It started in the pub....

It was yesterday evening. I'd  just strolled up to Wasdale's Parkgate Tarn to see if the water lilies were fully out (they weren't) and decided to pop into the local, early doors,  for a pint and a chat on the way back home. It was an excellent pint - with peanuts - perfect complement - and as I had my camera......

                                                Perfect complement after an evening stroll

.....and as it was such a lovely evening I then decided to go part way up Middle Fell. There were some great views, so here they are.....

                                             Wastwater Screes from Middle Fell - late evening

The sun then started setting quite quickly, and the shadow of Middle Fell started working its way up the screes.....

Middle Fell's shadow on the Screes - Scafell behind

Of course the camera couldn't resist a shot of the Scafells.......

....and then as I headed down the fell, chased by midges and the deepening shadows I had to take one last shot as the fading sun  lingered on Englands highest peak.......

....and that was it really - the end of another great Wasdale day.

An afternoon on Fleetwith Pike - and a meeting with a REAL working dog

Today I had the pleasure of spending a sunny afternoon on Fleetwith Pike (1 July 2011) -  I do get out of Wasdale occasionally.

Time was against us so I took the cowards way out by driving up to the top of Honister pass, parking by the excellent Honister slate mine. The first encounter of the day was with a real working dog - Tokai and his master Glenn Duff were toiling up the old tramway carrying supplies for tomorrows 10 peaks race - rather them than me.

                                    Glenn Duff and Tokai ferrying supplies for the 10 peaks race

Moving off the busy path to Great Gable we headed up to Fleetwith Pike and other people simply disappeared, leaving us in isolation on this lovely walk - funny old world. The views were just magnificent -long distance up to Scotland and across to Skiddaw and, closer up,  the Ennerdale fells and theWasdale giants (Great Gable, Scafell, Pillar, Kirkfell) .

                                Scafell in the distance framed between Great Gable & Kirkfell

For me, who spends so much time looking at the classic Wasdale view of Great Gable,  it was strange to be looking at the reverse of this great mountain - and to see just how close Wasdale was after spending over an hour driving from there to Honister.

With binoculars from Fleetwith Pike summit Pillar looks a real monster - great fun spotting Piller Rock against the mass of crags

                                  Looking across at Pillar, beyond Haystacks in the foreground

But the classic view from Fleetwith Pike must be down the Buttermere Valley - seeing 3 lakes in this giant trough ( Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater) opening out onto the Solway Plain and Solway Firth with Dumfries & Galloway and Criffel beyond (this last bit was a bit much for my camera but take my word for it!)

Buttermere, Crummock and a glimpse of Loweswater

By now it was a lovely sunny afternoon and in a radical shift from long sweeping views a Red Admiral (I think) butterfly cavorted around the summit cairn

                                                    Red Admiral (?) on the summit cairn

Heading on down to Honister you pass some fearsome drops off down to Honister bottom - with what seems like dinky cars making their way along the slender ribbon of road - man's tenuous hold on this wild landscape

Looking down to Honister bottom (with a rather odd shadow being cast - I don't look like that really)

One of the interesting aspects of Fleetwith Pike is the way that man has impacted on the area over hundreds (if not thousands) of years working the slate quarries and mines - with relics and remnants like the old quarrymens' buildings clinging improbably to the crags above precipitous drops.

                                         Room with a view - abandoned quarry building

Then, as you get back down towards Honister, man's hand  takes a firmer hold as the Honister Slate mine HQ takes centre stage - with an excellent visitor centre and experiences and, most importantly, a much appreciated tea room.

Finally, getting back to Wasdale on a perfect West Cumbrian late sunny evening I closed the circle with a classic view of  Great Gable with the late sun painting its flanks - and so to bed!

                        End of a perfect day -late summer sun on Great Gable and Yewbarrow