Please select
41 Castle Carrock
From the Duke of Cumberland
Three miles - two hours
NATURE OF THE WALK : Firm reliable paths and tracks all the way,
and a miniscule 230 foot of ascent.
PARK In the broad main street, or at the start of Geltsdale Road,
between the Weary Sportsman and the Duke of Cumberland - GR 543554
MAP Ordnance Survey Explorer 315
Carlisle, Brampton, Longtown & Gretna Green
After what can only be described as, ‘an annus horribilis’ of a November in Cumbria, you can be forgiven for any sense of dismay at the thought of a walk that has a certain watery theme.
Be it ‘water gathering’ or ‘watering hole’ this little three miler owes much to H2O though here we see it in useful and pleasing guises.
In June 2009, Castle Carrock marked the centenary of the construction of the water gathering and treatment works in Geltsdale, complete with an attractive tree-fringed reservoir.
The village held a week-long series of events including an Exhibition of Photographs in the Watson Hall documenting this important major civil engineering project commissioned to secure pure drinking water for Carlisle.
‘The Duke of Cumberland’, one of the ‘watering facilities’ for those involved in the ‘water works’, was sorely missed when it closed over a decade ago, hence the really good news that it has re-opened just in time for Christmas 2009. ‘The Duke’ has a strong theme of good company, good food, and good local beer, serving the tasty product of the ‘on the doorstep’ Geltsdale Brewery in Brampton - restored a village pub very much in kilter with the age and at the heart of the community.
The walk strides the length of the reservoir, or ‘the pond’, to use the affectionate term of a local I met while out upon my own discovery trail, undertaken one rare dry day at the beginning of the month. The walk gains a little height rising by green tracks to Nixon Head and then runs along the foot of the Pennine scarp above Tottergill, passing a pair of Victorian lime kilns before wandering down a lovely green lonnen from Garth Head, to re-enter the village over a charming clapper bridge beside a ford.
Boots are obligatory, though wellingtons would suffice on a walk of this modest scale. The walk has a natural resolution, beginning from and ending at a lovely pub, what better way to end a short leg-stretching day over the Christmas season.
The WALK
Head east up Geltsdale Road passing the new housing development of Sid’s Field. Until five years ago this was a much appreciated open space in the village, before planners eased through permission for this development, against the general wishes of the community. Otherwise there are several attractive older cottages on view before the site entrance to United Utilities waterworks, thereafter a row of bungalows leads to a gentle rise by holly hedges.
At the left-hand curving bend find a gate and footpath signed right. Go through and follow the track which leads past the reservoir dam, peer over a gate to view the embankment, the treatment works and the ornate extraction tower. The reservoir inevitably attracts its fair share of ducks and gulls though the bounding wall hampers casual observation. That is until close to the cattle grid accessing the open drive up to Tottergill Farm (exclusive holiday cottages) you pass a comfy bench set on a rise. Take a moment to also look up the drive. The farm-sign sports a solitary tree logo. This is based upon the stumpy little oak tree a matter of fifty yards up the field from the gate. Stumpy it may be but the girth will tell you that this is no ordinary oak. In fact it would take the linked embrace of six people to encircle the burred trunk and is considered the oldest of this species in Cumbria, though I cannot attest a likely age.
Follow on round by the lake wall to meet the road at a hand-gate and turn left signed to ‘Brackenthwaite’. The road rises through a gate signed Roughet Hill, watch for the stile beside the gate left, with the red post box, at the access to Nixon Head. Cross the stile and follow the green track winding up the bank. Heed yellow waymark arrows guiding through the gate to the right of the low barn then smartly left through the gate before the converted stone outbarn, with its gable-end dovecote. Respecting the privacy of Nixon Head’s courtyard, pass infront of the barn and by the brief gated lonnen beside the garden to the right of the house. Entering a damp pasture join the seldon trod green cart track. The gentle rise offers fine extended views back towards the high fells of Lakeland and north-west to the Scottish hills, with Criffel prominent. The damp track dips by a three-way footpath sign, continue as directed to ‘Garth Head’ to reach a stile/gate in the enclosure corner (with brown Open Access plaque).
The path negotiates a rough bank (with outcropping limestone) in skirting a fenced alder carr, known as Mill Dam. The ensuing green track leads on above Tottergill - which translates as the ‘fox-hill stream’. In the gill to the right spot a pair of elegant Victorian lime kilns. One can imagine the location being a hive of activity, with carts of quarried lime and perhaps coal for the firing process brought in by the trackway system now largely obscured through long neglect. The turf track continues north, up the hollow-way with wall left, to a gate with an Open Access signboard: look over the wall to the left and see Tottergill (currently being re-roofed) backed by a beautifully verdant Eden valley landscape. The footpath continues via successive wall step stiles, after the second bear right, guided by the yellow waymark arrows, to another wall stile and a field track leading to a wall stile onto the Geltsdale road.
Turn left and right down the gated farm access track to Garth Head. Keep left of the farm-buildings via the gated lonnen which leads down through the outbarns of Garth Marr, which means ‘the mare’s enclosure’. The lovely winding green lonnen retained all the way down into the village, crossing the little clapper bridge beside the ford to reach the road beside the antique restoration business. Turn left by the village shop to complete the walk.
After-walk refreshment
Castle Carrock welcomes you with two hostelries, the Duke of Cumberland and the Weary Sportsman.
If you would like a downloadable PDF of this walk "CLICK HERE"
© 2004–2010 Mark Richards. 
