Lake District March 2016. Day 3, Aira Force

Although still overcast, we woke to a better day today and after a very pleasant breakfast we set off for Rydal Mount to have a look at the 'Grot' and Rydal Falls.  The Grot was built in 1668 specifically to view the falls from it's window.  It was the height of the Romantic Picturesque.  Not only were people told what to look at, but how to look at it.  For all that, it is interesting and the falls are spectacular.  We also enjoyed looking at some work by a textile artist in a yurt and some examples were displayed as outdoor sculptures in the woods above the falls.

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By the time we had looked around Rydal Falls the sun had come out and we returned to Ambleside and drove up The Struggle to the Kirkstone Pass.  I can testify to it being a struggle as, when Thomas and I road the off road Coast to Coast route several years ago we cycled up here; well Thomas cycled, I pushed a lot of it.  Once at the top of the pass we drove down to Brotherswater, stopping for some shots of reflections in the lake and then on through Patterdale and Glenridding to Aira Force.  Signs of the December floods were everywhere: damaged buildings, hotels still closed and huge mounds of stones that had been swept down the fell sides by the torrential water.  Aira Force was quiet at the time we arrived and we enjoyed our walk up through the woods to the dramatic lower falls and up to the top falls before returning by a different path.  It was good to hear and see nuthatches and siskins as well as the more common tit species and chaffinches.  There are red squirrels here but we were unable to locate any.

Lake District March 2016 Day 2, The Langdales

We awoke today to extremely gloomy weather; dry but with a thick cloud base down to valley levels.  Thomas and I had planned a Wainwright Walk and, it being his only day off from lectures and working at Biketreks in Ambleside, we had no option but to go for it.  Leaving Heather to a relaxing day with book and newspapers and a walk in the hotel woods, I drove to Ambleside to pick up Thomas.  We were soon driving down the Langdale Valley and parked up in the National Trust car park (free to members) at the New Dungeon Ghyll.  We were in cloud from the word go and it only got thicker.  This was to be an exercise in navigation and would surely count for Thomas as a QMD (Quality Mountain Day) for his Mountain Leadership training.  Our route took us very steeply up the Dungeon Ghyll track to first Loft Crag, our first Wainwright and then, following a short Scramble, up onto the summit of Pike O'Stickle.  In days past I have had stunning views from here down into the Langdale Valley and of the surrounding mountains; today, however, we had difficulty seeing each other.  After a quick lunch we headed across the boggy, featureless, snow covered plateau to look for Thunacar Knott, walking on a compass bearing and following the route on my Garmin.  The plan then was to head over to High Raise and return to Pavey Ark via Sergeant Man, but the conditions made it pointless and we felt we had had enough navigation practice, so we headed straight the Pavey Ark and then to Harrison Stickle, both of which were difficult to find in the gloom.  From Harrison Stickle we headed directly and very steeply down to Stickle Tarn set below the cliffs of Pavey Ark.  We almost walked into the tarn before we saw it and we certainly couldn't see across it to the cliff.  Continuing, the path took us again steeply down the Mill Ghyll or Stickle Ghyll path back to the car park.  On the way down we were fascinated to watch an instructor ghyll scambling with a group of school children.  It must have been freezing, but most of them seemed to enjoy it.  It had been an excellent day, despite the total lack of views; it seems to be mine and Thomas's lot in life to walk in poor conditions.  I dropped Thomas off at his flat and headed back to the hotel for a bath, pint and evening meal.

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Mist Shrouded Stickle Tarn.

Stickle Gyhll

Ghyll Scrambling

Lake District March 2016 Day 1

Today we should have been towing the caravan up to the Lakes today for summer storage at Ashes Lane Camping and Caravan Club Site.  The idea is that while Thomas is at Cumbria University studying Outdoor Studies and living in Ambleside (tough for some!!!) we would store the van up here and try to get up once a month.  It would mean that we would use the van more often, see Thomas and be more able to press on with my campaign to climb all 'The Wainwrights' while he is at Uni.  I have to say I am well behind schedule.  Things have not gone to plan, however, as while the van was being serviced at the beginning of February it caught fire while being gas tested.  To cut a very long story short we have a new for old insurance policy, which the insurance company honoured and we are waiting for the delivery of a new caravan - a Stirling Eccles 510, the current version of our old Abbey Aventura.  Unfortunately the new van was not ready in time so we had booked a room at the very fine Wild Boar Inn just outside Bowness, courtesy of the insurance.  We had a good start, especially with no caravan to hook up and tow, and decided to stop just beyond Ingleton to walk up Twistleton Scar to take the classic photograph of the magnificent Limestone Pavement up here with Ingleborough in the background.  Limestone is a hard sedimentary rock formed on a tropical seabed millions of years ago from the calcareous skeletal remains of millions of living creatures.  Later earth movements brought the limestone to the surface.  Being made of calcium carbonate, limestone dissolves in rainwater made acidic through dissolved carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  Due to the solubilitynof limestone, limestone pavements are associated with some very curious and unusual landforms.  The most characteristic surface feature of limestone pavements is their division into blocks, called clints, bounded by deep vertical fissures known as grikes. Clints and grikes form under relatively deep soil cover where acidic rainwater as well as organic acids from decaying vegetation picks out out vertical lines of weakness (joints) in the rock. Grikes take many thousands of years to form under the soil as the rate of solution is slow. Eventually the overlying soil is eroded away to leave the bare grey pavement.

The walk up to Twistleton Scar was relatively short and we enjoyed wandering across the moonscape-like hillside looking for the ideal Camera shot. It was soon time to be on our way again and before long we were pulling up in the Wild Boar Inn car park.  Our room was excellent and superbly positioned, being right next to the car park with an external door and patio so we had immediate access to the car for unloading.  It was now very much beer o'clock and as soon as Thomas joined us we repaired to the extremely cosy bar for a preprandial snifter before enjoying an excellent evening meal.

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A Final Session at the Winter Feeding Station

I enjoyed a final day at the winter feeding station at Scallows today.  It was very pleasant with all of the usual contenders present apart from the woodpecker, although on this and the last visit I heard it drumming nearby so he probably has his mind on other things. For the first time this winter a grey squirrel put in an appearance.  Although this was the first time I have seen it, it must have been around a while as one of the plastic fat block holders has a large hole chewed in it.  Jews Ear or Jelly Ear was present in abundance on fallen timber. It has been a good winter at both feeding stations, but now spring is rapidly approaching it is time to move onto other things.

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Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

Coal Tit

Coal Tit

Great Tit

Great Tit

Great Tit

Grey Squirrel

Jelly Ear

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Pheasant

Robin

Snowdrops

Tea and Stickies at Sunnyside Farm, A Walk in Walesby Woodlands and Storm Clouds on the Way Home

Fancying a walk this afternoon, we parked at Sunnyside Farm and tea shop just outside Market Rasen.  Arranging to leave our car here, we set out for our usual walk with Jet around nearby Walesby Woodlands. On our return we enjoyed a pot of tea and some excellent Lincolnshire plum bread.  On the dive home there was a storm over the coast but the sun where we were, in the Wolds, lit up the clouds giving incredibly dramatic lighting.

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