The Lake District & Cumbria

A low view from the banks of Loweswater here in the Lake District. As you can see the typical are weather comes into play here but I hope it does not mar your enjoyment of this.

I must admit to having a love for trees, especially trees of character as this one is. Seen above Loweswater Lake and again showing a glimpse of the newly introduced Belted Galloway cows. What kind of tree is it? I will let you investigate :) Nice full screen.

An idyllic location for such a sport here on banks of Loweswater. The silence of the scene broken only by bird calls and the sound of my shutter. We are looking here towards the southern end of the lake which is only two kilometres distance from the next lake of Crummuck Water. Our walk continues in that direction with this lake before we double back much higher. As always, made to be viewed full size here.

As we reach the end of Loweswater and start our journey right-ways and up, we look further up the valley towards the Crummockwater region. We are treated here to the rainbow effect of the wet atmosphere and heavy clouds to the left looking at 'Whiteside' on the left and 'Brackenthwait Fell/ Gasgale Craggs' on the right. Enjoy full screen as always here.

On the banks of Loweswater stands this bothy. An impressive old building for sure and as it is only feet away from a favourite fishing spot (see previous photo), normally very handy indeed. However it is at this moment truly locked-down. "A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man." Wiki

One of the Western 'Lake Districts' lesser known lakes here. This side of the lake has a trail running almost the entire length and with one or two fences like this jutting into the water, an ideal opportunity for me to get more photos for our HFF group. A slight difference in artistic style here with this sepia monochrome version. Hope you enjoy it. HFF. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Enjoy another view from the end of Loweswater towards the high fell of Whiteside.

As we sit by the glass door of our holiday cottage I spot some movement just beyond the door area. At first I thought it a mouse of some kind but later found out it was a little 'bank vole' looking for bits of food dropped from the nearby bird feeder. A cute little mammal for sure. See Pip. "Bank vole (Myodes glareolus). The smallest of the UK voles, the bank vole is active during the day and night. The bank vole is the smallest UK vole with a reddish-chestnut coat and an off-white underside. Like all voles, it's a stocky little animal with a blunt snout, small eyes and ears. Its tail is short – just half the length of its body. At first sight, they can be confused with field voles, which are greyer with a shorter tail, or wood mice, which have a longer tail and move much more quickly. They can climb bushes in search of food. Diet: Fruits, nuts and small insects." Enjoy full screen

Rising above Loweswater whilst walking along this eerily named road we look again up the valley, my eye firmly on the lone tree. As you can imagine our rain gear on standby :) 'During the medieval period, the local population rose significantly and, consequently, so did the number of churches in the area. Keen to retain their authority and sustain revenues, senior ministers of existing parish churches made claims to burial rights over the area, thus resulting in the need for residents in outlying villages to travel a fair distance to bury their loved ones in the designated consecrated ground. Corpse roads were created to allow villagers to travel to their parish churches for this reason. One such corpse road ran from Buttermere to the church at Lamplugh, a village on the western edge of the Lake District. Part of the ancient route remains, and this walk follows it as it traverses the side of fells above Loweswater.' (https://www.thelakedistrict.org/things-to-do/walks/high-nook-tarn/) Enjoy large

Still on the Corpse Road we get a better view of the next lake here as we walk above Loweswater. Beyond Crummock is yet another lake; Buttermere, considered as one of the Lake Districts most beautiful lakes. See Pip for alternative view "Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England situated between Buttermere to the south and Loweswater to the north. Crummock Water is 2.5 miles long, 0.75 mile wide and 140 feet deep." Enjoy full size

As we cross this small bridge we make a very distinctive line to that tree in the horizon. One can imagine a procession following a laden cart here. 'During the medieval period, the local population rose significantly and, consequently, so did the number of churches in the area. Keen to retain their authority and sustain revenues, senior ministers of existing parish churches made claims to burial rights over the area, thus resulting in the need for residents in outlying villages to travel a fair distance to bury their loved ones in the designated consecrated ground. Corpse roads were created to allow villagers to travel to their parish churches for this reason. One such corpse road ran from Buttermere to the church at Lamplugh, a village on the western edge of the Lake District. Part of the ancient route remains, and this walk follows it as it traverses the side of fells above Loweswater.' (https://www.thelakedistrict.org/things-to-do/walks/high-nook-tarn/) Enjoy large

Another Loweswater fence shot for you here. In fact this is the same fence as in my last HFF offering (see Pip). This view west, towards our west coast beyond the hills has none of the exciting high vistas as can be seen to the other end behind me but I think you will agree that it is quite agreeable all the same. HFF and I wish you all, a safe weekend, Herb

My last photo from this high Corpse Road before dropping back down to Loweswater. The Nearest shores being about 18km (11m) from where I am standing. The far shores are actually the counties of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. As can be seen here, great areas of our extensive coast are now filled with windfarms. Good for the planet maybe but not the most natural things on the horizons. “The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very near to the firth.” Wikipedia Enjoy full screen

Cumbria, an area in the North West of England, most famous perhaps for the National Park of The English Lake District but having more to offer on its extensive coast, towns, moors and pastures. Here we see another side of the lake of Loweswater where trees and wild flowers full of bees cascade from the high Fells towards the lake. A very small portion of which, can just be made out almost middle left. See PiP Enjoy full screen PS - I shall take a break from these Lake District scenes for a week or so now and return to my 2014 Wonders of Mallorca selections.

A five photo panoramic view of the whole of this lake as seen from the high Corpse road. To the left. Just above the corner hills you can just make out the Solway Firth and to the right we see Crummock Water in the far distance. We now carry on walking left before returning to our car parked on the left side of this lake. With this photo, one can easily place most of my preceding photos on here. Enjoy full screen

Our friendly Greater Spotted Woodpecker visitor in the garden of our rented holiday cottage near Ennerdale in the Lake District. He came every day to feed from the hanging seed feeder and between feeding it would rest and keep watch on this gate. See PiPs for more. In the second PiP, the bird is simply scratching itself on the wooden beam. It is not asleep nor as some may fear, dead! Enjoy full screen

Our second full day here in the Lakes and its Crummock Water for us, despite the bad weather forecast and a constant drizzle as we set off. - So here we are just starting along this muddy Western shore from the South. Rain gear donned and a quick wipe to clear the water drops from my lens,to capture this one. I am sure that this is the average look of the lake and its surroundings. Fortunately, the weather was to improve before we got back. Enjoy.

Onwards we trek along the shores of this lake. Underfoot is quite wet along this path but at some places stones and rocks make things a little easier. Here in the seepage is evidence of natural oils and mineral leakage too with the reddish pools. The interesting volcanic-like fell to our left is called 'Rannerdale Knotts'. - Our way continues perhaps for another mile before our turn-around. Enjoy full screen.