Lakes, Lochs,Reservoirs,Tarns, Ponds

Another view of this tree, posted a couple of days ago, show the tree from the opposite direction looking west. The fortuitous red berries are in fact some other walkers on here. Our hike continues the same way as those walkers, along this treacherous path through the gate. See PiP for the same tree in another season six years ago. Enjoy full screen.

Walking westwards on the southern shore of the lake starts to get a bit hairy, especially for the uninitiated hiker. A bit of scrambling here so one has to be careful. Just past the walk highpoint where the silhouetted figure is, there are some big rocks that must be climbed over to proceed. Once over, the going gets easy. At least the rains have stopped. Enjoy full screen.

A big view looking back east along this shore. Angler's Crag can be seen as the jutting-out hill on the right. We have nearly come to the end of my photos of this lake before before heavy rains sets in again. (Just a trio of photos left to post). Enjoy full size.

It is said that landscape photography is more about light than anything else. Here we see a capture across Ennerdale Water to the north west that adds proof of that saying. The PiP shows yet another view from the East to Angler's Crag with some more nice lighting. Enjoy full size.

Looking east up this sizable lake we see the extent and proximity of it to the fells and mountains of our western Lake District. The water outlet here forms the River Ehen which will eventually reach the Irish Sea just north of Seascale some ten miles away to the west. This is the final photo from our one week stay here in August 2020 (between Corona lockdowns). I took many more pictures and no doubt, some will show up here in the future. I do hope that you have enjoyed this series. Enjoy full screen.

A Lochan (a small Loch) seen on the trail to nearby Loch Ard displays some of its beauty here. There are Greylag Geese on here (seen better in the PiP also adjacent photo) and a nice picnic table overlooks the whole scene. Enjoy full size.

Seen in a lochan near the far larger Loch Ard. This is the western form with its more orange beak. These live and breed in the North here, namely Scotland, Iceland and Scandinavia. The eastern variant has a more yellow beak and inhabits some parts of East Europe. They often winter in the Mediterranean area. Enjoy full size.

A cool windy spot gives us our first real glance of the most famous mountain in this part of Scotland. Our walk continues on around part of the loch before a deserved picnic stop. This is quite a big Loch, the closest point to us in Aberfoye is just around two miles away. It has a shore length of 11.8km (7.3miles) and has an average depth of 13 m (44ft). The outflow of this is actually the start of the River Forth, yes the same river that makes the ‘Firth of Forth’ at Edinburgh. (More on Ben Lomond later) Enjoy full size. Old Scottish song: Will ye ne'er come back again

Another view of Loch Ard but on a narrow section where we are picnicking. Notice the moss on the vertical branch here. See the PiP and adjacent photo for similar moss. Enjoy full screen

A classic scene looking up Loch Ard towards The Narrows, in what is sometimes called Little Loch Ard towards perhaps Scotland’s most famous mountain after Ben Nevis. On seeing this scene, my heart began to beat faster, as it represents so much of the classic landscape photograph. Enjoy full size.

This is the view from the bottom of our holiday cottage garden (and also the view from our large French windows.) Its early morning and the sight of the mist is broken only by the chirps and whistles of the many birds that inhabit this part of the Queen Elizabeth Forest. In fact a male Cuckoo calls forlornly in the distance. Enjoy full size and have a great week.

A sister view to yesterdays posting, which is interesting to compare. A scene here worthy of a painting, for sure. This boat must have some history and later, pulled to this spot by a local photographer maybe :) For me – this photo alone was worth the whole trip. After this day, we would see Ben Lomond capped in white after night snowfalls. Ben Lomond at 974 metres (3195ft) is one of the most familiar of the Munros (mountains over 3000 ft high) in Scotland. It is the most southerly and is also one of the most popular hill-walks in Scotland. The mountain is a central, prominent feature of the landscape of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Enjoy full size.

A splendid glimpse of part of this loch from the North Eastern side near Rowadennan. Across can be seen many of the high hills and mountains in the vicinity of Ben Reosc. Of course this lone tree adds to the atmosphere here. Loch Lomond song Enjoy full size.

A view of this most beloved of mountains on the banks of Loch Lomond. This was taken from the small pier at Rawadennan on the North Eastern side of this very large loch. Ben Lomond at 974 metres (3195ft) is one of the most familiar of the Munros (mountains over 3000 ft high) in Scotland. It is the most southerly and is also one of the most popular hill-walks in Scotland. The mountain is a central, prominent feature of the landscape of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Enjoy full size.

A ride along this remote Loch in the Trossachs is without doubt a treat. It is relatively small at just 2.5mile long and a half mile wide. Just two miles further, past the dam, in the direction of this cyclist we come to the small hamlet of Inversnaid on Loch Lomond. And yes, this is the main road -you can just make out the frequent passing places on the right hand side. Enjoy full size and have a great week.

Taken from near Rowardennan looking towards Ben Vorlich and the Ben Vain range of mountains. This area looks pretty wild around here. Behind me and to the right is the majestic Ben Lomond. Enjoy full screen.

The views keep on coming as we stroll along this marvellous stretch of the loch. Here we see something special. Loch Lomond National Park Memorial Sculpture: Since 1995, the area around Ben Lomond, including the mountain summit, has been designated as a war memorial, called the Ben Lomond National Memorial Park. The park is dedicated to those who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars and was created out of the former Rowardennan Estate with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The Memorial Park was officially opened on Armistice Day in 1997 by the Rt Hon Donald Dewar, then Secretary of State for Scotland and later becoming the first First Minister of Scotland. At the opening ceremony he unveiled a granite sculpture by Doug Cocker, a Scottish artist who had won a competition organized by the Scottish Sculpture Trust to design a permanent monument for the park.

The second Loch near Aberfoyle, this upstream from Loch Ard. It’s a very quiet Loch and feels quite isolated. The shore length is 7.2 km and the loch only has an average depth of 8.8 m. It also has an Island, out of sight to the right here, called Heron island. We are walking along a forestry road and track on the western side looking north. Our walk is the full circuit of Loch Chon and also around a linking small ‘Loch Dhu’ to the south. Enjoy full size.