Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

Walk & Event Reports

Sunday 17th January 2016

A/B Walk

Sands to Scaleby Castle Circular

15/16 Miles Grade 3

Leader: John McKay

Report & Photos By John McKay

Five at the Sands this morning, with the coach being cancelled I was surprised to see anyone. I suggested a local walk, through Rickerby Park on the Hadrians Wall path and on to Scaleby Castle and back. About 7/8 miles I thought, a bit of a miscalculation to say the least, its 7/8 miles just to the castle and the same again to get back. I don’t know what I was thinking about, old age must be creeping up on me. A bit like Jerry Hall, who has recently announced her engagement to Rupert Murdoch, she must feel old age creeping over her every night. We set off along the banks of the Eden in bright sunshine, it was absolutely beautiful , a real

“ Christmas Card” setting with the trees covered in snow. We crossed over the suspension bridge and paid a visit to the mini Stonehenge with examples of the different type of stone formed millions of years ago. Despite the distance this was a flat walk but plodding through the deep snow made up for the lack of hills, it was hard going and you had no idea what was beneath the snow, you found yourself knee deep in mud at times. We made good time and arrived at Scaleby Castle in perfect time for lunch. It’s a lovely little castle, built in the early eleven hundreds  from sandstone taken from Hadrians Wall. We had lunch in the garden of the castle then started on the homeward journey crossing more snow covered fields. We finally made it back to Crosby on Eden, We had already walked twelve miles and we still had four to go. Since leaving Scaleby Castle my  hip had been giving me a lot of bother and I decided I’d had enough. I sat outside the Stag Inn, in Crosby on Eden and phoned for a taxi, the rest of the party carried on. The taxi arrived in no time at all and I was back at the Sands very quickly.  Feeling sorry for the others and guilty for my terrible miscalculation about the mileage I drove back to Linstock and waited where the Hadrians Wall path came through the village. In just a few minutes they arrived and we all jumped in the car and drove back to the Sands. Tony, Bernard and myself headed off to the Toby Inn for a late lunch or early dinner, whichever you prefer. A wonderful day and many thanks to the others for joining me, sorry for getting the mileage so badly wrong.

John