Lake District

The Lakes: Pete and Ollie

~ beetleypete ~ 35 Comments

The last reblog of the 2016 trip to the Lake District. My friend Antony took these photos of me and Ollie as we got to the top of a long hike. You can see how tired I look! Reblogged for new followers, and please enlarge them on the original post for the best effect.

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All photos are large files, and can be clicked on for detail.

Antony has kindly sent some of the many photos he took of myself and Ollie. I know that most of you love to see Ollie, so I have overcome the embarrassment of seeing myself looking worn out, to show you a selection.

Head down, determined to get to the top.
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We made it to the gate!
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A well-earned rest.
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I hope that you enjoy these extra photos. I am sure that you will agree that Antony excelled himself with these.

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Grasmere: The last day

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The last photos I took on that 2016 trip, reblogged for new followers. Please enlarge them on the original post for the best effect.

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All photos are large files, and can be clicked on for detail.

Grasmere is a picture-perfect village in the centre of the Lake District. It has famous literary associations, not least with the poet William Wordsworth. He lived in the village for many years, and is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald’s. Other famous writers known to have stayed there include Sir Walter Scott, Thomas de Quincy, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This has all led to the village being very popular with tourists, as well as making house prices unaffordable for most people. There is also the small lake of Grasmere nearby, which we did not go to on that occasion.

Because of all the aforementioned tourists, I didn’t bother to take any photos of the village. Anyone interested in seeing or learning more about the place can follow this Wikipedia link, or search Google images. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasmere

We were…

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A dull day in Ullswater

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Two more photos from the Lake District trip in 2016. A dull day, bad light, and some rain. Please enlarge the photos on the original post to see them properly.

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All photos are large files, and can be clicked on for detail

On Wednesday, we decided to return to Ullswater, and try again for the ferry that had been cancelled in the mist on Monday. Unfortunately, we were losing the excellent weather that we had enjoyed since arriving in the region. Low cloud, a sharp drop in temperature, as well as occasional showers provided a dull atmosphere for both walking, and photography. We had to sit inside this time for the longer boat trip, which would drop us at the far end of the lake.

Once off the boat and walking, it was obvious that the weather was not going to improve that day. We had to carry on for more than seven miles of paths around the lake, many of them away from the shoreline. I still paused to take many photos, but the light was poor, so I…

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Keswick: Arriving and exploring

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The first two photos I took after arriving in the Lake District in 2016. Reblogged for new followers, and anyone who hasn’t seen them before. Please enlarge them on the original post for the best effect.

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All photos in this series are large files, and can be clicked on to enlarge for detail.

Keswick is an ancient market town in the north-west county of Cumbria, almost 300 miles from Beetley, and bordering Scotland. It is in the Lake District National Park, and nestles at one corner of the large lake called Derwent Water. Popular with walkers, hikers, climbers, and the boating fraternity, it has been a tourist destination for centuries, and the town still depends on tourism to this day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keswick,_Cumbria

We arrived there on the 8th, and collected the keys for our rented apartment just after 3 pm. It was a nice surprise to find late afternoon sun, in an area known for cloud and rain. The main thing I noticed was that it was significantly colder though. Only half the temperature it had been when we left Norfolk at 10 am. Antony knows the…

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Castlerigg Stone Circle

~ beetleypete ~ 18 Comments

Another reblog of photos from my 2016 trip to the Lake District for anyone who hasn’t seen them before. This time, an ancient stone circle, dating from around 5,000 years ago. Please enlarge the photos from the original post, to get a better idea of the site.

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All photos are large files and can be clicked on for detail.

After dropping off some of our gear following the walk back from Lodore, we got back in the car for the short drive to Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside the town of Keswick. Ever since I first saw Stonehenge as a child, I have always been very interested in such things, whether in large numbers as at Avebury, or in their use as Dolmen burial chambers, good examples of which can be found in Wales.

As we approached the site on the small access road, we were confronted by a large tourist coach coming our way. There was no chance of passing whatsoever, so I had to make a somewhat difficult reverse back the way I had driven. This went on for a considerable time, until we reached a place where I could pull off the road. There…

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The Lakes: The Bowderstone

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Photos from the 2016 trip to to the Lake District. This time, they are of a very unusual tourist attraction, not a lake. Please enlarge the photos from the original post, if you are able to.

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All photos are large files and can be clicked on for detail

After the exertions of Monday, Antony promised me a much easier day to follow. In reasonable weather, we headed off on the drive to Buttermere, one of the smaller lakes in the area. On the way, he suggested a stop at The Bowderstone, in the Borrowdale Valley.
A gentle walk of about ten minutes from the car park took us to the site.
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This huge rock is believed to have fallen from the crag above, perhaps thousands of years ago, and it is unusual in that it came to rest on its edge, and has not moved since. Now managed by the National Trust, it was one of the first tourist attractions originally promoted in the area. In 1798, Joseph Pocklington publicised the stone as a tourist site, and employed an old woman to act as a guide…

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Ashness Bridge and Walla Crag

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More photos of a trip to the Lake District, in 2016. These are posted for the benefit of new followers, and anyone who missed them at the time. Please enlarge the photos on the original post if you can, as they do look so much better full-screen.

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All photos are large files, and can be clicked on for detail.

Thursday was our last but one day of the holiday, and we set off in another morning of dull weather. The plan was to take the short ferry trip to Ashness Bridge, on the eastern side of Derwent Water. From there, we would make the climb up to Walla Crag, which has panoramic views over Keswick, and the lake. After getting off the boat at the first stop, there was a short steep ascent to the bridge.
Antony informed me that this was the most photographed spot in the region.
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As we continued up to the crag, the weather improved slightly. I got this shot of the view behind us. The cluster of white houses you can see is the town of Keswick, in the distance below.
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After my exertions going up Helvellyn, I must have been getting…

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Buttermere: A gentler walk

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A short photo post from my trip to the Lake District in 2016 It contains the best photo I took during that holiday, so please visit the original post and enlarge that first one, if you can. This is a reblog for the benefit of new followers.

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All photos are large files, and can be clicked on for detail.

The approach to the peaceful lake at Buttermere was made through the hair-raising Honister Pass.
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Perhaps when I was 25 years old, I might have enjoyed that drive. My MPV chose first gear all the way up, and the diesel engine was sounding like a tractor by the time we stopped before the descent, for the above photo. The downhill section was also a fairground ride, as I was on and off the brakes all the way into Buttermere. I concluded that I was happy to only have encountered light traffic during that trip.

The weather remained kind for the promised easier walk that Tuesday. Most of the path was close to the water’s edge, or not far from it.
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After a much more relaxing day, it was back to Keswick, to get ready to go out to…

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Helvellyn: My vertical limit

~ beetleypete ~ 21 Comments

More photos from 2016, for the benefit of new followers since then. A continuation of my posts about a short holiday to England’s Lake District.

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This is a longer post, using seven photos to tell the story of my biggest walk to date. Please allow time for it to load on your computer. All photos are large files and can be clicked on for detail.

After the boat trip had been cancelled, we retraced our steps through the village of Glenridding, and set off in the direction of Helvellyn. This is the third highest peak in England, with a height of 950 metres, or 3,117 feet. Antony had told me that we would head for the ‘Hole In The Wall’ and Red Tarn, a lake inside the hill. Naturally, this all meant nothing to me, but gave me a mental target to aim for, as well as an eventual destination to achieve.

Anthony and Ollie ahead of me on the start of the path, heading for Lanty’s Tarn, on the way up. They look as…

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Lodore: Ollie’s first boat trip

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Another reblog from 2016, for the benefit of new followers. More photos of a holiday to The Lake district, in Cumbria,

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All photos are large files, and can be clicked on for detail.

Up early for day two, and I was discovering how to pack my rucksack for the day ahead. Flat things against my back, two one-litre water containers, Ollie’s bowl and food for the day, then my own lunch. A spare top in case it got cold, camera, spare battery, plus a secure bag for keys, money, and any valuables we didn’t want to leave in the holiday flat. By the time I had laced my boots and sorted the backpack it was so hot inside I was pleased to get out into the morning air, heading down to catch the 10 am ferry to nearby Lodore. Ollie had never been on a boat before, but he trotted happily enough along the jetty, and stood next to us as we took our seats in the open section. I got…

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