WATCH HILL, COCKERMOUTH

Part of our series of 5 of the best Lake District Hiking Routes by guest writer and INOV8 hike ambassador James Forrest, aka The Mountain Man.

For many this might seem like an odd choice for a best Lakeland walk – but I’ve included it for sentimental reasons. I live in Cockermouth and this is my local fell, the place I go to get my fix of outdoors therapy when I’m short on time. It’s not a Wainwright, but it is a Wainwright ‘outlier’ (it’s included in Wainwright’s lesser-known book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland).

Wainwright described Watch Hill as ‘a splendid traverse of open upland withfine views. It is easily attained with minimum of effort: a stroll on grass so simple that boots are incongruous footwear for it and bare feet appropriate’. I’ve never done it barefoot, but I have experienced those fine views. Watch Hill is proof that sometimes the smallest of hills provide the biggest of views. The panoramas towards the Vale of Lorton and the Buttermere fells are quite splendid, while Sale Fell, Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Grasmoor, White Side and the Skiddaw Group also look majestic.

This walk starts in Cockermouth – a pleasant market town famed for William Wordsworth and (erm) flooding – and climbs Watch Hill, before looping through the quiet trees of Setmurthy Woods. It is the finest walk from Cockermouth.

Summits: Watch Hill (Wainwright Outlier)

Distance: 9.5km (6 miles)

Ascent: 290m

Time: 3 hours

Start/finish: Bitterbeck car park, Cockermouth (NY123307)

Kit advice: I often run this route and wear my Roclite G 275 trainers (with graphene grip) for excellent traction on wet grass and mixed terrain, my Race Elite Tight trousers and my INOV8 Base Elite Long Sleeve Base Layer Men’s 2.0 top, which I find ideally lightweight and breathable.

Route Details: Download a GPX file of the route.

Please Note:  Only undertake this route if you are adequately prepared and equipped for the conditions you might face.