Ullscarf.

It's been a while since we did a decent length fell walk. We put that right today and if any walk has ever summed up what it's all about in our eyes, then this, my friends is it!

Jay joined us as we set off from Dobgill Car park by Thirlmere. The only car there on a beautiful summers morning

We cross Dob Gill as we leave the car park

and then head up the side of the gill. Do you think Breeze is pleased to be here?

This is a lovely climb. Thirlmere puts in an appearance behind as we head up alongside the forest

Passing the steadily silting Harrup Tarn.

 A short while after taking this photo, we bumped into what would turn out to be the only people we saw today. A couple who were aiming for Watendlath. They had walked approximately half a mile from their car we assume (although we don't actually know where they were parked) and must have been a good half mile away from the path they should have been on.

"we're trying to find the path to Watendlath, I did it many years ago and I'm not quite sure if we're on the right path"
Errrr. No, you're not. 

We showed him our map - No. They didn't have one - and told them where they should be in relation to where they were. Throughout this exchange, wifey was sitting on a rock some 500 m away. No doubt there was a domestic going on as they wandered around with no idea where they were or where they were going.  BLOODY IDIOTS

Anyway, where were we...

Further up the gill, we look back to see Blencathra illuminated in the distance

Helvellyn behind us as we pass the impressive washfold

Mornin'. Nice day for it!

We made our way over to Black Knott where we sat and had lunch and a brief rest!

Then on to the top of Ullscarf.

 Ok, time for second rant of the day!! When some friend asked where we had walked today and we said Ullscarf, they replied with disdain that it was very uninspiring and that is why there were no folk about. HELLO. The summit is the highest point of any fell. That's it, full stop, end of significance. For us it is not about summits. It's not about miles. It's about being outside, in beautiful surroundings, enjoying what is around us and finding interesting routes which may, sometimes include the highest point on a fell. Quite often we don't actually bother with the summit. After all, that's the one place you really are likely to bump into other people. If anyone follows the route we took both up and down and then tells me Ullscarf is uninspiring then I will be gobsmacked. But hey ho, we're all different. The more people that stick to the well published, well troden, often crowded routes to tick off summits, the better our routes will be!

The view from an uninspiring (!) fell

Crap isn't it

Absolutely awful

In fact, what are we doing up here?

Let's head down off this Godforsaken wilderness ;-) That's Grasmere and Windermemre ahead 

And that's a female Wheatear

And that's a beautiful Spaniel

We begin to lose height as we head down Flour Gill, towards Middle How which you can just make out as a small hummock in the shadows at the middle of this pic, just where the sunshine is about to start!

Hello Ewe

Heading for Wythburn Head

And then we follow Wyth Burn. This is such a beautiful valley. There must be about half a mile of continuous waterfall. It was impressive today when we are in a very dry period

We must come back and visit when we have had a real downpour

At the end of the falls - Bridge over troubled water - we are going to cross the burn here and follow it on the other side back to Thirlmere

Top Dog. Crossing Hay Meadows as we near Thirlmere

Chance to have a cool down

and then it's just a gentle stroll along the shore back to the car

We walked about 9.5 miles today, it was shorts (for me) and t shirt weather all day and it really was a beautiful and interesting route, whatever anyone else might think!

Baby Pics

There are so many babies in the garden this morning, here are a few of them.................

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Blackbird

Tree Sparrows

Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail being fed 

Bathing Blackbird Chick

Pilates at the Seaside

OK, so I lied a bit in the title, but we did go to the seaside. Our friend Fiona who just so happens to be our pilates teacher had commented how she would like to take her dog Sam to Silloth after our last visit. She's a busy lady and so we put today in our diaries weeks ago. Looks like we must have booked the weather too!

Sam thought it was Great Fun chasing Breeze

But he didn't quite manage to keep up!

I'm not quite sure what is happening with those ears!

Sam did have a few pauses, but I have to hand it to him, he kept trying to catch Breeze.

All that watching dogs run around is exhausting! We felt we had earned a trip down to Twentyman's for an icecream before heading back home.

What a fab day out! Fiona and I had plenty of chance to chat while we ambled along the beach, the dogs had a great time and then back home to spend a few hours sitting in the garden in the sunshine, drinking wine before supper, whilst Sam thought he'd gone to heaven playing with all of breeze's toys. We must do it again sometime Fiona!

The Howk

It's a pinch me is it real day today. Off for a haircut. Lincoln? Newark? Navenby? Nope! Caldbeck. For the first time in a littel while there is no sign of the sun today, so Breeze gets to come too and wait in the car. Then she gets here bit of fun for the day as we have a short walk to The Howk. If you want to know about it, click on those two words (The Howk) to follow a link with loads of info

An easy level path leads from Caldbeck Village

Alongside Cald Beck

To the ruins of the bobbin Mill. From here you can continue on up the limestone gorge to pass the Fairy Kettle and Fairy Kirk. A longer, circular route can be followed also. Today was just about giving Breeze a run though and as she can cover a few miles in the time we do half a mile, this was as far as we were going.

Breeze has a closer look at the information board

Before taking up her usual position on the bench (any bench will do, she just can't help herself!)

I don't think this really qualifies as a walk. We probably only covered half a mile, but it's a cracking little spot which is really handy from Lofters and Breeze got to run her socks off and have a swim :-)

Mindless Destruction

This is one of the places we go really frequently for a dog walk, but rarely with the camera (you don't want to see the same place over and over I'm sure). But following a devastating fire in the valley during half term, we went today and took the camera with us. The fire was believed to have been started by a barbecue on Bank holiday Monday. We have lost count of the number of disposable barbecues we have picked up and brought home to dispose of in this valley in the past, in fact our last visit here, only just a couple of days before this fire we found a burnt out discarded one and brought it back, commenting on how lucky it was that it hadn't caused a fire with everything being so dry.................... It makes our blood boil how thoughtless and irresponsible people are.

As we drive down the dale, the scale of the fire is astonishing

The side of Combe Heights laid bare. I hate to think how many ground nesting birds and small mammals were rearing their young on here (can you see The Spaniel?)

Just a little way up Grains Gill we come across the scars from the BBQ we removed last time we were here. There are apparently a lot of irresponsible people out there (or someone has frequent BBQ's here). I do wish they would bugger off and burn their own homes down.

However much damage they have done, they haven't managed to ruin a lovely spot

As we get back to the car we spot this pile of burnt rubbish only a yard or two away. This is a really popular spot on bank holiday weekends (when the sun shines at least) and if we had a pound for every bottle and can (and BBQ) we have picked up and taken home to dispose of over the years then.................. We always pick up litter, wherever we are walking - Wombling as our friend Ann used to call it.

I think this could be classed as Wombling in a War Zone. At least it would be a war zone if I got hold of the little blighters who did this. My only hope is that the person responsible was wearing this shoe when the fire started. If so, hopefully this is all that's left of him/her.

Gowbarrow Bright and Early

We had planned to head out for a walk after supper last night, but megga thunder storms (flash floods in Penrith, not a drop here) changed our plan. We don't fancy getting struck by lightning. Instead we got ourselves organised and set off early this morning. We were walking soon after 8am. Hopefully this would mean we would be back at the car before the day got too warm and before too many other folk got about.

8:15am, it's a beautiful morning and off we go

One of or favourite local short walks. It's a really good value fell. Amazing views, lots of alternative routes and close to home.

Looking over our right shoulder as we climb 

We pause by a small beck to let Breeze tank up and cool down. Time for a bit of breakfastas we look across Matterdale

We're not the only ones enjoying this weather

On the summit now and it's cold drinks for all of us. Believe it or not Breeze has just had a drink! She's not totally stupid, she sat herself in her Dad's shadow.

Pretty hazy, but the views never fail to impress on this lovely little fell

Rounding the corner to Breeze's favourite bench

Guess who was first up?

Flat calm broken only by the Steamer

One of my favourite views

After a leisurely coffe stop at the memorial seat, we head on down towards Aira Force. It's getting pretty warm now and we are aware that we will soon start to see other folk about

Into the shade of the trees as we make our way up alongside Aira Beck

One last dip to cool off before we head back across the field to the car

A lovely way to start the day, we were back at the car by 11am, having taken our time on the walk. We missed most of the other people who will have come this way today, were home and showered before lunch and before it really got too hot or the thunder started again.