Knott Roughton Gill!

It's silly season so we're sticking 'Back O' Skiddaw'. So we thought we'd head for Fellside, but instead of our usual dog walk up Roughton Gill, we are thinking of doing a slightly higher loop.

Off we go along the familiar track towards Dale Beck

We had crossed the ford and made our way up the slopeon the other side, heading for the summit cairn on Brae Fell

Spot The Dog - also spot the spot on the lense - hmmm, think it's going to turn into a damp walk!

From Brae we headed across Little Sca Fell. Off to our right is Over Water with the end of Bass Lake a bit further to the left

From Little Sca Fell we then went on to Great Sca Fell, then Knott. Skiddaw stands tall with the pyramidal top of Great Calva on the left between us and Skiddaw

You wouldn't know it from this picture, but it is about to sile it down. We are heading to Lingy Hut for our lunch. We were extremely glad of it too as the rain came just before we got there and it continued for most of the time we were sitting comfortably in the hut, tucking in to our pasties!

And when we emerged it was into a different day!

Looking down into Mosedale from Lingy Hut

We had thought about heading over High Pike, but given the changeable weather and the fact that one of us had got a little wet earlier following a slight mishap!! we decided to take the lovely gentle path back down over Deer hills. And so we got back to the car, just before the next downpour!

We had walked about 8 miles on very familiar ground in the height of silly season. We passed two guys on one of the Sca Fells and then two lone walkers later on. I have a feeling the other Scafells may have been a bit busier!

Wildlife round the clock

We know that we have regular hedgehog visits at night. Both by the droppings and the amount of cat food they are taking from our hedgehog feeding station (posh title for a box with a hole in it!) As the nights are drawing in and it is now dark at bedtime, we have seen a VERY large adult and even managed a pretty crap (it was dark), grainy picture of him/her feeding a few nights ago

The in broad daylight, while we were sitting having a cuppa mid aftternoon, Husband suddenly spotted this little chap(ess) sauntering across the garden. No more than 4" long and obviously very hungry - he was foraging for froglets and whatever else he could find by the pond. Presumably a recently independant baby who clearly needed to top up his feed levels, or why would he have been out in broad daylight?

He was not in the least concerned by my presence, so I hot footed it over to the hedgehog box and grabbed the dish of food I had just refilled ready for tonight. 

He ate and he ate and he ate. You could see his belly distending as he chomped his way through a plateful of cat food. He wandered off after about 20 minutes, only to come back again 10 minutes later and finish off what he had left. He was back again at bedtime too - unless there are more than one babies about of course. Judging by the amount of food that disappeared overnight, it looks like the adult was back too.

More signs of the breeding season this morning too. We have a pair of Red Leg Partridge who use us as a buffet all year round. Today we had a visit from 4. Unsure whether this is two parents and two young or 4 youngsters. Very difficult to tell with Partridge, but whatever, it was still nice to see them

An Evening in Roughton Gill

For one reason and another we hadn't made it onto the fells this week. Saturday would be our first free day, but you probably know by now, we don't do Fell Walks on Saturdays. That's the whole point of being retired! So instead, we decided to to a little evening walk.

Having parked at Fellside we head down towards the ford across Dale Beck. We know this place like the back our our hands (or paws) but I don't think it is somewhere you could ever get fed up with. Very few people seem to visit and I think it would have been a real surprise if we had seen anyone else tonight (we didn't!)

We chose the slightly higher path than the normal beckside track

Breeze Zooming as usual

The Track we generally walk on is visible on the right hand side of the beck

We will undoubtredly walk on these fells in the next week or so. This is as good a place as any to come in the middle of school holidays.

Lots of sightings of Dippers tonight - not the best pic, but difficult to keep the camera still enough on full zoom

Crossing the beck on our way back down.

A quick (rather gormless on my account) family photo as we cross Hay Gill - the bridge provided somewhere flat to stand the camera.

A lovely evening stroll of about 4 miles. We saw a fair bit of bird life and plenty of sheep, but not another human.

A Hayeswater Circuit

The walk that didn't happen! This is what we planned to do on Tuesday, but decided against as it was far too hot. We parked up at Hartsop and made our way up the lovely valley of Pasture Bottom. I can never say that without a little smile, a fantastic name for a fantastic place

We are aiming for the skyline at the far end of the valley - or at least what would be the skyline if that cloud was a bit higher

Pasture Beck gives it's name to the valley. That cloud keeps looking like it might be lifting!

At the top of Pasture Bottom we start the climb up Threshthwaite Cove. Looking back you can just see the bottom of Ullswater and the promise of some sunshine. It's an ideal walking temperature just now. Shorts (for me) and T shirt weather but not too hot.

Stairway to Heaven

Gradually it gets a bit steeper

The all of a sudden you reach Threshthwaite Mouth and look across to see Windermere further south.

We climb up the steep bit towards Thornthwaite Crag. The cloud is still down on the tops at the moment.

Looking back down Pasture Bottom as we head into the cloud

The Beacon on Thornthwaite Crag. No views at the moment, and although we have stopped to put a layer on, it is far from cold even in this cloud.

Heading across to High Street, the cloud is blowing around, giving us glimpses of the views. That's Hayeswater which we will walk down to later

Atmospheric Herdies

Gradually the cloud starts to move away as we walk along High Street, we are going to carry on along the ridge you can see slightly left of Husband and Jay, over Knott and then drop down to Hayeswater.

Time for lunch. Breeze is glad of her jumper, she does seem to get cold when we stop. Shortly before we stopped here we realised she had damaged her paw (again), wearing a hole in her metacarpal pad. You can just see the red straps on her boot.

Lunch over and the cloud has all moved away now

Looking down across Martindale

And back at High Street where we have just walked

Ahead you can see the track that leads from Hartsop to Hayeswater. That's where we are heading - or at least that's what we thought!

Hayeswater

The Hydro Electric plant at Hayeswater is still being constructed and the track which we normally use is currently closed - you can see a couple of 360's working part way down it. So a diversion has been set up - follow the orange posts!

It makes a nice change to come down on this side of Hayeswater Gill

The construction of the Hydro Electric plant with Pasture Bottom (I'm still smiling!) behind.

Then it's a gentle stroll back to the carpark!

A very different day's weather to Tuesday. It's a shame when you find yourself in cloud with the view disappearing, but on a day like today, when it blows in and out it actually adds to the atmosphere in a funny way.

8 miles more or less and although we saw a few folk once we got to High Street (no-one in Pasture Bottom as usual) there were surprisingly few people about. It's the last day of term and we very nearly didn't come here today as we thought the crowds would be about. Not sure where they all were?

An Evening Change of Plan

Today we had planned a walk the other side of Patterdale, but the forecast was for temperatures approaching 30 degrees and whilst that would be very unpleasant for us, it would probably be catastrophic for a young Spaniel who doesn't understand the concept of slowing down. Instead we decided to head up Sheffield Pike after supper, when the temperature had dropped a bit.

At about 8:15pm it was still 29 degrees. Still way to hot to contemplate a fell walk' so we made up plan C. We headed over to one of our most regular haunts and had a wander up the Cumbria Way from Mosedale. By the time we parked up it was somewhere around 25 degrees, and with the river Glemderamackin always at our side, there was no danger of Breeze overheating.

Balmy Breeze - Heading up the Cumbria Way. Skiddaw is just peeping up on the distant skyline. It's shortly after 9pm.

Looking South East, Mungrisdale Common on the right, Bowscale Fell on the left

It's a lovely temperature, a glorious way to spend an hour in the evening

Skiddaw is more visible as we head further up the track

Blencathra pops up on the skyline to our right as we retrace our steps.

Heading back now. Breeze has a paddle in the ford before we make our way back to the car.

Back at the car a few minutes after 10pm and the temperature has hardly altered. It wasn't what we had planned for the day, or even the evening, but it's still better than many folk are able to do on the spur of the moment.