Loes was suffering a little cabin fever due to having had her leg in plaster for the last month or so.

She fancied getting out to do "a walk", so we chose a wheelchair friendly route that suited both people and dogs.

Rather than start at Keswick we decided to start from the other end of the railway track, which meant we could conveniently include the Threlkeld Cafe at the end of the afternoon.

The Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Track is not only beautiful, but also wheel chair friendly . . . though that hill down from the road leaves a daunting prospect for our return later.

Safely down we head across the first of the bridges.

There are eight bridges and several tunnels between here and Keswick, so we'll see how many we can tick off this afternoon.

The track follows the river closely and Dougal was keen to enjoy the water.

Here the bank was accessible and the water reasonably calm as he retrieved a stick from the river.

Autumn colours abound, and the occasional fallen tree trunk marked the passing of another giant.

By walking at a leisurely pace Dylan could keep up and also enjoy the walk.

His front leg is very poor now, which makes his walking difficult. He could always become a "lap dog" and hitch a lift if he has a problem on the way back !

One of the old Linesman's huts which adds interest (and a poor weather shelter) to the walk.

This young lad was excitedly exploring the structure.

Bridge number two for us as the river meanders down the valley but the track bed tries to maintain a straight line.

Just beyond the bridge is the first tunnel of the day.

The third bridge is an under-arch structure which offers both strength to the bridge and better views from walkway.

We decided that this would do us for this afternoon . . . we have walked and pushed over a mile since we started, and we had yet to return the same way.

Before we turned and re-trace our steps, I walked down for a view of the bridge from below.

Fellow walkers were all complimentary about our excursion and one even offered to take our picture !

"Share with Care" . . . we ticked one of the boxes today.

Back to the foot of the zig-zags as we approach the end of the walk.

Ahead is the bridge for the A66 and beneath it the seldom seen Threlkeld Bridge that takes the old road onward towards Burns Farm and Castlerigg Stone Circle.

A steady push up the nicely graded zig-zags and we made the top with only a slight raising of the heart rate.

Time to re-pack the car . . . Loes in the front, the chair in the middle and the dogs in the back !

A short drive up the road and we reach the cafe while it is still open (it usually closes at 4pm).

The cafe's outside wheelchair hoist wasn't working so Loes hobbled in, practicing a life with just crutches for a change.

Tea and cake and a view of Clough Head completed this delightful two mile outing.

As you can see from the previous photo, Loes is a lot more mobile now and this could be our last major outing with the chair.

- - - o o o - - -

It has been an interesting experience, coping with the options faced by disabled folk . . . we've done pubs, disabled toilets, country walks and the occasional stone steps !!

We now better appreciates the efforts that some people have to overcome, just to do the normal things in their lives.

I can recommend this six week experience to everyone . . . Generally people are exceptionally helpful and friendly but occasionally life can be a real eye-opener !