Join us for our Lake District Walking Weekend in the beautiful Southern Lakeland Fells, and enjoy a wonderful weekend of adventures, shared experiences and new friendships.

The picturesque village of Boot lies in the heart of Eskdale, with rugged fells and soaring peaks all around including Harter Fell, Hard Knott and Sca Fell, England’s second highest mountain. The quiet valley of Eskdale is thickly wooded, with hidden tarns and dramatic waterfalls. The walking around Boot is superb, with a range of routes from waterfall walks to classic mountain hikes.

The Boot Inn is a lovely 17th century country hotel located in the centre of Boot, a delightful Lakeland village with old stone cottages, an ancient church, Eskdale Mill that dates back to 1578 complete with original working milling machinery and the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, known affectioanltey as ‘The La’al Ratty’, a narrow gauge steam railway that connects Boot with the coastal mainline railway at Ravenglass, a beautiful 7 mile journey.

Mark Reid has written a number of walking guidebooks about the Lake District, including The Inn Way… to the English Lake District; he has walked all of the Southern Fells and so knows the surrounding fells and mountains extremely well.

Walking Weekend based from: Boot Inn, Eskdale

Weekend Walks

There will be a choice of THREE guided walks* on Saturday and Sunday, with Mark Reid and his colleagues (Mountain Leaders who have exceptional local knowledge). The precise routes will be determined just before the weekend, taking into consideration weather conditions etc. You will be able to sign up for your chosen walk at the Friday evening ‘icebreaker’, where you will also be able to discuss the walks with Mark.

Friday evening (8pm) – Meet at the Boot Inn for our ‘icebreaker’ pub evening, where you can meet your fellow walkers and choose your walk for Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday (9:30am) – choice of adventurous mountain, moderate fell or leisurely hill & lake walks, with routes across the hills, fells and mountains of the southern Lake District, including lower fells and tarns such as Muncaster Fell, Birker Fell and Eskdale Moor to more rugged mountain hikes such as Harter Fell, Hard Knott and Sca Fell. Return back to the pub late afternoon to recount your day’s adventures.

Sunday (10am) – choice of adventurous mountain, moderate fell or leisurely hill & lake walks. Return back to the pub mid afternoon for a final drink before bidding fond farewells… until the next Walking Weekend!

* Choice of walks: We usually offer a choice of adventurous, moderate or leisurely walks on both days, but this is dependent on numbers. Saturday is a ‘full day’ from 9:30am until 5pm, whilst Sunday is a ‘half day’ from 10am until around 3pm. We will either split into three groups from the start, or we may walk as a larger group during the morning and then offer ‘longer’ or ‘shorter’ routes after lunch.

Evening entertainment

Friday evening (8pm) – Meet at the Boot Inn for our ‘icebreaker’ pub evening, where you can relax, socialise and meet your fellow walkers, choose your level of walk for Saturday and Sunday.

Arriving early on Friday? Your guides will be eating at the pub at 7pm on Friday evening – you are most welcome to join us for a meal; just let us know so we can add you to our table.

Saturday evening (7pm) – Meal at Boot Inn (optional), followed by a fantastic Pub Quiz Night with Mark Reid as your quizmaster! Prizes for the winning team.

Boot facilities & accommodation

How to get to Boot
Boot lies along a minor country road in the heart of Eskdale. The best way to reach Boot is from the A595 near Ravenglass, or over the moorland of Birker Fell from Dunnerdale, although this is a narrow, winding road. A more direct route from the east is via Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass, but this is not to be recommended as these are amongst the steepest roads in the country with hairpin bends, and very narrow and steep sections. The nearest train station is at  Ravenglass.

Facilities
Boot offers a range of facilities including three pubs, Youth Hostel, B&Bs and campsite (National Trust). The campsite has a small shop for essentials.

Accommodation
Boot offers a range of accommodation, including:
Boot Inn
Brook House Inn
Eskdale Campsite (National Trust)
Eskdale Valley Community Website
Woolpack Inn (1 mile away from Boot)
Eskdale Youth Hostel (1.5 miles from Boot)

A quick ‘google’ will find more places to stay…