This is it! The grand finale of my three-part series about my extraordinary adventures this summer. I ended the summer with a seven-day, 52-mile walk called The Allerdale Ramblethrough the spectacular Northern Lake District of England.
Ramble Worldwide, a nonprofit organization and leader in world walks, organized the trip. They are headquartered in England but offer trips to nearly anywhere in the world, from Japan to snowshoeing in the Alps.
The Allerdale Ramble is a wonderfully gentle walk that is suitable for a wide range of walkers. It gives you enough challenge to feel accomplished, but plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, history, food, and the people you meet along the way.
And believe me, I LOVE a walk that ends with cake. And I enjoyed a great Victoria Sponge for my 78th birthday at the Ramble Worldwide Hassness Housethe quintessential English country home.
This trip reminded me of something I believe in with all my heart. Adventure has no expiration date. Sometimes it is walking along an English coast you have never seen before. Sometimes it is standing in the Lake District and looking across the water toward Scotland. Sometimes it is discovering a Roman fortlet. And sometimes it is sitting down with a cup of tea and a piece of cake after walking ten miles.
I did all that on this trip…as you will soon read.
Never stop traveling
Cheers,
Adriane
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On This Week’s Podcast
The Allerdale Ramble: A 52 Mile Walking Adventure in England’s Lake District
We walk the Allerdale Ramble with Ramble Worldwide, including the route, the scenery, the history, the accommodations, and what makes this walking holiday so special.
Our adventure takes us to the Northern Lake District and the Solway Coast. We are so far north that on a clear day you can look across the water and see Scotland’s hills.
Imagine beginning beside the sea and walking inland through some of England’s most beautiful countryside until you reach the source of the River Derwent in the heart of the Lake District.
If you’ve heard of or walked the Cotswold Way or the Tewkesbury Way… you’ve marveled at how accessible England makes walking…well, it wasn’t always like that!
Back in the early twentieth century, much of Britain’s countryside was fenced off. People who wanted to walk through the countryside often encountered locked gates, private property signs, and landowners who weren’t exactly rolling out the welcome wagon. So, walkers organized.
In 1931, six regional rambling federations joined forces to create a national organization representing walkers’ rights. In 1932, about 400 walkers from Manchester and Sheffield took part in the famous mass trespass on Kinder Scout in the Peak District. This is where I stay when I attend the Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton.
Walking the Peaks–Country Living Magazine
There were confrontations with gamekeepers. There were arrests. And there was a whole lot of determination. The walkers eventually won public support, and the movement led to the creation of Britain’s national parks and national trails. In other words, people literally fought for the right to take a walk.
THEN CAME THE WALKING HOLIDAY
After World War II, in 1946, the Ramblers’ Association established a commercial arm to organize walking holidays. That first season, 600 travelers went on 40 departures.
Now here is the part that really made me laugh. One of the early walking holidays was a 24-day adventure through Arctic Lapland for £46.
But wait. Some of those early trips actually had an upper age limit of 25 or 30. Thank goodness times have changed.
Because I have no intention of stopping at age 78…I celebrated my birthday on the Ramble!.
Walking Route Of The Allerdale Ramble
You begin at the sea on the shimmering Solway Firth, where England faces Scotland across the water. Then, over six days, you walk inland to the source of the River Derwent in the heart of the Lake District. Fifty-two miles.
Along the way, you walk through dunes, follow stretches of England’s coastal footpath, cross protected areas and stroll beside Bassenthwaite Lake.
The Allerdale Ramble is not a heavily marked, official long-distance national trail. But, there are random signs, and, it can be wet.
Part of the walk follows the King Charles III England Coast Path. The England Coast Path was renamed after the King’s coronation in 2023, and new sections are still being developed.
WHAT WILL YOU SEE?
The scenery keeps changing. One minute you are walking across open marshland. Then you come upon a World War II observation post.
Then you arrive in the charming seaside town of Silloth.
Then you are walking through dunes.
And keep your eyes open for Belted Galloway cows. You will know them immediately. They look as if they are wearing white cummerbunds. Their grazing helps manage the landscape and allows wildflowers to reseed naturally.
Belted Galloway Cows
And watch out for sheep dip!
And speaking of history, along the way you can visit a Roman Museum in the town of Mary Port and fortlet that marked the far frontier of the Roman Empire.
You can visit a traditional sea salt works created in Roman times.
We visited a Mountain Rescue center and met the volunteers who help keep people safe in these hills.
… and William Wordsworth’s birthplace in Cockermouth.
Not bad for one walking holiday!
THE SECRET SAUCE: VOLUNTOURING
Here is another reason I like Ramble Worldwide.
When you book with them, part of what they earn goes back to the outdoors through the Ramble Worldwide Outdoor Trust. Its mission is to help open the great outdoors to everyone.
That support includes projects right along our route, including funding for Cockermouth Mountain Rescue to purchase a drone that can help locate and rescue people in the Lake District.
The trust has also supported improved trail interpretation, including braille for visually impaired walkers. It has helped schoolchildren experience the outdoors.
It has supported walking programs for people dealing with grief. And it supports emergency volunteers, including search and rescue organizations. So every mile you walk can help someone else take their first step outdoors.
AND THEN THERE IS THE CAKE
After all that walking, let’s talk about where you sleep because I have always believed that a good adventure needs a good place to come home to.
Our home base is Hassness Country House, on the shore of Buttermere. And Buttermere is one of the prettiest lakes in England. Ramble Worldwide has been welcoming walkers here since 1953. And here is the part that really got my attention.
Cake after every walking day. I requested and got a Victoria sponge cake for my birthday.
Classic Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
Instructions:
Grease and line the base of one 6″ deep, round tin. Set the oven to 350F, 180C, Gas Mark 4.
Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a mixing bowl and then add the sugar, soft butter or margarine, eggs and vanilla. Beat well with wooden spoon or hand held mixer for a couple of minutes. Spoon into the prepared tin and level the top of the cake.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 – 50 mins until springy to touch (I check for toothpick to come out clean from 40 mins). Turn out onto wire rack and allow to cool completed before cutting into two horizontally, as evenly as possible.
Ingredients:
All ingredients should be at room temperature
4oz soft margarine or butter
4oz caster sugar (I use golden caster sugar)
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
4oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Filling and topping:
4 Tbsps strawberry jam
8oz icing sugar
3oz soft margarine or butter
1 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and use hand held mixer or wooden spoon to beat in the soft butter or margarine, vanilla essence and milk until the icing is pale and smooth.
Once cake is cool, sandwich the halves with jam and half the icing, using the rest to ice the top. Enjoy!
