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





Whitehaven (Wasdale-on-Sea) Festival looking good

I was in Whitehaven yesterday and this weekend's festival is shaping up nicely (although the weather perhaps less so).  The festival is on all this weekend so if you've nothing planned it's well worth a visit.


 .....and here's a few shots to give a flavour.......

                                                       The harbour in festive mood

....and apart from the things you would expect to see there were also some unusual things going on

                                                mobile 'rock nun' belting out some classics


...but back to the expected, there are some tall ships on show and a host of other activities

....but behind all the festivities Whitehaven is still a working port, and long may it remain so

An afternoon on Wasdale's less visited fells

I recently spent an afternoon on Wasdale's less visited fells - quite a revelation. Weather conditions made for some great views and I saw the Scafells in particular in a new light.

Middle Fell, Haycock and Seatallen are not on everyone's 'must do' list - but they should be as they offer stunning views. Myself, a fellow walker and his dog set off for Greendale Tarn (where I used to camp and fish as a lad) - a haven of peace even on a bank holiday.

                                 Greendale Tarn (bit blurred - I was standing on a loose rock!)

From Greendale Tarn we headed up to the col between Middle Fell and Seatallen, aiming for Haycock. It was here that I saw an amazing view of the Scafells - looking like something out of Yosemite.

                         The Scafells from above Greendale Tarn, looking across Yewbarrow.

I think it was something to do with the weather, light and clouds - but they looked damn impressive. It also gives a very different perspective of Scafell Pike, with the top looking totally symetrical as if it has just dropped out of a huge blancmange mould.

Further up towards Haycock gives a different perspectivee on Great Gable too - not the classic pyramid so well known from the National Park logo and as seen in Britain's Favourite view.

                                        Great Gable from between Middle Fell and Haycock


Then on up to Haycock - surprisingly high for a less known fell (2618 feet) and a fairly steep slog. From the summit there are huge views - down into Ennerdale and little visited Blengdale, across to Skiddaw and Blencathra, the Coniston fells and of course back to Wasdale - an amazing viewpoint.

Looking back to Wasdale from Haycock, showing Wastwater and it's Screes, with Greendale Tarn just visible in Middle Fell's embrace.


From Haycock we headed for Seatallen,  looking grassy and serene across the col - but it involved losing a lot of height then another slog back up more steep slopes - it was worth it though - more great views as the evening sun picked out the Scafells.

Scafells  from Seatallen

It was getting on a bit now, so time to head for Nether Wasdale and the pub - sharpish! It's a bit of a hike from Seatallen when you're thirsty, but a good incentive. There are two great pubs in nether Wasdale - the Screes and the Strands - a nice quandary.....

                                               Best view after a long afternoon?

Ends

Three faces of Wasdale - soft, hard and mysterious.

I like contrasts and so here's three different faces of Wasdale

First of all, soft -
Violet and White - crocuses and snowdrops at Hallflat Farm, Santon Bridge yesterday

Next, hard -
Rock is what Wasdale does best, so heres a view from the top of the Screes today, looking over the Valley towards Yewbarrow

And finally, mysterious -
A study in moss, Hallflat Farm woods yesterday

Wasdale sunset life cycle

It's been clouudy and claggy for days, without a view up the valley - but its back with a vengeance today so here's a few shots as the day progressed

This was early afternoon - it was just good to see Great Gable and the valley again after days of cloud

-and now it's late afternoon, with the first inkling of a fine sunset 

-Great Gable and the Screes are picked out as the sunset progesses

- and finally the last rays of the sun on clouds above Irton Pike, where the Wasdale Screes finally run out of steam

- and to end a grand day in Wasdale, early doors in the Bridge Inn (tho' this is cheating as this photo isn't from today!)

Wasdale cloudscape - a change from mountains and lakes

Went up the mighty Irton Pike yesterday afternoon (appx 30 mins easy amble!) to catch the sunset but instead I saw some fanatstic clouds - the valley was bathed in sunshine but the tops were the start point for some towering pillows of cloud.

If ever you're in Wasdale don't miss the Irton Pike experience in the late afternoon/evening - ideal as a prelude for a couple of beers at the Bridge Inn at the foot of Irton Pike, or to help digest their huge sunday lunch carvery.

                                               clouds over gable, kirkfell and yewbarrow

                                        looking towards buckbarrow craggs and middle fell