On foot: circular walk and shorter option
The Ainstable slow trail is a 10.9 km circular walk, estimated to take more than two hours. So don’t plan based on distance alone: check the path conditions before setting out, too. The route follows a riverside path along the River Eden. Small, flat bridges cross small streams and are also part of the route described.
A shorter option goes around Coomb Wood; a grey section of the path is optional. When weighing up the two options, you can first decide whether to follow the stated length of the circular walk or choose the shorter option. Then consider whether the grey section should be part of your route. The circular walk is estimated to take more than two hours; the shorter option is described as a separate alternative.
Sandstone sculptures and plants in Coombs Wood
Below Coombs Wood are sandstone sculptures featuring five faces and written inscriptions. Access is difficult and possible only when the River Eden is low. Water level is therefore a key condition for visiting: take it into account when planning if you want to see the sculptures.
Plants to gather are also among the topics described in Coombs Wood. These include violets, dandelion leaves, wood sorrel and nettles. If you are considering gathering plants, follow current guidance for the landscape and land management. This keeps the named plants and the relevant visiting conditions in perspective together, rather than treating the list of plants as blanket permission.
Broomrigg: stone circles, hut circles and a shieling
Broomrigg A is a rare example in north-west England of a large, irregular stone circle; it has an associated double stone row. The circle was originally made of red sandstone and measured about 55 m in diameter. The north-western arc is mostly still in situ. Its size, material and surviving arc give the site several clearly distinguishable features.
While Broomrigg B1 is a small prehistoric stone circle, Broomrigg F consists of two adjacent hut circles. B1 originally enclosed an area about 3.4 m in diameter and comprised seven stones, four of which survive. Despite excavations and the loss of some stones, the circle is relatively well preserved. At Broomrigg F, the stone rings are about 3.7 m in diameter. The comparison shows different forms and sizes: a small stone circle on the one hand, and two adjacent hut circles on the other.
At Broomrigg P, the remains include a single-room dry-stone shieling. A shieling was a hut used seasonally by herders on upland or marshland pastures. The surviving walls are 7 m long and up to 1.5 m wide. This historic use distinguishes the site from the stone circles and hut circles: here, the focus is on the form of a seasonal herders’ hut.
St Michael: medieval origins and later rebuilding
The parish church of St Michael in Ainstable is medieval in origin and was rebuilt in 1870–1871. The churchyard had already been mentioned in a will dating from the mid-13th century. This places the church’s medieval connection alongside a much later building phase: the reference in the will dates to the 13th century, and the rebuilding to the 19th century.
The topics mentioned offer different points of reference when choosing between walking and culture: the circular walk is described by its length and estimated walking time, while water level is an additional factor determining access to the sandstone sculptures. The historic sites, in turn, differ in their respective forms and dates. This lets you focus your interests on specific features of the route, a clearly defined condition for visiting, or different historical remains.
Discover more destinations: Sedgwick, Ivegill, Great Clifton, Stapleton, Bowness-on-Solway, Troutbeck, Barbon, Crosby Ravensworth.
For the wider travel overview: Cumbria.
