Penlaz two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Penlaz here.

I walked this route from Lazonby to Penrith. Early highlights include the Settle-Carlisle railway station, and the red sandstone bridge over the River Eden. I was advised by two locals that rather than follow the official public right of way, everyone walks alongside the river next to the line of trees, and this was evident by the foot-worn path.
The closed section of path was from Daleraven Bridge to Little Salkeld, although the problematic section was only from the bridge to Lacy’s Caves. The high river bank had collapsed into the river in several places, particularly through the initial fields. I stayed well away from the edge. From there and through Tib Wood, there were several very muddy boggy places where I wished I’d brought a pole.
I followed a higher path through Tib Wood which was glorious with fading wild garlic. Lacy’s Caves are extraordinary, but you need to take care!! You can read about them here https://www.edenriverstrust.org.uk/things-to-do/lacys-caves-walk/
From here on the path was fine, and passed lots of remains of old mineworks and tramway. I caught glimpses of a viaduct before the path became a gravelled, then tarmacked, track alongside the railway line.
There were no facilities at Little Salkeld, apart from a couple of benches, but a couple of miles of pacing a reasonably quiet road brought me to Langwathby, with good facilities, where I had my lunch.
The A686 leaving Langwathby, over the bridge, felt quite safe, but the short section between Edenhall Cottage crossroads and my turnoff was a bit busy with fast cars, but at least there was a decent sized verge, and it was fairly short.
The minor roads after that were lovely and peaceful with only the sound of birdsong, especially past the woods. It was a bit of a long slog uphill though! There were occasional, impressive views back towards the North Pennines. Towards Penrith there were a few more cars, but still not many.
The woodland paths through Beacon Plantation are not official public rights of way, but are advertised, and regularly used by locals and visitors, particularly to reach the viewpoint of Beacon Tower. The track from the road is fairly level, until it heads downhill. I actually used the lower, more southerly path along the edge of the woods, which bizarrely ended with a fence and a well-trodden path down to a padlocked gate right next to the official path. My local friend uses both paths regularly but I though I’d better plot the unblocked route despite it being a bit longer.
This could be a gorgeous 4*/5* route, with lots of wildlife and lovely views and scenery. I hope the Eden path is repaired and reopens soon!.

Share your views about this route, give it a star rating, indicate whether it should be verified or not.

Include information that will be useful to others considering to walk or wheel it.

You can add up to 15 photos.