" Crummock Water and a Geocache "

Date & start time: Saturday 28th April 2011, 3.30 pm start.

Location of Start : The red phone box, Loweswater , Cumbria, Uk ( NY 143 211 )

Places visited : Crummock Water and the boathouse.

Walk details : 2.95 mls, nominal 350 ft of ascent, 1 hrs 45 mins.

Highest point : Getting everyone up to Loweswater for the weekend !

Walked with : 12 family and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Cool and damp after rain.

It was my big birthday last December but our children decided that they wanted to celebrate it with a summer barbecue.

The logic therefore was to gather over the May bank holiday weekend and provide accommodation for all in order to celebrate in style.

Let's start with a Saturday morning walk in order to give everyone a little gentle exercise.

We hired Rose Cottage opposite for the week as an overspill for our cottage.

Catherine and Paula, our two eldest girls, moved in there with their respective families.

The garden was used as a camping area for two of the boys and the little ones were sleeping on thermarests on the lounge floor.

Jenna, our youngest daughter was proud of her new shoes . . .	. . . but couldn't go for a walk and so was very sad !

To be fair she had just recovered from foot surgery and was on light walking duties only . . . no shoes only slippers.

We left her at Oak Cottage where she was able to help Ann prepare for the feast tomorrow.

Sarah, Jack's girlfriend, leads our two youngest grandchildren along the road to Scale Hill Bridge.

They were followed by Gareth, our son and his girlfriend Kathryn who we were up for the weekend too.

The column of walkers included the rest of the family and Cathy and Richard's dogs, Saffie and Theo.

Mmmm . . . the weather for the weekend was not brilliant to say the least.

The cloud was down on the high fells and even Rannerdale Knotts was looking damp due to a passing shower.

Still, it was dry where we were

and as soon as we reached the lake it was time to skim some stones.

Jack throws a larger stick to encourage Harry to swim out and fetch it back.

Boys will be boys . . . and girls will stand back and be girls !

Sam and young Alexander indulge in a little water sport too.

Matthew, Cathy's 2nd son gets ready to play baseball with pebbles pitched by his younger brother.

Richard (dad) was busy checking for a local 'Geocache'	The treasure was hidden behind a large tree.

The youngsters open up the cache to find the treasure.

For those that have never heard of Geocaching, it is treasure hunting with a Gps.

It's a cross between Dartmoor 'Letter-boxing' and 'orienteering' . . . finding a hidden box of goodies based on a grid reference. Firstly a children's game now developing into an adult sport, a list of caches is posted on the internet and anyone can go along and try and find the treasure trove.

If you wish to take a treasure, leave one of an equivalent value in its place so that the cache is self-perpetuating.

Want to find out more . . . click on Geocaching.com or Garmin's Opencaching.com

Some gifts are numerically tagged for trace-ability over the 'net'.	Cathy is happy as it entertains the kids (and others)

Gareth and Kathryn take time out while all this was going on.

As Richard checks out any other local geocaches

the older kids renew their attempts at throwing stones all the way across the lake without landing in the water !

" I did it " says Alexander . . . " Don't think so " says I as it is about quarter of a mile to the other side !

The door to the old boathouse in open so there's another adventure in store.

Alexander tries to launch a driftwood log from the gravel floor.

It takes to the water with a little help from Tom.

Sam making his way back . . . that looks like a George Fisher coat if I'm not mistaken !

Cathy insists she can still offer her son a piggy-back ride if they want one.

Long gone are the days of Matthew fitting into a baby-carrier !

A splash of colour on the lake as a small group of canoeists take to the water.

The water is much calmer than our last visit here just five days ago

The levels are down too so the bridge is accessible once again.

Looking across the weir towards Rannerdale and the High Stile Ridge.

That was a short paddle . . . the canoeists come ashore at the point where the river from Loweswater enters the lake.

Looking across at the boathouse we visited earlier.

The weather is definitely brighter now as the afternoon is progressing.

More visitors . . . more sports than normal represented this afternoon.

Kathryn and Sarah wait at the bridge for everyone to catch up.

Along the gated road and we reach . . . a gate.

Picture time . . . smile please for the family album !

[ Hold your cursor over the picture to check out the result ]

Back across the fields from Muncaster House.

This fallen Ash tree will make good firewood for the winter if we can get permission to clear it away.

Back to the cottage and we pass " Puffin Tarn ".

It doesn't feature on the local maps as it only appears after bouts of heavy rain.

It makes nice reflections though.	Sam encourages them not to go in too deeply.

Going this way, there are four stiles on the public footpath back across the fields to the cottage.

Memo to the National Park people . . . Wouldn't it be nice to have some dog gates fitted to make life easier.

- - - 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 . . . the whole family up for the weekend.

Go to Top . . . © RmH.2011 . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 23rd May 2011 Storms and Squirrels

A previous time up here - 13th Feb 2008 Local to home - Crummock hovering

Next walk - 29th May 2011 Dad's 60th Summer Barbecue