25/03/26 - The Bellman's Cross, Shatterford

Spring Equinox, Slightly Delayed

My calendar had the 20th March marked for a pilgrimage walk to celebrate the spring equinox.

By March, light and dark are equal. The Spring Equinox is about a poised tipping-point. Pilgrimage at this time can mirror that balance, walking between two equal poles, whether literally (two hills, two villages) or inwardly, between past and future.

I have plenty of linear walks lined up, so with the March days escaping me it's time to combine hobbies. This route from the latest Country Walking Magazine runs between Kidderminster and the hamlet of Shatterford. Home of the most famous Black Country musician. Led Zeppelin have a number of local locations that I can also use for walking inspiration.

As if by design, my walk ends at Robert Plant's local. When there is a two-hour lunchtime gap between buses. Perfect, but I am getting ahead of myself.

The Wolverhampton canal takes me from Kidderminster and into Wolverley. Home to a hilltop church, two pubs and a nice café.

Leaving Kiddy

Potential Pub #1 - The Lock

Wolverley Church on the Hill

Potential Pub #2 - The Queen's Head

Some unfortunate, albeit quiet lane walking before arriving at Drakelow - underfoot are the remains of a WWII munitions factory and a Cold War bunker. Some ruined buildings on the ridge, but through the trees makes for pointless photographs.

A climb to Castle Hill - where AI fails to provide much in the way of history - before a change of terrain to walk through the outer reaches of the Wyre Forest at Shatterford/Arley Woods.

View from Castle Hill

Shatterford Woods on the ground, Arley Woods on the OS Map

Which brings us to the end and a 90 minute celebration until the 297 bus.

The Bellman's Cross is hosted in a row of terraced cottages. It's a shared location with a restaurant called Dominique's. French A La Carte but with gyros Wednesdays. 

Pub / Restaurant

For a fine dining location, the prices aren't too bad. My gauge - through jealousy at what I cannot afford - is steak. It's £5 cheaper than my local in the Lake District last weekend. This "keen" pricing is reflected in the beer prices. £4.50 for a Bathams, Three Tuns or Enville Ale is acceptable.

All my friends are here

If you go to any of the pubs serving Bathams in Worcestershire enough times, you will eventually stumble upon Mr Plant. So far, I have found him at the bar of Kidderminster's King and Castle and in the beer garden of Bewdley's Waggon and Horses. I like that. A mega-star who is down to earth enough that Bathams in a community pub is a good night out.

Today, I have evidence but no sighting.

With Dominique. And others.

Walk Details

Distance - 7.75 Miles 

Geocaches - 0

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, Feb 2026, Walk 15

23/03/26 - Cockermouth

Good Beer Guide Pubs with Bad Opening Times and Lost Paths

Cockermouth is one of the few sizeable towns that we were yet to visit in the Lake District. It is right on the far northwestern fringes, just inside the 25K Lake District OS Map.

Home to 3 Good Beer Guide Pubs, a castle, a brewery (as marked on the map), a lengthy high street and a number of famous sons - not least William Wordsworth, who's house we see at the walk outset.

Wordsworth House

The planned walk intrigued me. On my elderly OS Map, it is almost completely on a Long Distance Path marked the "Allendale Ramble". This falls into the rare category of discontinued path. No longer marked on the ground or on the latest OS Maps. It appears as though it was a route devised in the 1970s by a certain Harry Appleyard. A pamphlet followed, which I am sure I could find on eBay.

Our circuit offered plenty of sheep fields - with some newborns - a fortified homestead to repel Scottish Invaders at Isel Hall, some views and some deep woodland. All of this good stuff negated by nasty stiles and a dog that doesn't like to be handled. Moral was lost until the sandwiches were consumed.

Over the Derwent on a footbridge at Cockermouth

First newborn lambs is always a pleasant day

The mostly hidden Isel Hall

Never far from an excellent view

We come back into town, just about talking. 

There are plenty of pubs in town but a look at the Good Beer Guide App showed that their three recommendations are 3pm, 3pm and 4pm on a Monday. 

Always look their most enticing when unavailable

That's the tourist dollar lost to Cockermouth.

Walk Details

Distance - 8.75 Miles

Geocaches - 3

Walk Inspiration - Jarrold Northwestern Lakes, Walk 17

22/03/26 - Stile End and Barrow from the Coledale Inn

My Round at the Coledale 

We had two walks planned from our base in Braithwaite. Both got us up on the fells. The classic "Coledale Round" looked a little beyond our newest recruit to mountain walking.

The ladies in my life - Mrs M and Daughter M

Instead, we went into the middle of the high ridge walk, with a couple of steep but less lofty peaks. 

Stile End, despite being distinctive and very steep, is not a Wainwright. We conquered this with some grumblings but I could not convince the party to attempt Outerside. A drop down and another stiff climb for what - and I quote - "Is exactly the same view". Outerside a Wainwright that doesn't get a tick this time.

We get involved in a mountain race - having no choice but to clog up the thin path to Barrow. This is a steady climb, with most of the height already gained. The views here are immense - the towns of Keswick and Braithwaite, along with Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake.

Mountaineers - one and all

All downhill to the pub, via the only geocache of the day.

Mrs M with her thumb over the lens

I had a wonderful afternoon at the Coledale Inn 9 years ago. I'd completed day 2 of the Inn Way to the Lake District. The pub is the first place you hit as you come off the fells. The sun was shining and the beer garden has an elevated view over the town. I spent an afternoon drinking Yates beer and trying to convince other walkers not to pass on by.

Coledale Inn - 10/10 review on PubsGalore after a wonderful afternoon

Yates may have long gone but the pub is now in the Good Beer Guide. Three real ales on, all from the Lakes. I settled on Corby Blonde for my visit.

I needed more than one to settle my nerves, as I was in the chair for lunch. Steak and chips is now £35.

I had the significant women in my life hypnotised not to look at the "From the grill" section of the menu.

I should have extended the mind-tricks to the £10 puddings.

Walk Details

Distance - 4 Miles

Geocaches - 1

Walk Inspiration - Jarrold, Northwest Lakes, Walk 13

20/03/26 - The Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater

Mellbreak-ing Bad

The Kirkstile Inn has to be one of the best pubs in the land. But you have to earn those pints of Loweswater Gold and boy, did we earn them.

This actually could have been a really pleasant walk - without the nausea and the relentless traipse up the side of a mountain on indistinct paths. With this route from the normally rather pedestrian Country Walking Magazine.

Starting from the pub, we walk the western flanks of Mellbreak - following the Mosedale Beck. It's a pleasant farm track, where the only other signs of life are sheep.

Easy Walking

To get that Wainwright Tick - we need to get to the top. My suspicions were aroused in plotting the walk - just before Mosedale Holly Tree (the only tree marked on an OS Map, fact-fans) there is an arrow straight minor path running straight up the side of the mountain. Of course, in reality, there is nothing there. A man in a blue jacket follows a similar marked path to the north but I can only imagine the terrain is equally as tough. All of us stop for regular breathers/the chance not to throw up.

You can ask Mrs M if Mellbreak was worth it

Honestly, the views at the bottom are just as impressive

The descent is better - and it simply leads us to the good path we previously left. 

Mappiman, relieved to have got us down to Black Beck

The return to the pub is as good as walking can get. We simply have to follow the shoreline of Crummock Water along soggy but excellent paths. The Grasmoor reflections in the still water are stunning. There is a little jut of land out in the water, Low Ling Crag, which brought me to tears on my last visit, 9 years ago. The emotion expressed was possibly as much to do with the liquid lunch at the Kirkstile Inn, as I was walking away from it on that day.

Low Ling Crag - an "island", as the end of a causeway

Looking down Crummock Water

The pub is the reward - and the Kirkstile is a special place. In a hamlet, with a small number of buildings and a church, this is a real walkers pub where you can come straight off the fells. If the weather is good - and it was - a lovely, sheltered beer garden is perfect. Most punters with maps out, playing i-Spy and naming the surrounding fells.

It's also the home of the aforementioned Loweswater Gold. A former Champion Beer of Britain. So good, Mrs M moved off from her regular fruit based drinks and declared it "inoffensive". High praise indeed.

Water chaser and the patient wait for fish-finger sandwiches

Export options are available.

Meet the gang

Walk Details

Distance - 6.5 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, May 2015, Walk 15

Geocaches - 0