Date & start time: Friday 7th August 2009. 3.45 pm start.

Location of Start : Spoony Green Lane, Keswick, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 268 241 )

Places visited : Latrigg, Brundleholme, River Greta and the old railway track as our return.

Walk details : 5.9 mls, 1250 ft, 3 hrs 25 mins.

Highest point : Latrigg Fell 1,203ft ( 368m )

Walked with : John and Dee, Ann and our dogs, Amber, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : A great summer afternoon and the sunshine continues.

[Click on the drop down menu bar for your choice of Google map or photo display ]

We're out this afternoon with friends Dee and John.

We climb Latrigg to see the classic view down over Keswick then walk east down the ridge, returning via the old Keswick railway track.

A shorter "mountain" walk but with a real variety of views and many interesting discoveries along the way.

The delightfully named Spoony Green Lane, leaving from the top of end of Keswick and climbing in the direction of Latrigg.

Crossing the A66 road bridge.	An unusually clear road below.

Dee and John with Ann . . . they've recently bought an apartment in Keswick

and welcomed the chance to escape the house now all the decoration and house furnishings are more or less complete.

Spoony Green Lane rises steadily up the side of Latrigg . . . and the view improves as you climb.

Skelgill Bank, Catbells, Maiden Moor . . . all suitable for Grannies and young children . . . if they are reasonably fit !

Hindscarth behind, with it's steep descent via Scope End looks interesting too. [ I feel another walk is starting to be planned.]

Nearing the top we run parallel to Gale Road across the valley that leads to the car park for Skiddaw.

We leave our track shortly after this, taking a zig-zag route up more directly onto Latrigg, rather than continue to the top.

In the previous photo we had stopped to enjoy the view . . . this view !

The summit is Skiddaw Lesser Man, with Little Man just a shadow behind, and both obscuring the main peak of Skiddaw which we wouldn't see for a while yet.

They could probably see it from their more elevated position . . .	. . . Parascenders enjoying the updrafts on Latrigg's northern slopes.

Not Harry, not Bethan, but their 'Big Sister Amber' who has stopped to enjoy the view.

We discovered a while back that Dee and John's dog shares the same Dad, but is about four years older than our two.

Down below us, the old Keswick Pencil Factory . . . they seem to be re-surfacing the football ground in the park below.

The grey stripy-roofed building with a dark green tower, just the other side of the trees, is the new James Bond Museum we visited a few weeks ago.

Derwent Isle just offshore from Keswick . . . also there is St John's Church and Theatre by the Lake.

Fishers Webcam more or less reverses this view. [ Hold your cursor over the photo to find the location.]

Zooming in more directly up Borrowdale over the head of Derwent Water.

The taller wooded fell behind the Lodore Hotel is Kings How, with the surprisingly smaller Castle Crag in the centre of the photo.

The view from the chair is in fact a very extensive one, from Kings How to the left to Bassenthwaite Lake right.

Too big to do it justice with a small photo . . . so . . .

Click here or on the picture above for a larger panorama

Onward and upward, leaving the chair for others to enjoy.

Dee and Ann walk the summit path.

Behind is Clough Head and some of the old Threlkeld Quarry workings.

A wider view taking in the Pennines, the Helvellyn ridge, High Rigg in the centre and the slopes of Bleaberry Fell rising to the right.

A gate ahead delays the dogs . . . at least it saves us having to whistle to get them to stay close.

Ahead, Blease Fell leading up onto Blencathra . . . not for us today !

We're gradually heading down towards the valley, following the ridge route along in the direction of Wescoe Farm ahead.

We will in fact not walk that far, but drop down more steeply once we reach the trees and make for the old railway track.

I see the sun is shining in St John's in the Vale . . . as John P maintains it always does! High Rigg certainly looks nice today.

The near farm is called Storms (I think) and the one in the distance to the right is Goosewell Farm. They now host the Keswick Indoor Climbing Wall.

Brundleholme House alongside the road to the valley.	The Brundleholme Linesman's Hut on the old railway track.

Worth a slight diversion up the railway to view the first of many railway bridges that we will cross today.

The mechanical science of the arch bridge . . .	. . . the delightful graphic art of the same.

Downstream now, crossing the bridges as we go.	Harry still wants to play with his tennis ball.

We take a slight diversion to look more closely at the river.

It was a delightful stretch of the Greta, with a long pool for the dogs to swim . . . after tennis balls !

Click here or on the picture above for a wider panorama

A view down, reminiscent of Aberglaslyn Pass.	The road bridge over the track near Low Briery.

The old railway tunnel has been blocked off but the footpath continues on an elevated boardwalk high above the valley.

Round the corner we reach the A66 viaduct.

The sunshine turns the Nettle flowers silvery and emphasises the colour of the fruit on the Rowan Tree.

Under the arch, the distinctive outlines of Causey Pike, Barrow and Outerside.

Graceful, award winning curves in three dimensions.	Dee checks out more curves on the Sustrans cycle way signpost.

Beyond the viaduct we now enter Keswick and walk the elevated railway track through town.

Walla Crag and the TV mast can be seen above the local Brigham school.

On the opposite side, our earlier summit of Latrigg above the BP petrol station.

Another station but this time of the old Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway type,

preserved as part of the Keswick Country House Hotel.

A reminder of former glories.

Back home after a great walk with Dee and John

we are blessed with a fine sunset to end the day.

- - - o o o - - -

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

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

This site best viewed with . . . such variety of views in a relatively small area.

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Previous walk - Thurs 6th August 2009 Mellbreak Low Level with Jayne

A previous time up here - 3rd November 2008 Latrigg from Calvert Trust

Next walk - Tues 8th August 2009 Beda Fell and not much further