Monday 15th - Brockholes - Lake District Visitors Centre
Monday, we decided was more a day of easy leisure, and so we visited a craft emporium in Kendal (Susan), and Hawkshead brewery in Staveley for Beer Tapas lunch, then Lakeland in Windermere early afternoon.
We called at Brockholes - The Lake district Visitors Centre, and had a browse around the gardens and by the lake shore, all quite pleasant.
By mid-afternoon we found ourselves in Ambleside, and whilst Sue headed for some shops I headed towards Stockghyll Force waterfall for some pictures.
Stockghyll Force is within easy access of Ambleside town centre, with a walk of only about a mile through woodland (some uphill but not steep). The pictures were taken nearer the top just off the path but at what would seem to be well used viewpoint.
(For the photo geeks: The camera Canon 6D was tripod mounted and a B&W 10-stop ND filter used with long exposures (typically 120s, ISO 200). 24-105mm L IS lens with IS switched off, Manual focus, AV mode, Mirror lock up and remote release.
I had a walk around the top of the falls and over the opposite side, but think the best viewpoint was the one I used anyway. I did take a few shots of a stream and small stepped fall near the top on the opposite bank which came out fairly well.
Tuesday 17th - Grizedale Forest Cycle
We had visited Grizedale forest park in 2013, and completed a short walk thereon one of the marked routes. Having picked up leaflets and maps last year we decided to try one of the cycle trails (the non-mountain bike ones). So after a bit of a drive South from Bram Cragg we parked up around 11:00.
The cycle route we had chosen was one of the longer but non-mountain bike trials, the "Green Route", just over 10 miles.
The first challenge was actually finding the beginning of the trail. The walk last year was easy, as it was signposted from the big wooden exhibition hall/toilets. The bile trails were not so easy to locate.
Having looked near the cafe we did not find it, and only after looking here again did we spot a gap near the cafe leading to the trail path a little way up the road.
So we eventually started and it soon became apparent just how hilly the terrain was going to be..
Perhaps not brutal steep inclines but long, slow, relentless ones with hardly a flat brek for very long.
After a while though, it soon became apparent that we were not the only ones surprised by this and many were seen to be pushing their steeds on some stretches. Not perhaps a trail for us cycling novices or the unfit (which we are!)
That said, it was all fairly enjoyable once we came across some flatter or even downhill stretches, and the scenery was OK, despite all the trees!!
The view did open up nicely on one stretch giving views down to Coniston Lake
We finished around 15:00 having covered 11 miles (mostly uphill it seemed)
A rather dry sandwich at the cafe was followed by a £7 mugging for parking.
Not sure if we would be that bothered about coming back, close but no cigar as they say!
Our Cycle Score: 6/10
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