Circular Walk from Leesrigg Cottage

Approximately 3.3miles.  Allow about 1 – 1.5 hours to complete this walk

1 From Leesrigg Cottage, turn left onto the B5299 heading towards Allhallows Church
2 Pass Allhallows Church, continuing on the B5299 generally downhill.
3 After about 300yds you will see King Gate House on your left.  Take the farm track on your left, just before the house, which is signed “Public Footpath Harby Brow 2/3mile”.  After crossing over the old railway line, the footpath soon narrows into a lane.  continue along the path.

 

Carved Bench
4 When the lane opens out into a field, follow the boundary of the field, with the hedge to your left. You will be able to see Harby Brow Pele Tower in the distance.

 

Harby Brow Pele Tower
5 In the South-West corner of the field, there is a farm track.  Follow it all the way to Harby Brow
6 Continue South, passing the Pele Tower on your right for about 50yards.  Just before Harby Brow Mill, there is a gate into a field.  You should aim to travel diagonally across the field in a north easterly direction towards the woods.

 

Harby Brow Pele Tower
7 In the North East corner of the field there is a bridge across the Dow Beck.  Cross it, and travel north with the hedge on your right.  As the hedge turns right aim to travel to the north east corner of the field.  Leesrigg Farm buildings will come into view with the wind turbine to the left of them.
8 As you reach the bottom of the farm track, there will be a kissing gate to your right, go through, and follow the line of the hedge, with the farm to your left.  For a shorter walk, you can head north up the farm track here, and turn left by the farm buildings and skirt around them to join the farm track.
9 After about 200yards, you will reach another kissing gate, go through, heading ESE towards Allhallows Old Church.
10 At Allhallows Church, you can detour through the Church grounds to see the remains of the Norman Church and the Victorian Mortuary Chapel built for the Philanthropist George Moore, who lived at Whitehall. George Moore also built a large house at Kensington Palace Gardens, London, and a monument to his wife stands in the Market Square at nearby Wigton.

 

Remains of the Norman Church, and the later Mortuary Chapel
Whitehall from Allhallows Old Church
11 Rejoin the lane and head downhill to the corner where you will see another kissing gate.  Pass through, heading towards Hilltop, which is in an uphill direction.  There is a kissing gate in the top corner of the field.  Pass through the gate and head straight across the open field towards hilltop
12 At Hilltop, pass through the kissing gate, skirting around the back of the house into the larger field.  You will see a gate in the hedge which will take you onto the drive.  Turn left through the gate and walk down the drive towards the B5299
13 Turn left onto the B5299 towards Fletchertown
14 At Fletchertown Crossroads turn left towards Aspatria, after about a third of a mile you will return to Leesrigg Cottage.

 

WARNING: Cattle and livestock can be unpredictable, especially if you have a dog.  DO NOT enter any field unless it is safe to do so.  ALWAYS leave gates as you found them, and keep your dog on a leash at all times. Clean up after your dog, as you would elsewhere as it can be dangerous to grazing livestock.  FOLLOW THE COUNTRYSIDE CODE.