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Keswick in the Snow

Date & start time: Thursday 7th January 2010, 1.10 pm start.

Location of Start : Town Centre, Keswick, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 266 232 )

Places visited : Hope Park, the Boat Landings, Friar's Crag, Castle Head and back to the shop.

Walk details : 2 mls, 300 ft, 1 hour including lunch (before I left work).

Highest point : Castle Head 510ft ( 162m)

Walked with : Myself.

Weather : Gorgeous Blue skies and sunny.

 

 

Keswick in the Snow


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With the fine and very cold weather this is remarkable times for the keen photographer.

As it happens I have received two photos on the same day of Whitehaven Harbour.

Here even the sea inside the dock has frozen over.

Thanks to Norman Mason of Nethertown, Cumbria.for this one of the boats frozen in the dock.

Thanks to to Jayne Hill who included the Beacon Museum in the photo.

- - - o o o - - -

Still, fine weather or foul I have to be in work today . . .

Whinlatter Pass . . . mmmm . . .

stop for a photo of Ladyside Pike once I had reached the top of Scawgill Hill and its tight bends.

Stop for another on the way down the other side . . .

Skiddaw, resplendent in morning sunshine, from the Knoble Knott viewpoint.

Dodd across a cold looking valley.
Skiddaw Little Man in close up.

Britain is in the grip of an extended winter freeze and for the first time for many years even the lakes of the Lake District are starting to ice over.

Sun just catching the top of Binsey as I look out over a frozen Bassenthwaite Lake.

No Ospreys today . . . they are down in the warmer African subcontinent and missing the snow.

- - - o o o - - -

I book an hour off for lunch

and after a quick snack I walk briskly down to Hope Park and over to the lake.

Across the greenhouse roofs, Causey Pike and up to Eel Crags, with Barrow on the right.

Further round . . . Grisedale Pike over the street lamp.

The National Trust pillar at the entrance to Crow Park fields.

Skiddaw is absolutely shining in the background.

On down to the lake side.

The seagull sits on the fence of the boathouse, next to the ferry company kiosk.

Ducks and Geese moving carefully on the ice at the Landings.

However there is some clear water for the ducks to land.

I step out carefully to get this very unusual view of the boathouse entrance.

The ice here at the edge is absolutely solid but there's unfrozen water inside the gates.

Looking along one of the jetties,

over the snow covered planking

and across to Grisedale Pike.

 

- - - o o o - - -

 

The Ferry boats have naturally abandoned

even their Winter sailing schedules !

Bright sunshine on the varnished wooden hull of the "Annie Mellor"

Looking back at the boat landings as I continue on to Friar's Crag.

The final jetty is the one used by the Derwent Island residents

and they seem to have been able to keep a channel clear to reach their home.

Off Friar's Crag is a small rocky outcrop accessible when the lake level is low.

Today it is easy walking as it is solid ice all the way . . . I don't plan to walk any further out though.

From the rocks, an unusual view of Friar's Crag with Bleaberry Fell behind.

Almost the reverse photo as I walk around the other side of Keswick's famous viewpoint.

Into the sun . . . so a darker image looking up the length of Derwent Water to Castle Crag and the Central Fells at the top of Borrowdale.

Across to Walla Crag . . . across a frozen Strandshag Bay

The lake appears to be frozen all the way across.

Some say it has been thirty years since the lakes were this frozen, though old photos suggest it happened quite often in the 19th Century.

A quickening of the pace and a short climb up Castle Head brought me up to the next viewpoint.

Lords Island and Strandshag Bay are just beyond the viewing pillar.

Looking round, there's plenty of snow on Clough Head and the Helvellyn Dodds.

Scots Pines enjoying the winter sun.

Click here or on the photo above for a full panorama.

My time is up, and after a chat with a local photographer, Tony from Cockermouth, it was time to get back to town.

Still the forecast is good and I'm hoping to bring Ann over this direction tomorrow.

- - - o o o - - -

 

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.

This site best viewed with . . . an extra five minutes on lunch without the boss noticing !

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Previous walk - 6th January 2010 Mellbreak for a photo again

A previous time up here - 3rd / 10th May 2007 Keswick to Rannerdale and Home

Next walk - 8th January 2010 Snowy Walla Crag for sunset