- Mosedale and Hen Comb -

Date & Time: Friday 12th Oct 2007. 2 pm start.

Location of Start : The red phone box, Loweswater, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 143 211 )

Places visited : Loweswater, Kirkhead, Mosedale, Hen Comb and back

Walk details : 4.5 mls, 1362 ft of ascent , 2 hrs 30 mins.

Walked with : David, Ros and Douglas Leslie, Angie, David H, Ann and the dogs

Rosie, Holly, Bailey, Harry and Bethan. We were joined later by Jill.

Weather : A grey day, getting greyer as we ascended into the mist.

Today was always going to be a grey day, but the Leslies were over on holiday and so we met up today for a walk on Hen Comb.

The cloud base was low, as could be seen on this photo of Mellbreak, but the discussion here was not of clouds but that perennial question about why cows sit down ? Does it herald rain (and they are keeping a dry patch of grass for themselves) or are they just tired of standing up ?

I'll leave you chew the cud on that one and comment nicely on the effects of the autumnal weather on this Canadian Maple.

The clouds were drifting over Mellbreak Crags . . .	. . . but we were heading for Hen Comb.

David takes the lead but Angie looks a little dubious about those slippery stones.

Safely across, but she was more in danger of getting wet from the fine mist as we enter the low cloud.

That mist has caught on a funnel shaped spider's web. This was one of hundreds we passed on the way up.

Nearing the top of Hen Comb now, the ridge completed, it's just the last steep pull up to the cairn remaining.

What a view . . . . on a good day !!

This way is St Bees Head and Great Borne, and this way (place cursor over picture) is Buttermere and Fleetwith Pike :o))

Where did she say the view was ?

A dew covered caterpillar.

Due to the lack of long distance views one's eyes drift to more local surroundings and by so doing we were rewarded in different ways.

Brown toadstools growing out of the moss . . .	. . . and white ones on better drained grassland soil.

Jill had travelled up from Humberside to be with us for the weekend (of Jo's big walk) but was not up in time for the start of this one.

We let her know our simple up-and-back route in advance and met up as we returned down the ridge.

The bracken has almost completely turned colour now due to the damp weather and a few colder nights.

Colder nights and subsequently colder river temperatures are no barrier to the dogs if they want to swim though.

Jill braves the cooler water in order to keep her boots dry for tomorrow.

" Keep away and don't you dare splash me ! "

Back past the coniferous forest . . .	. . . where we see two examples of Fly Agaric toadstools

I stopped off near the fence when I caught sight of this small branch of autumnal leaves.

However, the camera first saw them in a totally different light - hold your cursor over this picture too !

Perhaps you could call it a " flash of inspiration. "

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon G7 and Ixus Digital cameras.

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

This site best viewed with . . . the subtleties of a change of season.

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© RmH.2007 # Email me here

Previous walk - 28th Sept 2007 A visit to Swansea and Gower

A previous time up here - 19th April 2006 Hen Comb and the lead mines with Jo Hall

Next walk - 13th Oct 2007 Raised glasses on Raise Fell - Jo's 214