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.

Cawdale

A spur of the moment decision to make the best of a 'better than forecast' day. Not too much time to spare and it's half term, so we head out to do a short walk in a lonely valley........

Haiving parked at Moorahill Farm we head across the slab bridge

Nice and gentle today, we are heading up The Hause (to the left) and then back down Cawdale, the valley seen in the centre here

Most of the country is cold and miserable today, not us!

Hot Dog

Anyone seen Breeze?

Oh, there she is!!

We headed down to Cawdale Beck and made our own route following the Beck. Not something to do in wet conditions but no problem today

Lots of beautiful clear pools and mini waterfalls along the way

A bit of photo bombing 

The Old Quarry comes into view

There has been a fair landslip here (like so many other places last winter) and this old quarry area looks completely different from our last visit last August

Time for lunch, with a view

Family Portrait

Me and My Dad

After lunch it's just a case of heading down the valley back to the car

You can tell it's half term the roads are mayhem

We only walked just over 4.5 miles, but we didn't rush and lingered over lunch in the sun. All that time in the fells during half term and how many people did we see? Absolutely None. Just the way we like it!