Lake District, Day 3. Whitbarrow Scar

Up early(ish) to a beautiful morning and on-board facilities used and emptied, it was time for breakfast and packup making.  We then reversed our route of yesterday to Underbarrow and on into the Lyth Valley to Row to meet up with Peter and Linda for the first time in 7 months.  As we drove along the lanes the valley was a froth of white damson blossom from the abundance of damson orchards.  We must try to buy some in the autumn; they make fantastic jam.  Peter and Linda were waiting when we arrived and we were soon geared up and heading up the track to  limb up onto Whitbarrow Scar; the larger twin of Scout Scar on the opposite side of the valley.  We chose this route rather than our normal steeper climb up from Witherslack on the other side of the ridge on recommendation. We certainly loved Row and the damsons and it was a much longer but gentler climb.  We hadn't been going long before we came across some beautiful wild daffodils or Lent Lilies.  Soon we left the trees and climbed onto the bare limestone scar with more and more karst features as we neared the summit.  On the way we found our first wheatear of the year as well as meadow pipits and stonechats.  Finally we reached the large summit cairn of Lord's Seat and then enjoyed a mile or so of high level walking with expansive views all around.  All too soon it was time to descend and make our way back to Row though the beautiful woods of the Whitbarrow National Nature Reserve where we came across a brimstone butterfly, and then down through damson orchards and the village to the cars.  Arranging to meet up the next day at Hornby to look for dippers and riverine birds we went our separate ways.  An excellent day.

To view large, please click on an image

A Week in the Lakes, October 2016.

 At the end of October, Heather and I were lucky enough to be able to enjoy a week up in The Lakes staying in our caravan, which we keep on the Windermere Camping and Caravanning Club Site.  On the way up we arranged to meet Thomas at Malham for a walk around Goredale Scar and Malham Cove.  What magnificent scenery this is, created by the action of acidic rainwater dissolving the soft limestone rock to form gorges, limestone pavement and the amazing Malham Cove itself, once a huge waterfall and now home to peregrine falcons and rock climbers who appear minute against the vastness of the cliff itself.

The next day Thomas was at work and Heather and I enjoyed a lazy day settling into the caravan and wandering across the fields to the hamlet of Ashes and indulging in photography of some of the wonderfully stunted trees growing out the limestone rock.  I saw my first mixed flock of winter thrushes of the year comprising redwings and the larger fieldfares.  These handsome birds spend the summer breeding in Scandinavia and northern Continental Europe and when colder weather arrives they migrate to spend the winter in Britain where conditions are easier and food easier to find.

Suitably rested, Monday saw us busy with a much more active day.  First thing we picked Thomas up in Ambleside and drove to the Grizedale Visitor centre to take in the excellent Environmental Photographer of the Year exhibition.  We had close views of nuthatch here, reminding me that it will soon be time to set up the winter feeding station to photograph these superb birds again.

After dropping Thomas off back in Ambleside (lectures called), Heather and I headed north over Dunmail Raise, newly repaired, following last winter's extensive flood damage, to walk up Cat Bells above Derwentwater and Keswick.  Autumn colours here were fabulous and, as we walked up through the woods, we were delighted to be able to watch a red squirrel.  As we climbed higher the views became increasingly extensive and we enjoyed the antics of ravens cronking and tumbling in the sky above the fellside.  The walk over, we repaired to the Theatre by the Lake to meet up with friends Nigel and Jackie for a meal and a performance of Sheridan's The Rivals to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  The large dog fox running along the midnight road on Dunmail Raise, completed a perfect day.

On Tuesday we decided to walk over Whitbarrow Scar where we had been last April.  It is one of our favourite places and the karst scenery of the limestone pavement on top of the fell has an other worldly air to it.  Again Autumn colours were spectacular and Nigel and I enjoyed examining the hazel coppicing in the woods on the way up.  There were still flowers clinging on up here: harebell and knapweed being particularly noticeable.  Our campsite is in a dark sky area and is excellent for 'star gazing' and we exulted in the myriad stars over head with the milky way arching over the sky.  Amazing.

Thomas and I had arranged a day Wainwright Walking on the Wednesday - I have challenged myself to walk all of the 'Wainwright's while he is at university, but I am well behind schedule. Thomas must arrange his days off lectures on days of better weather, however.  Although we completed the walk and added 3 more Wainwrights to my score, it was an exercise in extreme navigation with visibility down to about 10 metres.

On our final day we indulged ourselves in a walk we had long promised ourselves.  We wandered along Ashes Lane and then over the fields to Stavely for lunch at the excellent Eagle and Child.  After lunch  We followed the Dales Way along the River Kent until it was time to climb up out of the valley to make our way back to the caravan.  Dipper and a male goosander delighted us as we walked by the river.