarn, nestling at the foot of the 200 metre cliffs of Pavey Ark, has a real mountain atmosphere. We gain the top of the cliffs via a hidden rocky gully to their right, for an easy traverse to Harrison Stickle, the highest of the Pikes. There, if it's not too windy to linger, we can take in the superb panorama over lunch. We cross Harrison Combe to the summit dome of Pike of Stickle, which on its south side plunges 600 metres (2000ft) to the valley floor. Amazingly, in the Stone Age there was a thriving axe industry up here, hewing axes out of the hard volcanic rock. Gaining the summit itself is optional as it requires a little handwork and needs care, but is worth it for that "on top of the world" feeling. The final summit, Loft Crag, is gained easily by a panoramic stroll above the crags. We then have a steep descent on a well-defined path back to the valley. A short diversion en-route into "the dungeon" of Dungeon ghyll is well-worthwhile. This is a gloomy cleft into which the beck plunges in a spectacular waterfall. Meet National Trust car park, New Dungeon Ghyll (NY 294063), 9.30
Listing last modified on Tuesday 18th March 2008 at 14:28
