Dalemain Loop (with update)
Walk date – 25th January 2025
Distance – 5 miles
Weather – some weak sunny spells, mostly cloudy, cold with a light breeze, soggy ground conditions
We had planned to be somewhere else today but a postal mix-up a couple of days ago led to a last minute change of plan. I had ordered a couple of items via the internet which were due to be delivered by Royal Mail, according to the order confirmation email that I received. I kept checking the tracking number given in the email and, on Friday, was surprised to see that the Royal Mail tracking page indicated that the item had been delivered the day before at 10.20 am on Thursday 23rd January. There was also a photo of the package in situ given as proof of delivery, the problem was neither of us recognised the place where the package had been left. Furthermore we were both at home all day and nobody had knocked on the door to deliver anything. J braved the downpour and the gale force winds of Storm Eowyn just to see if by some chance the postie had managed to open the locked door of the stone built outbuilding that we use as a garden shed, but the package wasn’t inside just as we knew it wouldn’t be. Our only hope was that when the postie arrived that morning he would be able to shed some light on where he had left it. Turned out that he, our regular postie, hadn’t been delivering to our village on Thursday having been placed on another round. He knew the chap who had been on our round though so he took some details on his phone and said he would come back today and let us know what had happened. As our village doesn’t have mail delivered until after 10.00 am we had to wait until then, at the earliest, before we could go anywhere, so the walk we intended to do and the early start we had planned to make had to be abandoned. When he arrived he told us that the package had been delivered to a village with a similar sounding name which is about 12 miles away! A sorting office error, from what we could gather, and one which could have been avoided had someone read the address carefully enough. Hopefully the package should be delivered on Monday as the person who delivered it to the wrong village remembered where he had left it, apparently in an isolated place, presumably as he had not been able to find the correct house to deliver it to and in the hope that someone would find it and return it either to Royal Mail or its rightful owner! The whole affair begs a lot of questions to which there no sensible answers and if the package isn’t in our hands on Monday woe betide Royal Mail and the Penrith sorting office. Now, back to today’s walk, by the time the postie had been and told us what had been going on it was almost 11.00 am and too late to be starting out for the walk we had planned so we opted for this local one. As tonight is Burns Night perhaps it is appropriate to quote a well known line from one his poems ‘The best laid plans o’ mice and men/ Gang aft a-gley’. (To a Mouse – Robert Burns)
Route
Pooley Bridge – River Eamont path – Flusco Hill – Dacre Bridge – Dalemain – Dacre – Low Bridge – Souland Gate – Soulby field path – Pooley Bridge
Pooley Bridge was relatively quiet when we arrived just before 11.30 am so there were quite a few empty parking spaces in the riverside car park. We arrived just as a snow/sleet shower was passing through so we waited in the car for a few minutes until it passed over before setting out along the path running northwards beside the River Eamont. Plenty of damage from yesterday’s gale was strewn across the path, mostly branches and bits of twigs, but we had only walked a few yards from the car park when we came across this newly downed tree blocking the path. Given the visible rot inside the trunk it was not surprising that it became a storm victim.
A more peaceful scene just a little further along when we arrived at these benches beside a small gravelly beach area. It would be a lovely place to sit for a few minutes on a hot summer’s day and just watch the river going by but not today as its ‘nobbut’ five minutes since we left the car park and, thanks to the snow/sleet shower, the seats were wet anyway. The river was full and flowing fast today.
How this tree with a hole right through its trunk managed to escape yesterday’s storm I don’t know, but it may be a contender when the next one comes along.
The sound of rushing water drew our attention to this man made weir across part of the river. We assumed that the small building on the opposite bank probably housed some hydro electric equipment.
The riverside path led us upward towards this small and un-named tarn just a little further on past Hole House Farm. I noticed a single swan in the distance so I walked up the banking to take a closer look.
The swan had obviously seen me and paddled across the tarn towards me …..
….. probably in the hope that these two humans might possibly have some food. Well we did, but nothing that a swan would likely be interested in, and in any case, J and his Mars Bar are never likely to be separated. As if to show its disappointment at the lack of food it spent the next few minutes dipping its head below the surface of the tarn rooting about in the mud for any grubs that were hanging around. I hope it found something otherwise it got a wet head and neck for nothing.
We rounded the tarn following the path, such as it was, to a little footbridge across a dribble of a stream which fed into the tarn. The tiny stream appeared to bubble up from an underground spring and the area around it was very wet hence the fencing and the little footbridge.
From there we crossed the rising ground to this footbridge, built in the same style as the previous one, which crosses another slightly wider stream which also feeds into the tarn. This stream seems to originate from a spring on the slopes of Flusco Hill. Having crossed the footbridge and walked up the steps there is a very short walk along the A592 to reach the gate giving entrance to the path up Flusco Hill.
Before walking beside the road here’s a look back along the route we have taken from the tarn which is over to the left of the shot. Ullswater isn’t visible from this viewpoint but Dunmallard Hill is showing up over on the right.
Having crossed the A592 and passed through the gate we begin our walk up Flusco Hill which, as can be seen, is best described as gently rolling countryside.
A little height gained so I took a look back over the A592 for a view of Dunmallard Hill, on the left, Soulby Hill, on the right, with a distant view of the fells around Ullswater between the two.
Moving the camera a little to my left there was a view of the tarn with the river Eamont looking as if it flows above it. In reality the tarn is a little higher than the river and the two are quite separate. Over on the right is Dunmallard Hill again and on the skyline is the long sweep over to Arthur’s Pike where we went on our previous walk. There’s a lot of cloud around at the moment so the sunny spells are intermittent.
At first glance this view from the top of Flusco Hill appears to be nothing more than a view of green fields. A zoom in will reveal the distant Northern Pennines although the highest point, Cross Fell, was smothered in cloud when the shot was taken. We live in the valley between here and there so I am able to mention that the summit of Cross Fell still has plenty of snow on its top.
From the top of Flusco Hill we dropped down the other side where we had views of Dalemain house and Dacre Bridge. I took several shots of the house on the way down and eventually managed this one just as a glimmer of sunlight passed over it. We had noticed a Land Rover pulling a trailer crossing the track running across the bottom of the photo and heading towards the gate off to the right leading onto the A 592. Just as the Land Rover approached the gate a large white van turned off the road and into the gateway. No arguments ensued as the two drivers got out of their vehicles, had a chinwag, and came to a decision whereby the Land Rover waited until the white van passed through and onto the estate track, the Land Rover was then able to pass through and out onto the road. By that time we had also reached the gate so the Land Rover driver asked us if we would mind closing the gate for him while he waited for a gap in the traffic. No arguments, no bad temper, no fighting, makes you wonder why can’t everything else in the world be settled so amicably.
From the gate there was only a short road walk to the entrance to Dalemain but before we reached it we had a view of Dacre Bridge spanning Dacre Beck, just before the beck flows under the road bridge and into the river Eamont.
After reading the information board at the entrance to Dalemain we strolled along the wide drive towards the house. The house, gardens, tea-room and shop are closed for the winter but the gardens, tea-room and shop will re-open on 3rd February and the house will be open from 23rd March.
With everything closed for the winter we followed the route around the back of the house emerging through the archway on the left and onto the estate road into Dacre. The shot shows the old barn and storage areas built around a courtyard at the side of the house. I couldn’t manage a view of the house from this side as most of it was hidden by nearby trees and what was on view was spoiled by a couple of cars parked there.
Walking along the estate road to Dacre with a view of Dacre Beck below us.
A view of Loudon Hill from the two old gateposts beside the estate track. Its pleasing to see the old gateposts still in situ which would once have barred the entrance by having some long wooden poles slung between them. The poles would have been fitted into the holes in the stone uprights. A zoom in might reveal the circular holes in the left hand post and the angled holes in the right hand one. The angled holes would have made slotting the poles into the posts somewhat easier perhaps.
Strolling along the tree lined estate track, very muddy in places, during one of the infrequent sunny spells. Some of the trees were oaks but not sure if all of them were as some had a different bark pattern on them.
Loudon Hill – the very epitome of gentle, rolling countryside.
Soulby Hill (L) with Little Mell Fell directly ahead as we approach Dacre during another sunny spell.
Almost in Dacre village now so I take a look back at Dacre Castle, a private house and with somebody in residence judging by the car parked to one side of it. I would have liked a shot of it as we approached it via the other side but there were some log stacks and polythene wrapped hay bales in the way which obstructed the view of it.
Just a few paces from the castle the track comes to an end and you find yourself in the little village of Dacre. This is a shot from the end of the estate track looking up the road to our right. We turn left …..
….. and this is a shot looking back at the village as we leave it. The heavy cloud in both shots eventually blotted out the sunshine for a while.
Dropping down from the village and approaching Low Bridge across Dacre Beck.
Having crossed the bridge we have just a little over a mile of road walking before we reach our next turning off point. The road becomes quite steep around the building marked on our route map as Vicarage but I was too busy getting up it to take a shot. I should have taken one looking back down it but I forgot all about it.
Once at the top of the rise we start dropping down and keep a lookout for the right hand turn near Souland Gate for the road to Soulby. Just a short way along the Soulby road this signpost comes into view and marks our next turn off point for the trek over the fields back to Pooley Bridge.
Crossing the spongy, muddy fields with a view of Dunmallard Hill (L) and Arthur’s Pike and Bonscale Pike on the skyline.
Dunmallard Hill again as we climb up to the gate where we have to cross the A592 before we can continue our walk back to Pooley Bridge. We could have kept walking down the road to where it joins the lakeshore road round Ullswater, turned left and walked back into Pooley Bridge by that route but the road is narrow, busy and takes a longer way round.
Across the road now and dropping back down to the riverside path with a view of Heughscar Hill. Not the view of it with the trees on top we usually see from the Moor Divock side so its good to see it from a different viewpoint.
The river Eamont is back in view as we make our way back down to the riverside path in very dull and cloudy conditions.
Passing two more old gatestones on the way down.
Back at the benches on the riverside path now and walking through the woodland makes things even gloomier but …..
….. the cloud drifted away as soon as we reached the car, doesn’t it always? It was good to have the sunshine back though and it lit up the whole riverside scene. As if by some magic spell, suddenly the grey cloud drifted away, Pooley Bridge came back to life, people appeared and began feeding the ducks with seagulls and crows trying to snatch the food from them and the good weather remained for the rest of the afternoon. I’ll let you know if the postie delivers the errant package on Monday as was promised.
UPDATE
Monday 27th January 2025
The errant package was indeed delivered this morning, with many thanks to our village postie who arranged it all. No part of our address on the label was incorrect so it seems that someone at the Penrith Delivery Office just didn’t read it carefully enough.