| Name of walk | Hawkshead Moor Cycle Trail |
| Date of walk | 2020-07-06 |
The weather had improved after the wet and windy weekend, so I drove to Moor Top car park in Grizedale Forest to cycle the Hawkshead Moor Trail and the Goosey Foot Tarn Trail. 10.5 miles and 2 miles. The car park is currently free. Although these are road cycle tracks, they are also easy trails for walkers. Signage is excellent. Both the biking and walking trail maps are on the Grizedale Forest website to download. The maps also give the approximate positions of the sculptures to be seen.
Looking back to the car park.
I spotted quite a few different toadstools on the route, but couldn't work out if they were just artworks, or whether they were markers for something. This one was just before Juniper Tarn which I would investigate on my way back.
It had been very wet and windy over the last few days, so all the becks were full.
The beginning of the logging section, which was very muddy and I was glad that I was going downhill.
I spot my first sculpture through the trees.
'Sharing' by Charlie Whinney, 2017.
Waterfall.
Not many people about this morning.
This sculpture was off in the trees. 'Cliff Structure', Richard Harris, 1977. Looks like a vetebral column.
Nigel Ross Bench, 2013. On the tree to the right was a sign.
The bench is in memory of Ann Harrison 1949-2011.
The sign.
A waymarker.
Stopping for the view across Coniston Water.
The Coniston Hills. Dow Crag to Wetherlam.
Coniston Old Man, Swirl How and Wetherlam behind the foxgloves.
Lawson Park down below, beyond in the trees is Brantwood.
Coniston Old Man.
The becks are full of water.
Dark clouds and a bird overhead. The weather has been quite changeable.
The sun is out again!
A view to the hills from a log stack.
As I ride on, a hawk/buzzard of some description (no glasses!) passes over my head. I'm just about quick enough to stop and get my camera out before it swoops down on its prey.
The bird disappears just beyond the curve in the forest road.
Another toadstool.
Looking down on a meandering tarn.
The Langdale Pikes come into view.
Fairfield Horseshoe.
A view across to Esthwaite Water.
A few cyclists out and about now as I come near to the end of The Hawkshead Moor Trail. I decide to finish by detouring on to the Goosey Foot Tarn Trail, which is only two miles long.
The tarn is not on the trail, I ride 'off-piste' down two tracks to find it. It was well worth the effort. Apparently it was very windy on Walney Island today, but was perfectly still here.
The tarn is man-made. I cross the dam and back.
The tarn has a memorial seat dedicated to conservationist, Bill Grant OBE 1919-2002.
Reflections.
I head back on the trail. Views towards Carron Crag.
A white toadstool!
Back in blue.
Heading back towards Juniper Tarn that I passed this morning, another man-made tarn.
I'm stood on a wooden jetty looking at the tarn, which has totally overgrown and turned to bog.
An excellent few hours. The route takes in the whole of the western side of the forest and there is far more to see, with regards to views, than on the Grizedale Tarn Cycle Trail. Maybe that’s why the GTT has more sculptures. I only missed one sculpture ‘Midnight Feast’, which looks just like a pile of rocks…..I wonder how I missed that! 😉 The 12 miles took me 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Jo.
