Date & start time: Saturday 7th November 2009. 11.25 am start.

Location of Start : Swinside gated road, above Lorton, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 169 242 )

Places visited : Hopebeck, Swinside Ridge and back down into Hopebeck valley.

Walk details : 3.25 mls, 1200 ft, 2 hrs 40 mins. Lunch at home !

Highest point : The 1800 ft. contour part way up Swinside Ridge ( 554m )

Walked with : Peter, Neil, Jo, John, Ann and the dogs, Jodie, Amber, Polly, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Forecasted showers, possibly merging, but clearer later . . . yeh !

Three walks and ten busy days starting with the Saturday of the Great Gable walk weekend.

Our son is up with us for six days and there's plenty going on . . . with or without the help of the weather.

This first walk on the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday when we almost made it to the top of Ladyside Pike !

Neil (with his hood up), Peter and Jo, were staying with us in Loweswater and we decided to stretch our legs on Hopegill Head on the Saturday.

The forecast was poor but workable and we drove a short distance down the valley to park below the Swinside Ridge.

It wasn't actually raining all the time . . .this was just before it started properly !

Reaching the fence on the top of Swinside Ridge. . . a stile would have been nice.

The weather had deteriorated somewhat !

A clear view of our objective during a brief respite from the wind and rain.

Our planned route was Ladyside Pike on the left, Hopegill Head and a walk back down the sky-line to the right.

It was about this point, with another rain cloud fast approaching, that the girls and I decided there was little enjoyment on offer if we climbed higher.

Peter, Neil and John therefore formed an bold, onward walking party

whilst we called it a day and made our way down the heather slope to the valley below.

Peter, Neil and John are up there somewhere . . . while we're off to set up the drying room !

They did in fact complete the walk as planned and Peter's photos can be found by clicking here.

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On the Monday we found ourselves in Keswick just before the sun was setting.

[ Only Ann had her camera today ]

Looking across Derwent Water at distant Castle Crag and the Central Fells.

To our right, distinctive Catbells and Maiden Moor.

Walla Crag from Friar's Crag.

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Jayne looked after the dogs recently . . . looked after . . . that looks more like "spoilt" to me !

[ photo by Jayne ]

" But they are my adopted babies "

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This week has not been all rain and bad weather by any means

and on Wednesday we fitted in a dog walk that included a Wainwright summit despite the later mid-afternoon start.

This is Crummock Water, looking north from Hause Point to the cars parked below

and up the lake to Lanthwaite Woods and Low Fell in the distance.

Breezy but dry as we make it to the top.

The path up the northern end of the fell has been nicely pitched and the stones make for a steep but reasonably easy ascent.

Walking Low Bank . . . it looks like Ann is struggling to catch up but I'm sure it was just a photo mid-stride !

Ask Ann how she's getting on with her new Black Diamond trekking pole in a few weeks time. ( It has external clips not internal twist locks)

The evening sunset over the west coast is hidden from view by Mellbreak and Great Borne

but the colour is flooding over the fells and lighting the clouds above Buttermere, Fleetwith Pike and Great Gable.

The evening glow on Crummock as we return to Hause Point.

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Did I tell you it was Ann's birthday ?

One evening we had dinner with friends and Jayne had brought a Summer Pudding.

Couldn't fit all 21 candles on the pudding !

[ Hold your cursor over the photos to help Ann blow the candles out ]

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It's been a busy time of year for me as I've been involved in building the stage set for the local amateur players.

A posh London flat with five doors for people to go in and out of . . . sounds like the making of a good comedy to me . . . first find 5 doors in the storeroom !

Keith and Malcolm make a start with the framework . . .	. . . while I go in search of a bookcase.

Gareth gives a hand with the architrave for the doors . . .	. . . and John makes a start with the paint.

Time to relax as the basic set is " Up and Running" . . . that's a play on words as you might have guessed.

The performances will be on Thursday, Friday and Saturday ( 19/20/21st Nov) at the Loweswater Village Hall.

All we have to do now is take it all apart, put it in a trailer, and rebuild the set in the hall four miles away.

On the day before Gareth returned home, there was time to fit in a walk . . . and another Wainwright summit,

re-visit the Wainwright exhibition and collecting a few "important items" from the printers in Penrith.

The road to Ullswater . . .

as the sun finds a gap in the clouds and streaks down onto Glenridding Dodd and the lake.

We drive round via Pooley Bridge and park at Martindale Church.

This is Beda Fell as we start our ascent of Hallin Fell.

Strong winds again but the forecasted rain has not yet arrived.

Could we get away with a dry walk ?

The distinctive square summit cairn on Hallin Fell,

looking up the length of Ullswater towards the small but prominent Dunmallard Hill

and beyond to Penrith and the cloud covered Pennines.

The first drops of rain on the lens as we start down from the summit.

Harry pauses at a minor cairn and surveys the view.

High Street and the Nab on the left, Beda Fell in the centre and Boredale Valley to the left, looking wetter than on the way up.

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This week is the last week of Andy Beck's "Wainwright in Colour Exhibition"

so we took a last chance to view his latest paintings while all the frames are still on display together.

The exhibition at Rheged (Penrith) runs until Friday 20th November.

Click here for more information and Andy Beck's Site

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Finally we called into Reeds of Penrith to see Dik Stoddard, to have a look round Reed's Print Works and collect this year's fabulous " Loweswatercam Calendar " Printed on similar weight paper as last year, it is priced at £12 incl p&p. and includes some of the best Loweswatercam photos from the year. Email us here if you would like a copy.

Go on . . . you would be lost without a calendar on your wall . . . wouldn't you !!!

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Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera.

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

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Previous walk - Sun 8th Nov 2009 Gable Remembrance Day 2009

A previous time up here - 20th April 2006 Arthur's Pike, Bonscale and Loadpot with Jo

Next walk - 19th Nov 2009 The November Gales