Walking Without InJuns

For a few weeks now we've had today penciled in as a possible day to 'Walk With Injuns' again with Joan. However - there is a bit of a problem! Joan has just taken on a new dog. Max a rescue Collie. Max has been with Joan for a week roughly, and he is proving to be a lovely dog and an ideal companion for Joan in every way bar one. He doesn't like going for a walk!

Poor lad probably never has been for a walk. Whilst he has obviously been loved and well looked after, he is a failed working dog and has been in a few different places since then. Probably always just having the run of a yard but not going for a walk.

Anyhow, to cut a long story a bit shorter, we decided to just go for a potter up Mosedale and see how we got on

Max seems very interested in what Breeze is up to. Infact it seems to have taken his mind of his anxiety. This is the first walk that he hasn't just laid down when Joan has set off. He is actually pretty enthusiastic today

And he certainly loves water

We meandered (well Breeze charged but the rest of us were a little more sedate) along the Cumbria Way to the sheepfold where we sat for a coffee. Max seems to be enjoying himself today and seems quite relaxed

In fact, I seem to be quite popular all of a sudden

We truned round at the sheepfold as it's getting towards early evening. Instead of our now customary Indian, we are having a BBQ tonight so that Max isn't left in an unfamiliar house without Joan. This is the first time she has taken him to someone elses house and with his recent past, it must have crossed his mind that she might leave him with us.

I think he would actually quite like to join in, but one step at a time!

The sun catches Skiddaw house as we make our way back to the car

A nice gentle introduction for Max who seemed to take it all in his stride. I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of him as he settles into his new life. Lucky boy!

Knott Rigg and Ard Crags and a Birthday

It's Husband's Birthday today. I doubt he's had many on such a glorious day.

Off we head to Newlands for a shortish walk. We really are not fell fit at the moment so we are picking our walks with that in mind!

We start out up Rigg Beck. It is immediately obvious this is our kind of valley

Quiet and isolated. The only sound is the beck tumbling down alongside us. That's Ard Crags ahead. We will be up there later and although at this point this wasn't the plan, we will walk back along the tree line you can see on the ridge

Gradually it gets steeper so we pause to admire the view, The Eastern fells are showing signs of the snowfall we had yesterday

It's warm and Breeze finds a nice watering hole

It starts to get quite a bit steeper as we approach the watershed between Ard Crags and Sail

Looking back at The Dodds

When we reach the water shed we find a nice sunny spot for lunch! The High Stile Ridge on the far side of Buttermere is the predominant view to the west

Our original plan was to head straight up onto Ard crags and then walk along to Knot Rigg before dropping down to Keskadale and following the road back to the car at Birkrigg. Somewhere round here we decided to change that a bit.

We made our way up the steep slope but instead of going straight to Ard Crags, we went off piste and cut over onto Knott Rigg first

Some of us go up and down hill easier than others!

Once we arrive on Knott Rigg, we do something we normally never do - Turn around! 

Now we head over Ard Crags

And then over Aiken Knott

Time to put the lead on as we get down to the road

And return to the car at the Purple House

A really stunning day. The route up was idyllic. we saw just one fell runner until we reached the ridge between Ard Craggs and Knott Rigg, and then only saw another two couples.
We had only walked a little over 5 miles but that left plenty of time to get ready for this evenings Birthday celebrations - meeting up with a crowd of pals for an Indian. We know how to live you know ;-)

Walking With Injuns - Part Two

We enjoyed our inaugural Walk with Indians back in October and after a chance meeting with Joan over a glass of Prosecco on Monday (Morning!), we decided to have another go today. The forecast was not good and it's Christmas week so time is fast running out - so under the circumstances we opted to meet at Brumston Bridge for a short walk ove Sale Fell

Not a day for many photos and certainly not a day for views. We are heading up into the cloud and we are still at a lower altitude than our house! That's Kelswick farm on our right

Proof that it wasn't just Breeze and I! Joan smiles as Husband has his usual cheery photo pose on!

We are on our way down now, but there didn't seem much point in showing a load of photos of a spaniel running around in fog!

Wythop Church beyond the seat (without a spaniel on it for a change)

A rare smile for the camera (smiles aren't that rare - just when there is a camera about!)

Wythop Sunday School.

A short walk back to the car from here to complete about 3.745 miles and then we headed over to Joan's for a cuppa and some lovely Teabread before heading out to Cockermouth to The Spice Club for a lovely meal. Looking forward to the next time Joan!

Walking with Injuns

For quite sometime (probably about a year in fact) we have been planning to do a walk with our friend Joan and then round the day off with an Indian. For a variety of reasons it hadn't happened but the idea has always been there. Walking with Indians became the title of something which seemed destined to never happen - and it very nearly didn't happen today either. We had finally got it arranged and Joan came down with an awful cold!

In the end Joan decided that she could manage a half day walk. Husband is getting over a pulled calf muscle so he opts to stay home and give it a bit longer to repair, so it's the three girls together as we set off from Grainsgill bridge.

The fastest of the three

Heading up Grainsgill

Joan has has seen it from all the fells around but never actually visited Lingy Hut before.

She has now!

Whilst we were in the hut we discussed where to go from there. It was 4pm and the light fades quickly now. Also we have that Indiian to get to! We decided to head over to High Pike and the cut back down via Poddy Gill

As we neared the top of High Pike the light was amazing behind us

And the view over the solway was as clear as it ever is

We start to make our way off piste towards Poddy Gill

Part way down Breeze suddenly starts to struggle. Staggering and wobbly. It has happened before and Spaniels are known to suffer from episodes of collapse on occasions (basically they don't slow down and run themselves out of energy). I carry a special fast acting food supplement for these occasions but bless her, it took her a minute or two to summons up the energy to eat it (it's in her mouth in this picture). After two chunks of it and a few minutes, she was dashing around like a lunatic again thankfully. 

Back at the car in time to go and get that Indian!

Around 5 miles, so not bad for someone full of cold who only fancied a short walk. It was great to be able to take Joan somewhere she hadn't been before - Lingy Hut and the Raj in Penrith too. We must walk with Indians more often!