Ponsonby Fell and the river Bleng from Gosforth

Seven and three quarter miles and about three and a half hours for 260 metres of climb, out of Gosforth village along the Bleng into the forestry and over the shoulder of Ponsonby Fell - a quiet corner that sees a fraction of the traffic of the central valleys. It starts in Gosforth itself, where there is free on-street parking around the square and by the church with its Viking cross. The river is the best of it for a dog, running clear over gravel with plenty of access, and the forest tracks are enclosed for off-lead walking, but the fell section crosses grazed open ground, there are two ladder stiles that a large dog cannot manage without help, and the return lane carries fast local traffic for half a mile.