Stainton to Dockray – 28 October 2023
This is just a touch of the lakes which means we are not going very far into the Lake District on this trip. Stainton is not far from Penrith and just off the A66 road as we enter the Lake District from the east. Dockray is a small village to the southwest of Stainton and is not far from the attraction of Aira Force.
For such a small place we have been to Dockray four times. The first time was in 1996, the year that the club started, we then jumped to 2006, then 2010 and the last time was in 2013. It is now quite a jump to 2023 but it’s doubtful that much has changed.
Two of the routes start in Stainton but only one of the three routes comes into Dockray via Aira Force. One of the routes starting in Stainton is the 11-mile route which crosses the River Eamont southeast of Stainton and then crosses the river again at Pooley Bridge. The route then starts to climb past Wreay and Bennethead towards Swinburn’s Park and then onto Gowbarrow Fell before arriving at Dockray.
The 10-mile route also starts in Stainton but comes south to walk along the edge of Dalemain Park and across Dacre Bridge, On the west side of Pooley Bridge it meets the 11-mile route but after Swinburn’s Park, it goes south around Gowbarrow Park and then heads north through Aira Force to finish in Dockray.
The 9-mile route starts from a lay-by on the A66 road and comes south through Dacre to meet up with the 10-mile route. After Swinburn’s Park, the route diverges around Gowbarrow Fell following the 11-mile route into Dockray.
I am not sure that there are many members of the club that have been to Dockray on all four previous occasions but if you would like to be one of those finishing here for the fifth time you can get in touch with us from our Contact Page. You can also download the walk descriptions below and the GPS routes here.
The image for this post was taken in October 2013 on our last visit to Dockray.
