Oak Cottage - Loweswater

Retreat to the quiet of the Western Lakes

The Cottage, and  the view up the Buttermere Valley

 

 

 

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Time and place : Sunday 14 th Sept 2003

Occasion : A walk up Brim Fell and Coniston Old Man with Ann and the dogs.

Brim Fell was to be Holly's 212 nd Wainwright fell.

Walk details : 7 miles 2750 ft of ascent. 5 hrs approx.

Weather : Warm but cloudy on the tops as we set off.

The low cloud evaporated (or rather was blown away in the strong wind) as we had lunch on Swirl How. Thereafter sunny warm.

Our Starting point, as is often the case in this area of the Lakes

was the top of the Wrynose Pass at the Three Shires Stone.

Pike o'Blisco above Three Shires.

The infant River Duddon flowing west down the delightfully named Wrynose Bottom.

Our route would take us up Wet Side Edge to Great Carrs and Swirl How, currently in the mist.

Great Carrs summit. The "mist" turns out to be low cloud flying past at a great rate of knots in the strong wind.

Ahead some members of the dozen strong South Lakes Walking Club.

 

The memorial

Far below, all that

remains of the wreck

Great Carrs was the scene of a wartime air crash (1944) when a Halifax bomber on a training mission over the hills clipped the summit and crashed to the valley below. The crew of "S for Sugar" are remembered in a small memorial.

Lunch on Swirl How. We sheltered here out of the wind, and were delighted as the mist cleared and the sun shone.

Below is the head of the Greenburn Valley, in the far distance High Raise, and beyond it Skiddaw.

To the east Little Langdale, with the Helvellyn range under the high white clouds to the left.

Swirl How summit and beyond is Wetherlam.

Ahead we had our first glimpse of Coniston Water, Brim Fell, Coniston Old Man and Dow Crags.

 

To our left, and disappearing into the distant haze, Seathwaite Tarn and the Duddon Valley.

We could even see Black Combe at the south west corner of Cumbria.

From Great How Crags, the full beauty of Levers water is revealed, a deep blue in the afternoon sun

Beyond it, the old workings of Coniston Copper mines.

Ahead Brim Fell and its fine cairn.

Holly, looking a little muddy, celebrates her 212th of 214 Wainwright summits.

Only two to go before the celebratory Boneo biscuit !!

Coniston Copper Mines and the newer stone quarry workings become more obvious as we take the short ridge to The Old Man itself.

Far below the Gondola plies its trade on the lake, carefully avoiding the many sailing boats on the lake today.

 

Coniston Old Man Summit - briefly clear of visitors.

The plinth for the summit cairn is in need of a little tender loving stonemason's care. Any offers ?

Coniston 360.

Before we left there was time for a panorama (click here or on the photo for a full picture)

A lofty view of Low Water and Levers Water.

Homeward bound - Swirl How from Brim Fell

The Old Man of . . . Loweswater !!

The Scafell range from Little Carrs.

This is where we came in - the river now silvery in the late afternoon sunshine.

All that remains now is to disappear into the western sunset . . . .(* see below)

 

Oh yes . . . big day tomorrow . . . the tents are already up . . . lets hope the weather holds.

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Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon IXUS 400 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

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