Ski Club of Manchester, A circular walk from Boot — Taking in Siney and Blea Tarns, Sunday 10th May 2026

Reporter: Dave Taylor

We were a nice sized group of 8 and 2 very well behaved dogs. The walk started with a delightful route along the river Esk including Gill force. We then crossed over the Hardknott pass road and took time to encourage some of the 2500 cyclists taking on the Fred Whittington challenge soon to take on the brutal Hardknott pass climb!

A bit further on we crossed the Eskdale steam railway and stopped to wave as the train went past. It was very much like the railway children scene and lovely to see all the train passengers happy smiling faces waving back.

We then took on a steady climb where the views opened up across the central Lakeland fells in one direction and the Isle of Man in the other. We eventually reached the tarns where we stopped for lunch. It was then a pleasant walk down to the valley floor and a welcomed beer at the Boot inn in the sunshine.

Thanks, Liz, for selecting such a scenic and manageable walk and was appreciated instead of the more demanding alternative high level route option.