So the day
dawned when Grizzly and I would finally catch-up with Shaun and
Tetley, on the Wainwright Outlying Fells challenge. These modest
fells are close to Kendal, so we started the walk from Uncle Eric's
house. He had planned the route and it was full of interest.
Walking down the private road off Kendal Green, Dad told us that
Alfred Wainwright had lived along here. It was then across
pasture, to walk through the Hallgarth Estate, and on over open
country passing close to Lane Foot (holiday cottages), to Hollins
Lane, where it was left, to walk to the main A591. Along here we
passed the impressive Tolson Hall, originally built in 1638 for
Thomas Tolson a local tobacco merchant. The east and west wings
were subsequently altered in later centuries. Some of the trees
in the grounds were showing their autumn colours and looked
beautiful. Once across the main road and the Crook Road, we
entered the woods and climbed gently up and out, to a gate, then
just a few yards to the huge cairn on Cunswick Scar. Sadly it was
cloudy so the view to our beloved Lakeland Fells was obscured.
Strolling south along the scar, we came to the Underbarrow Road.
This crossed, it was just a short ascent to Scout Scar summit,
marked by the "Mushroom". This is a stone cross shelter
with a mushroom shaped roof. Inside all the fells that can be
seen are shown round the rim. Almost without exception we had
climbed them all, and we felt rather proud. Below was the
beautiful and timeless Lyth Valley, a charming sight. Descended
to a cross of paths, going left on a wide meandering track to a
kissing gate on to the Old Racecourse. Although not used as such
since the 19th century, the track was still clearly discernible.
After some road walking, Uncle Eric then took us into Serpentine
Woods. An enchanting place with a myriad of paths, wooden
sculptures and relics from bygone days. None more so than the
sturdy rectangular stone built block. Uncle Eric informed us that
this was once the emplacement for Kendal's 1 o'clock gun. From
1873 until the 1930's it was fired to mark the normal dinner time
for working men. It was fired by electricity through a telegraph
wire from T & E Rhodes jewellers shop in Highgate (the main
street). In fact the insulators for the telegraph wire can still
be seen high up on the wall on the corner of Highgate and Finkle
Street. Descending it was not very far now to Uncle Eric's, but
not before we had crossed a path called 'The Tram'. There had
once been a tramway here to bring stone from Kettlewell Quarry,
which at the time was used to build much of the property in
Kendal. It is a grey stone, giving Kendal its nickname as "The
Old Grey Town". A fascinating walk. Now for us all, with the
exception of out pal Little Eric, just Stainton Pike remains to
be climbed, to complete the Outlying Fells.
