orienteering with a crunch in cumbria...

Forty Shilling, Bradley's Beauty and Greenup's Pippin are just three of numerous varieties of apples growing in Cumbria. The latter, a bright red and yellow cooking apple, came from the garden of a Keswick shoemaker and was first recorded in the late 1700's.

Cumbria boasts some superb orchards for the Apple lover to discover, many at historic locations such as Dalemain nr. Penrith, Sizergh Castle and Levens Hall, both near Kendal. At Mirehouse on the shores of Lake Bassenthwaite, they have re-planted an orchard in the old walled garden using trees specially chosen for the Cumbrian climate, including Catshead, a variety dating from the early 1600's.

If you fancy a spot of Apple Orienteering you can try to find "Old Fred" or the "Beauty of Bath" at Brantwood, near Coniston. Brantwood is opening this juicy trail as part of the Flora of the Fells festival on the 26th and 27th of September .

From Monday 29 September to Thursday 2 October Sizergh Castle's estate, gardening and catering teams will celebrate all that is rare, delicious and tasty about Sizergh's apples in a week-long celebration of English orchard fruits.

During Orchard Week the team will host estate and garden walks. Whether you are a novice or keen gardener, you will love our estate orchard walks - 90 minutes of expert knowledge from one of our staff (Monday and Wednesday 2pm). Or you can join one of our daily garden walks at 12 noon. Both walks £3 per person. On Wednesday (3-4pm) we will have our own Gardener's Question time too. Monday and Thursday (12-5pm) join the Northern Fruit Group who will help identify your apples. There will also be an apple display, orchard information, juicing (on the hour) and tasting sessions (half past the hour) until 4.30pm each day.

Acorn Bank, a National Trust property at Temple Sowerby, is a horticultural haven that contains the largest collection of culinary and medicinal plants in the north of England and a traditional orchard with many regional varieties of apple, pear and damson trees. It is also the venue for Cumbria's Apple Day held this year on Sunday 12th October.

On Apple Day you can see hundreds of different varieties of apples, taste some of the more unusual kinds that you cannot find in the shops, and buy some to take home. Nurseries offer interesting varieties of apple trees to buy. There is an apple identification service where you can bring some apples from your mystery garden tree to be identified by experts as well as an Apple Doctor with whom you can discuss problems. There is lots of food and drink - from apple cakes and chutney to apple juice and cider as well as cookery demonstrations with apples. There's fun for the kids too with games such as apple bobbing and the apple and spoon race, storytelling and archery. You can even see if you can beat last year's winner of the longest peel competition, who managed a whopping 658 cms. A lot of great Cumbrian producers will be there. Be sure to check out Wild and Fruitful who produce a range of jams, chutneys, fruit cheeses and jellies, all made using local apples. Also visit The Apple Orchard Juice Co. who make sweet, medium and dry blended apple juice using local apples where possible. Of course don't forget to stock up on locally made cider.

Content and photography supplied by http://www.artisan-food.com/, funded by Distinctly Cumbrian.