Date & start time: Wednesday 14th January 2009. 12 noon start.

Location of Event : Adj to the Methodist Church, Braithwaite, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 229 235 )

Places visited : Braithwaite Village, Braithwaite Lodge, Barrow, Barrow Door, Stile End and back.

Walk details : 2.35 ml, 1400 ft of ascent, 2 hours 10 mins.

Highest point : Barrowl 1494 ft ( 455m )

Walked with : Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Poor forecast but the weather held. A very flat sort of light due to heavy cloud cover.

Starting from the Church . . .

It is a flat sort of day with an impending sense of gloom in the weather forecast.

Still the dogs need a walk and we need a walk and it promises not to rain for the next couple of hours, so we pick Barrow as it's a great local walk.

We started by walking through the tightly packed houses of the village

and took the lane up towards Braithwaite Lodge farm.

Ahead was the slope of Barrow with the weak sun still shining optimistically in our faces.

The local summit of Grisedale Pike was looking more like a volcano

as the cloud swirled around in the lee of the Sleet How Ridge.

- - - o o o - - - The power of nature !   The slate sign was secured so well to the tree that as the tree grew it appears to have split the slate notice. ( Good advert for the screw manufacturer too I think ) - - - o o o - - -

Bassenthwaite Lake and Braithwaite Village

as seen over the Lodge at the start of the climb.

A panorama of the view ahead.

( left to right) Barrow, Causey Pike, Scar Crags, Stile End, Outerside, Eel Crags and Grisedale Pike.

The cloud that was hanging on Grisedale's summit has now gone.

Ann is often ten yards behind me as I walk . . . I therefore must be, by definition, ten yards ahead.

Swinside Fell to our left as we climb.

The distinctive shape of Catbells with heavy cloud behind.

Newlands Valley and the bulk of Maiden Moor where we were a few walks ago.

The notch in the fell side that marks the site of old mine workings.

The spoil heaps from this area spread down towards Uzzicar Farm and the disused Barrow Mines in the valley below.

Herdwick Gaze.

The village is getting smaller as we reach the upper part of the climb.

There's no snow but the frost of last night has given the high fells a ghostly grey sheen.

Bethan and Harry sit on what there is of a cairn at the summit of Barrow.

Barrow Door was the next objective but we decide not to continue our walk onto Outerside in view of the forecast. - - - - o o o - - -   The cold weather has left interesting ice formations on the small puddles on Barrow Door. - - - o o o - - -

A small diversion to the top of Stile End . . . with a rather 'moist lens' view of the fells beyond.

Our view ahead now included Braithwaite again as we turn for home.   - - - o o o - - -   In the valley of Barrow Gill (covered in gorse in the picture above ) the contrast between the grey winter tree, the deep green of the gorse and the dead bracken was very striking   and made a delightful end to today's rather grey walk.   - - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with with my Cannon G7 or Ann's Ixus 75 Digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . a windproof coat and a waterproof one close at hand.

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Previous walk - 8th January 2009 Carrock Fell with Jayne

A previous time up here - 25th December 2007 Barrow Fell with Gareth

Post script: The forecast was right but a few hours out . . . it started raining heavily soon after we got home !