Sunday 23rd September by Lawrence Bland
Martin organised another excellent hike and pint day, based on a walk from Bob Steel’s Lake District Pub Walks CAMRA book. Pity there was only three participants, more people would enjoy these trips.
1057 train to Grange, walk over Hampsfell, excellent view of the Lakeland hills and Morecambe Bay from the top of the Hospice, strong winds on the top, but with an easterly wind blowing, it was sheltered on the way down, muddy around Pit Farm. The only mishap, I slipped climbing over a stile, the bottom stone being rather smooth, but landing on grass, I suffered only a bruised ego and ‘BTM’. On to the serious stuff, a pub crawl around Cartmel visiting the five pubs, the theme of the hike was to explore the new Unsworth Brewery and it’s products.
Firstly to the Pig & Whistle, we sampled a Loweswater Gold from Cumbrian Legendary Ales, on to the Square, the Kings Arms featured Hawkshead Beers, we sampled their ‘5 Hops’, next door was the Royal Oak, which may have been under joint management. A noisier pub, most people watching the football, we retired to the riverside beer garden with our Unsworth’s Last Wolf. The Priory Hotel opposite looked rather sedate, but we checked inside and found Unsworth’s Peninsula on offer and a friendly barman. Under the Archway to the Cavendish Arms and Unsworth’s Gold.
I had mistakenly assumed the Unsworth Yard was a brewpub, it wasn’t, they do have plans for a visitor centre. The brewery was open for a look around, a bread shop which looked like it sold excellent bread, although prices seems rather high, a cheese shop stocked high with cheeses from local farms and home & abroad, along with a shop selling bottled beers from Unsworth and Ulverston breweries along with other products.
Continuing our walk, we crossed over the southern end of Cartmel Racecourse, through the woods for two miles towards Cark. We looked in the Rose & Crown a Robinsons’s pub, trying their Unicorn, a quiet pub which only opens in the evening and all day at the weekend. Then finished the day at the Engine Inn, the only pub in the Good Beer Guide, somewhat disappointed, no local beers available, only Rudgate’s Viking and Old Bear’s Yorkshire Ale, along with Robinson’s Dizzy Blonde. We watched the end of the football, they advertised a ‘Mega Curry’ for £12, but I never saw any takers.
Back on the 1844 train from Cark to Lancaster. Excellent day, the rain kept off, unusual in the Lakes.