Just booked a week in Threikfield. Please can you suggest walks and lakes to swim in and an easy route up Blencathra
Many thanks
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 Buy yourself a copy of Twelve Favourite walks by Wainwright (published by Frances Lincoln, ISBN 9780 7112 2820 7). Just drop the ISBN into Amazon's search box. You'll need OS 1:25000 sheets OL4 and OL5 as well. Wainwright devotes 36 closely-packed pages to Blencathra and describes half a dozen routes of ascent from Threlkeld. Mind you, as usual he's rather mute about swimming 
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The easiest way up Blencathra from Threlkeld is to head up to the Blencathra Centre -- which used to be a hospital for TB sufferers, I believe. From the car park just past the centre take the very obvious path up over Blease Fell on on to the top of Blencathra. The easiest way down is back the same way, but more interesting would be down over Hall's Fell, or over Mungrisdale Common to Skiddaw House and back by the Glenderaterra Beck. As for swimming, the only really handy place that comes to mind from a base in Threlkeld is Keswick pool, which is a nice walk/cycle ride along the line of the old Penrith-Keswick railway.
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Hi thanks for the info the route I think we will do is
Scales, up Halls Fell, Blencathra, Atkinson Pike, down Scales Fell, back to Scales.
We are staying at Doddick Farm so this looks the most logical
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 Swimming - there is Thirlmere nearby but I'm not sure how safe it is - I've seen 'no swimming' signs at places but unsure if there are any safe areas. Nice walk through St John's to get there though 
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 I think you'll find that swimming isn't allowed in Thirlmere reservoir - something to do with the water being too cold and 158ft deep. However, you are allowed to swim in Derwentwater. It's a much more pleasant lake to swim in and is easy to get to from Threlkeld. Don't know how cold it will be though. There's some guidelines on swimming in open water in the Lake District http://www.golakes.co.uk/adventure-capital/open-water-swimming-lakedistrict.aspx
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Now that Lorraine mentions it, Derwentwater is good to swim in -- or at least it is from the west side, where I've been in for a few dips near the marina. Not sure about from the Keswick side. It would be a fair walk from Doddick Farm, but very easy by bike or car. Or closer to where you're staying there is Bowscale Tarn. Never had a swim in it myself -- always thought it looked a bit forbidding -- but I believe others have, and there's no reason not to give it a go. Just watch out the immortal fish don't get you. The route up Hall's Fell is interesting, but not exactly easy for somebody not used to bit of exposure and easy scrambling.
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Do you think it will be able to take a 13 year old up Hall's Fell and poss 9 year old and poss the mad wife or should i go up scales fell .
At some stage my older son needs to start getting use to some exposure on a mt side
On the flat he can walk for about 9 miles max so I was thinking 6 -7 miles on a mt walk
Alastair
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My eight-year-old son thinks Hall's Fell is great, but then he reckons he's an ace rock climber.
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On the map it looks like you can walk from scales tarn to the top of Blencathra if you go up via the scales beck route.
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 Do you think it will be able to take a 13 year old up Hall's Fell and poss 9 year old and poss the mad wife or should i go up scales fell . At some stage my older son needs to start getting use to some exposure on a mt side On the flat he can walk for about 9 miles max so I was thinking 6 -7 miles on a mt walk Alastair It's better to go up than down ,the route you had in mind should be sound.It's a shortish proper walk if that makes sense You should have plenty of time and there's no reason why you can't stop a lot and take you're time. I haven't been up Hall's Fell ridge so I can't comment but if you are responsible that's the main thing.Only you will know if the kids are gung ho or over enthusiastic. Have a good time.
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Thanks Lorraine that s great
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