Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

Walk & Event Reports

Sunday 14th February 2016

A/B Walk

Mabie Forest

8, 9, 10 ? Miles Grade 3

Leader: Peter Flynn

Report by John McKay

Photos by John McKay, Lauren Sarasini, Peter Flynn

We opted for a combined A/B Walk and Twenty six of us set off from the car park at Mabie Forest for a walk in the woods. It was a beautiful morning, we were in Scotland after all so it was only to be expected, a bit chilly but lovely and sunny. We paid a quick visit to the public toilets only to find them closed but we are a resourceful bunch and people disappeared into the trees emerging a short time later with a contented and relieved look on their face. Off we went at a fairly brisk pace, it was fairly flat walking and on good paths and we soon warmed up. We stopped for lunch at a nice little boat house on the shore of Lochaber Loch and a very pleasant spot it was. We discussed the fact that we were ahead of schedule and were likely to finish the walk early but this slight problem resolved itself big time. Somewhere along the return route I think we must have missed a turnlng, there are so many paths running around the forest it’s difficult to know which one to take, that's my excuse anyway. We found ourselves looking down on Loch Arthur and a very nice little loch it is but it wasn’t on the agenda and we shouldn’t have come across it at all. Not to worry, it all adds to the excitement and the adventure of being a member of the Carlisle and District Rambling Club. We were a bit further west than we should have been and it meant we would be doing a few extra miles and a bit of road walking. As a result we arrived in New Abbey at the perfect time. The Abbey is not in the best of shape, in fact it’s a ruin, it did cross my mind, what sort of condition the old abbey must be in if this was the new one. Despite the condition of the abbey the coffee shop was in excellent condition and served up a great choice of refreshment. A wonderful day and a wonderful walk, a great bunch of walkers and some great crack. A big thank you to Peter for leading.

John