Friday, 10 September 2010

Our 6 days of Summer

Friday 10th Sept 2010
                               This is my 3rd  blog this week and brings my blog diary up to date. Last week we had 6 glorious day in the English Lake District, we stayed in Coniston at the Caravan Club Site at Coniston Coppice it's just had a £3,500,000 refit and what a good job they've made of it.The six warm sunny days we had was the only warm sunny weather we've had this summer we missed the warm spell in June because we were in the Outer Hebrides where the weather was much cooler and fresher.
   The following photos are just a glimpse of the area we explored in this lovely corner of the Lake District.
 With all the settled warm weather we never wore a coat and that's very unusual for the Lakes.





                                                    Coniston

        Coniston Lake this is the start of our climb up Coniston Old Man

                        Grass of Parnassus in the damp meadow


The Swallows congregate on the barbed wire fence, it won't be long before they start their long journey to Africa


The path passes Low Water a mountain tarn carved out by the action of glaciers during the last Ice Age. The temperature was 11c, we didn't see any fish but there were several Palmate Newts in the shallower water where the water temperature is a few degrees warmer.



                                The long slog to the summit





             Lunch on the summit with Dow Cragg dominating the view


                         Looking south to the Duddon Estuary



To the left of the summit of Dow Cragg you can just make out the outline of the Isle Of Man below the distant line of cumulus clouds


                    Along the ridge to the next summit ... Swirl How


                    Fir Clubmoss a primative plant of the mountains


Scafell 3162 ft on the left and in the centre Englands highest mountain .. Scafell Pike 3210 ft


                              The summit of Swirl How


                       The next summit... Great Carrs


Retracing our steps back to Swirl How with Coniston Old Man in the distance



               The start of the knee jerking decent down Prison Band

               The final mile a leafy lane leading back to our campsite

 Bike ride over the fells to a lovely area of countryside around Broughton Mills



                          Lunchstop at the Blacksmiths Arms


                                   Hot Duck Salad


We passed pounds & pounds of blackberries but we had no containers to put them in

                       Back over the fells to Coniston

Todays walk is from Coniston and around the quarries and slate mining area of Tilberthwaite between Coniston and the Little Langdale valley

  The old Lakeland farmhouses and Cottages have a charm of their own






                       The Langdale Pikes behind Little Langdale

          A few of the flowers growing around the quarries in Tilberthwaite

                                           Scarlet Pimpernel

 An unidentified flower ( but badly focused)....I think it's a type of Willowherb

   

                Small Tortoiseshell butterflys on Devel's-bit Scabious

                                   Speckled Wood butterfly

                 Typical woodland around the quarries of Tilberthwaite

Finally a bike ride following Route 37 on the quite lanes and more challenging tracks from Coniston through Skelwith Fold, Elterwater,Little Langdale and back through the quarries of Tilberthwaite.


                                          Skelwith Fold



                                           Elterwater

                                        The Langdale pikes


                            The Britannia Inn in Elterwater


                             The Three Shires Inn in Little Langdale




                                Slater Bridge Little Langdale

             And finally... the more challenging route back to Coniston



       




                     

4 comments:

  1. I love seeing how active you two are. It's inspiring! I only wish my folks would get out and enjoy their retirement.

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  2. You were lucky with the weather and it looked like a lovely trip. Now we no longer have our cat we are considering getting a campervan but can't decide what type so will probably take a look at the caravan show in Oct. Do you have any pros or cons for the different types?

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  3. You are living the life, David! Beautiful scenery.

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  4. Helen ...It's so difficult to advise on what's the perfect campervan for you. We found there's no design that's perfect and there always seems a slight compromise somewhere down the line.

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