Lake District 21st May 2016

Lake District Saturday 21st May 2016

Another trip to the lakes for a week, this time staying at the Bridge Hotel apartments Buttermere. There are 4 apartments the hotel rents right next to the hotel. Use of the hotel facilities, and located just a few minutes walk form the lake.

There is also the Fish hotel which does bar meals and a very nice cafe in Buttermere with freshly made dairy ice cream in many flavours for sale.

The one bedroom apartment we took was OK, a fair size, with a nice sitting area looking out 2 large glass windows (almost like a small conservatory) with views of the fells nearby. A nice patio with seats and regular visitor in the form of bird and Hens. Lots of sheep and cows passing by the road opposite every day been herded for miking (the cows anyway!)

A more relaxing day Sunday as the weather was not great we drove out for Sunday lunch to the Horse & Farrier in Threlkeld.
Monday 23rd May - Loweswater & Holme Force Waterfall

Keeping it local Monday a short low level walk was in order, driving the short distance to Loweswater. Maggie Bridge car park was full (it is small though), we parked at the other end of the lake (as we have done before). 

The day was reasonable, dry but cloudy and we enjoyed a steady amble along the wooded shore line of Loweswater.

Lots of bluebells to photograph at this time of the year. The macro lens came out the bag.

Heading up through the forest to Holme Force waterfall, I took a bit of time with some long exposure shots.

more shots of woodland bluebells

A pleasant shoer low level lake walk, around 5 miles including a diversion to Holme force waterfall.

Our Walk Score: 6.5/10

Lake District Thursday 21st April 2016

Lake District Thursday 21st April 2016

Another early call for photographs, this time heading through Keswick at Silly o clock to catch sunrise at Surprise View over Derwentwater.

This as accessed along the Borrowdale road before the Lodore Falls hotel turn left (see the hotel and you have gone too far). A steep narrow track winds up towards Ashness Bridge, and go over the old stone bridge, carry on for about another mile and these is a NT car park on the left. Walk over to the view on the right hand side.

All was quiet at 06:00, and after setting up tripod and equipment in a similar spot to that back in November 2015 (though it was sunset then). I took several shots at different points as the sun came up and began to illuminate the fells.

 

 

 

Changing to a zoom lens, the view at the far end of the lake around the marinas looked interesting lit up by the rising sun.

 



Nice reflection too!

 

 

Packed the gear away once the sun was up and headed back down to Ashness Bridge, parked up there ,and set up tripod down in the rocks looking towards the bridge and the fells in the background. Classic Lake District shot that is already well known! 

 

 

 

With shots in the bag, I headed back to the lodge for breakfast, and plans to head out with my dear wife on a higher level fell walk.

 

 

 

 

Dash Falls/Great Calva from Peter House Farm

(Nr/ Bassenthwaite) 8.5 Miles

 

 

 

Great Calva is the pyramidical fell often glimpsed between Blencathra and Lonscale fells from the A66, but few tread its summit as it is at the "back o' Skidda" and away from the masses.

We parked in a cut-in near to Peter House Farm (room for maybe 6 vehicles) and a couple of quid in an honesty box. Setting off on the sunniest day of the week at 10:30 we found a gate just up from the parking taking us along a well constructed long track

After a mile or so the track joined the Cumbria Way, now getting a little rockier after the gate shown above, and starting to slowly climb its way to Dash Falls.

A couple of miles in and we rested on the approach above Dash Falls.

A little further along the track and the falls can be seen form above cascading down to Dash Beck.

The real work began after Dash Falls, and the climb up to 1500ft was quite torturous. It was either through thick purple heather or as recommended in the guide, to follow the fence line, up a rather steep and crumbly "path", using the fence as support to haul ones self up the fell side.
We met a couple on their way down this route and it looked even more perilous, thankfully out intended route was not back the way we came but a circular one.
However, the terrain became kinder, and levelled, but became quite boggy, and the best advice would be to continue to follow the fence line to the right and this heads up Little Calva, before an up an over and a final push to the top of Great Calva at 2265ft.

Pretty good views across to Skiddaw and Thirlmere , but carry on past the first cairn as its a false summit and the true cairn lies a little further on with possibly better views as well.

By now it was well past lunch, so we ate, rested and then headed back down the way we came.

Once off Great Calva we headed off right away from the route we came, and after a short rocky section following a stream bed through a small ravine, and some rocky, shale twists the path got easier and grassier.

The grassier section led us down slowly to a lane and an easier 1.5 miles back to the start at 16:50 , some 6.5 hrs after starting out.

A good day in the fells with warm weather, and we headed back quite tired for baths and suitable sustenance.

Friday was an easier day off from strenuous activity and we headed for Keswick, a boat ride on Derwentwater, lunch at the Lodore Falls hotel, and an amble around Keswick. Saturday we travelled home.

Our Walk Score: 7/10

Lake District Tuesday/Weds 19th & 20th April 2016

Lake District Tuesday/Weds 19th & 20th April 2016


Tuesday 19th April 2016


After scraping ice from the car.....an early morning short drive to the shore of Thirlmere was less productive than expected, with the road after the dam head barriered off to vehicles, and access gates down to the shoreline locked shut with danger notices. The floods had taken their toll and rendered parts of the shoreline with access restrictions.

Parking the vehicle near the shut up security hut I walked past the vehicle barriers a hundred yards or so and found a reasonable spot to set up for a few shots as the sun began to rise.

After half an hour or so, several security vehicles arrived and a big bloke started shouting at me!

After discussion it was OK though, and he just wanted me to move my vehicle a bit away to allow a couple of buses to pass through later (looks like they were been re-routed along the narrow side of the lake, as the main road had been closed for months following flood damage).

I carried on with a few more shots, though was not really that satisfied with the final results, having got much better shots in April 2015, right down at the shoreline.

So set off back to the lodge for a warm up and breakfast.


A decent day was forecast, so after breakfast we headed off to Rosthwaite along the Borrowdale road out of Keswick for a short valley walk.It had been a while since we had walked any distance so an easy start was the best thing we thought.  


Borrowdale from Rosthwaite (Low level valley walk - 7 Miles)

The day was sunny when we took the last parking spot at the National Trust car park in Rosthwaite (£7 all day) and set off around 10:30.

This low level walk followed a good path along the river Derwent with excellent views of the fells and the Borrowdale valley. It was just too nice not to stop and take in the views and the tranquillity of the river.

Before long we departed away from the river into a wooded section (High & Low Hows Wood), with large stone walling, before turning and heading for Seatoller 

Looking back near along the valley near Castle Crag, beautiful view, we stopped to eat lunch here.

The afternoon by now was quite warm as we came down into Seatoller village and watched a local farmer herding his sheep and new born lambs.

 

 

From Seatoller we followed the path adjacent the main road for about a mile before heading off right across grassy tracks then joining a lane (part of the Cumbria Way) and back to Rosthwaite around 15:00.

 

 

A pleasant walk with only a few short uphill pulls and good views down the Borrowdale valley, and if you wish a climb up to Castle Crag (though we did not as we had been up there previously).

 

Our Walk Score: 6.5/10

 

 

Wednesday 20th April 2016

 

 

Cleator Moor to Rowrah Cycle Ride (12 Miles)

 

We drove about 45 mins from the lodge to Cleator Moor village on the Western edge of the National Park for a cycle ride along the old Whitehaven to Rowrah railway.

 

This is now an excellent path/cycleway, and we elected to pick this up at Cleator Moor rather than the more urban start in Whitehaven.

 

We managed to park on the edge of the village near to the cycle path on a road with terraced houses. From there it was just a few hundred yards to the railway bridge and then dropping down via a path to the cycleway. 

 

 The railway cycleway from Cleator Moor is fairly short at about 4 miles or so, but is a very well constructed path on a slight incline up in that direction.



It was pretty quiet as well, with just a few other bikes and dog walkers. Much quieter than the Keswick railway path.

The views were perhaps not a good as the Keswick path as the terrain on this edge of the park is much less mountainous. Very pleasant though on such a nice day 

 

 

The path became a bit rougher towards its end and once it ended it gave way to narrow roads/lanes which got progressively hillier as they headed towards Ennerdale Water. Just before Kirkland we stopped at a rather nice looking bench seat with a view, ate lunch and then cycled back the way we came - and most of it was downhill - Nice!!

 

 

Our Cycle Score: 7/10