Sunday 21st May2017 - Coniston, Lake District

This month our walks are based on Coniston, Lake District where all walks start and finish. The coach will leave school as usual at 8.00 am prompt and travel to Burton Services for a toilet and boot stop.   Boots are essential on all walks.  We plan to leave Coniston at 5.30pm to be back in Formby about 7.30pm.    

The cost of travel will be £10.00 for members, £13.00 for non-members and £5.00 for Leaders, children and students in full time education. Please make your cheque payable to Range Walking Club and ensure it is signed as it is inconvenient for the Treasurer to chase up such omissions.

Please send in your return to the Treasurer Monica Sealey before 13th April; places will be booked on the coach by the treasurer on a first come first served basis.

Cancellations: if you need to cancel or make a late booking, please contact the Treasurer on 01704 809287 or by email monicatuk@yahoo.co.uk who will endeavour to substitute your booking from the waiting list.  If you cancel after 11th May and it is not possible to fill your place on the coach, regrettably, we will not be able to give you a refund as coaches will have been booked on initial returns.

Club AGM Monday 17th July at Range High School:  Membership cards for next season will be issued from 7pm onwards and the meeting will commence at 7.30pm.  Please make a note of the date, hopefully all walkers will be able to attend.

Club Weekend 1st – 4th June 2017 The Club Weekend will be based at the Best Western Beaumont Hotel in Hexham.  Accomodation in Hexham is limited but rooms are available at the hotel and the guest houses listed on the attached sheet. Please email me at margaretpegg@btinternet.com to let me know if you plan to come on the weekend and then book your room direct with the hotel or one of the guest houses. When booking please let them know you are with the Range Walking Club.

‘A’ Walk Distance: 10 miles Ascent: 3600 ft Leaders: Ken Bryning John Hughes	Tick off a few Wainwrights during this walk covering most of the classic ‘Coniston Round’, including a splendid section which does not drop below 2000ft in altitude for more than 4 miles and offering spectacular views. The ascent from Coniston is a steady gradient up Lad Stones to the summit of Wetherlam (2502 ft). The high level ridge route crosses Swirl Hawse, up Prison Band to Swirl How (2630 ft). Swirl Band and Levers Hawse lead to Brim Fell (2612 ft), and finally Coniston Old Man (2634 ft) which was the highest point in Lancashire before boundary changes in 1974. Descent will be via Goats Water and returning to Coniston on the Walna Scar Road. The walk will be shortened if the weather is poor.
‘B+’ Walk Distance: 9 miles Ascent: 2976 ft Leaders: Dave Neale Helen Neale	An opportunity to climb what is allegedly the 12th highest mountain in England and to bag a further ‘Wainwright’ en-route. The Old Man of Coniston is 2,634 feet (803 metres high). This is a short but energetic B+ circular walk with a relatively even climb throughout the ascent which will be taken slowly. If visibility is good, we will be rewarded with some excellent views of the Furness fells, Coniston village, the lake and far beyond. We start at the coach park in Coniston and head up to Walna Scar Road which is steep and can be busy with cars going up to the free car park at Walna Scar. When we reach the car park the way levels out and we continue westward along a good path which was formerly the original trading route between Coniston Village and settlements in the Duddon Valley.  We climb gradually until we reach The Cove, where we stop for a well-earned coffee break. Suitably refreshed we continue on up the rise to Walna Scar. From here we turn north and climb swiftly to the summit of Brown Pike and the ridge towards Buck Pike and the rugged Dow Crag. After lunch we head on to the rocky Dow Crag which will involve a little scrambling, as will the short descent back to the footpath.  We then dip down into the saddle at Goat’s Hawse before turning south-east and commencing the final climb up to the summit of the Old Man. There will be a small prize for the member of our group, who can take a photo of the most ridiculous footwear worn by one of the many tourists who have made it to the top of the Old Man! Having enjoyed the view from the summit, we take the steep, stony track which zig-zags down to Low Water Tarn. After the tarn the path levels off and we turn east to drop down to the disused slate mines and quarry workings where there are interesting industrial remains.  From the mines we continue down in the lee of Stubthwaite Crag, eventually turning south onto the old trackway beneath The Bell which leads us back to the Walna Scar Road and Coniston Village.
‘B’ Walk Distance: 9 miles Ascent: 1350 ft Leaders: Gill Hickmott David Wake	We’re all going to be in the ‘Dog House’ early into the ‘B’ walk!!  This is a Gothic style dog kennel on the Monk Coniston estate built by James Garth Marshall for his fox hounds. We follow the Cumbrian Way, foot paths and short stretches of road, through woodland and open spaces giving spectacular views of Yewdale Fells, Furness Fells, Tarn Hows and Coniston which make up the Lakeland landscape.    Stout boots are advisable, as we’ll be travelling along uneven and undulating paths of grass, broken slate and granite strewn with tree roots, which is a feature of the Lakes, as well as muddy/boggy patches. We will be heading back skirting the side of the picturesque Tarns at Tarn Hows, situated northeast of Coniston Water. We will also get an awesome view of ‘The Old Man’ as we walk back into Coniston village.
‘C’ Walk Distance: 6.5 miles Ascent: 800 ft Leaders: Steve Wright Sarah Broad	We leave Coniston and head up to the route of the old railway line which we follow behind a row of houses. We then climb up around the back of Spoon Hall and then go South West to New Intake and Little Arrow Intake. At this point we drop down to the hamlet of Little Arrow and after a short stretch of road walking we take a path down to the lakeside via Torver Common Wood. We then follow the lakeside path back to Coniston.