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Rannerdale Valley at Twilight

Date & start time: Wednesday 27th January 2010, 3.30 pm start.

Location of Start : Cinderdale car park, Crummock Water, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 163 194 )

Places visited : Cinderdale, Rannerdale Valley and back.

Walk details : 1.5 mls, 275 ft, 1 hr 15 mins.

Highest point : Rannerdale Valley 400ft ( 175m )

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

Weather : Cool but dry. A northerly breeze blowing.

 

Rannerdale Valley at twilight


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After a very claggy and dull morning and afternoon, the sun appeared just before the end of daylight . . . this was a brief walk before it totally disappeared.

Ann and I plus the dogs all needed an escape from the cottage too.

The late afternoon sun gave everything in the valley a pink tinge which increased as we entered the valley but had gone by the time we returned.

A breezy afternoon and the surface of Crummock Water reflected the fact.

It was a northerly again and cold if you were not covered up.

The track to Rannerdale Valley from Cinderdale car park crosses Cinderdale Beck.

Even here there was evidence of the November floods, but the local National Trust digger had re-made the crossing where it had been washed away.

The deep snows of recent weeks have gone, leaving only the protected gullies full of the white stuff.

Grasmoor . . . with Ann demonstrating how to keep warm !

Rannerdale Cottage and the out wash of stones that went on to engulf the road.

The beck also broke through the trees and damaged the house and garden at the height of the floods.

Our brief walk was taking us up to Rannerdale Valley, where the bluebells normally bloom in May.

Today the scene is very brown and dormant as the old bracken lay flat across the fell sides.

The local farmer is upgrading his water supply having suffered problems in November.

More stones and out wash where the beck has taken a revised route down the valley.

The main footbridge at the top was washed sideways by the floods

but had very quickly been re-instated at a slightly different angle than before, hence the newly dug approach path.

Some of the boulders that washed down the beck.

No wonder the bridge was damaged if the force of the water was capable of moving rocks this size.

( Apologies for the blurred photo ... a strong breeze and a slow shutter speed were to blame )

The view from slightly higher up the slope.

This is the top end of the bluebell patch . . . hopefully the bulbs have survived under the soil and will bloom again.

[ Hold your cursor over the photo to see the view a few years ago. ]

As the late afternoon sun was setting the colours turned alpine pink, but it was the bracken not the snow reflecting the colours.

The bracken on Grasmoor caught our notice first . . . and then on Whiteless Pike

. . . we'll have to rename this Pink-less Pike.

Looking north west now as we turn for home.

Back for a few moments on the bridge.

( Blurred photo again . . . same reasons . . . do not adjust your screen or wipe your glasses )

Sunset through the gap.

Rannerdale to the left, Mellbreak to the right and the briefest glimpse of Great Borne in the middle.

- - - o o o - - -

Thursday January 28th.

As it happens we revisited the valley next day when friends invited us out . . .

A walk with Sophie, Tyler, Kyle and Chloe with the dogs Harvey, Daisy, Storm plus Harry and Bethan.

We walked from Scale Hill Woods to Rannerdale valley and back, a distance of some 4.5 miles.

Six retrievers and Storm, a black lab on Crummock beach . . . one retriever was missing from the photo !

[ We were only responsible for five dogs by the way ]

Tyler and Kyle, Sophie's grandsons, are kept fully occupied throwing sticks for the dogs to retrieve.

Loving a swim in the icy waters of Crummock !

A cloud covered High Stile ridge behind,with Rannerdale Knotts the left.

We were aiming to walk to Rannerdale valley along the lakeshore on the left hand side.

Closer to Rannerdale now, the two dots in the water are Storm and Harry.

Chloe and Kyle with Harvey and Harry still looking to play.

This was the bridge that Ann had stood on the night before.

- - - 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 . . . Rose coloured spectacles.

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Previous walk - 19th January 2010 Hope Beck Valley and Dodd

A previous time up here - 19th May 2008 Rannerdale Bluebells visit

Next walk - 30th January 2010 High Rigg and Tewet Tarn