Saturday 8 April 2017 (Postponed from 18 Feb 2017 due to bad weather)
Leader: Clive Horsford
Photos: John Jones & Clive Horsford

BAMPTON AND BURNBANKS, SATURDAY 8TH APRIL 2017

The small party couldn't believe their luck on choosing such a superb day of full sunshine for the walk. They were tempted (but resisted) at Bampton Memorial Hall car park by the offer of breakfast by a group that were setting up a car wash event for the day.

Moving on, the group walked to Bampton Grange passing over the river Lowther and through the graveyard of the local church to the water meadows. These were traversed until reaching the lane at Hegdale where the lane was followed to Rosgill bridge. Here the Coast-to-coast way was joined and a rougher section through a delightful yellow gorse-enclosed corridor taken to join a lane near to Rawhead farm. From the farm, two meadows were crossed for the first glimpse of the Haweswater dam. A slightly soggy and hillier section took the group next to Park Bridge and via a permissive path to a substantial waterfall on Haweswater Beck and beyond to a three-bridge junction. A footbridge over the Naddle beck was followed by the old footbridge over Haweswater beck and then the road bridge over Haweswater beck. A short woodland track led the party to Burnbanks.

After admiring this attractive little hamlet with its rebuilt homes which had previously housed the dam builders, the path alongside Haweswater was followed to the footbridge over Measand beck where lunch was taken. The beck's cascades and waterfalls provided background noise as the ascent was made to the deer fence and footbridge over the beck again as the Measand valley levelled out. Observing the two stones of Four Stone Hill, the party passed a group of horses grazing peacefully in the bright sunshine, walked past the hill with its tarn and descended to Drybarrow farm.

Shortly after, a coffee stop enabled the group to enjoy extensive views over the valley below - a scene of tranquillity - the only movement being that of lorries on the M6 seen on the distant skyline. Several fields were then crossed on the return to Bampton, the post office and shop supplying much needed tea and a free newspaper. It was a short step back to the Memorial Hall.