Where Can We Walk» Buggies

The latest Walkin’ Wyre Brochure is available here. It contains a diary of all scheduled health walks in the area. Alternatively check out the online Walkin’ Wyre Diary.

The Beacon, Penrith, Cumbria

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:14:44 +0000

An unobtrusive wooden way marker points the way from the roadside, through a small wooden gate and up a grassy slope. Turning the corner, the slope is shaded by trees and the ground becomes sandy, with large pieces of sandstone bouldering the ground.

Lush woodland of Beacon Hill, Penrith

The orignal forests of Beacon Hill were first planted in the late 18th C. before the enclosure of common land act. Before this, Beacon was a dreary barren waste land full of sandholes and quarries. Remnants of this can be noted from the rough hewn pathway with large sandstone boulders in places and the rocky sandstone outcrops which appear in woodland clearings.

After being destroyed by fire, Beacon Hill was replanted in 1927 by the Lowther family.

The Path to Beacon Pike, 937 ft (286 m) is quite steep and very rocky in places, so is unsuitable for buggies and

Sandstone paths of Beacon HIll

wheelchairs and substantial walking shoes are recommended.

Rich, well managed woodland, including Rowan and Beech is home to a variety of wildlife. Keep a look out for the Common Lizard and signs of badgers and foxes.

Common Lizard basking on Billberry leaves

Once at the Summit, the pathway opens out into a plateau of land with a square sandstone beacon built on the top. The present monument

The Beacon, Penrith

(replacing earlier structures) was built in 1719 of sandstone taken from hill, it was restored in 1790.

Earlier beacons are recorded here since 1296 and would have been piles of wood and branches followed later by pitch boxes. There has been a building on this site for more than 500 years.

Beacons were used to warn the locals and surrounding villages of impending Scottish raids and would communicate this message for miles across the North of England with others being lit at Carlisle, Kirkoswald and Orton Scar.

During 1745 uprising, the Beacon featured again when Prince Charles Edward attempted to regain the Crown of the House of Stuart. It is even noted to have been used during the Napoleonic Wars.

Stunning views over the Eden Valley, Pennines and Lake District fells indicate why this site was chosen. The mountains of Scotland can easily be seen across the Solway Firth to the north.

Dial indicates what can be seen from this point

A brass dial donated by the Lions Club of Penrith, indicates the names of the mountains and places which can be seen from this wonderful vantage point.

This walk will take around 40 minutes to complete.

Visit Penrith Town Trails for details of this and other walks in the area.

For Wheelchairs and Buggies

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:06:59 +0000

A husband and wife team based in Wiltshire have created two great websites aimed specifically for people who want to get out and about with wheelchairs or prams and buggies.

Marie founded the idea while walking in the Peak District, she became increasingly frustrated with the lack of freely available information on walks suitable for those with access challenges and after some research decided to create www.walkswithbuggies.com and its sister site www.walkswithwheelchairs.com.

Website image

These websites are simple to operate, with search facilities to narrow your search by area, distance, gradient and terrain.

Results from the search are displayed in an easy to follow left side navigation box which will further break down the walks into areas, miles and even give a user rating guide.

The site is free to use by registration and you can even add your own walks or ratings.

Visit the sites;

Walks with Wheelchairs.com

Walks with buggies .com