" Holme Force with Kathy and Mike "

Date & start time: Monday 10th July 2012, 3 pm start.

Location of Start : Maggie's Bridge car park, Loweswater , Cumbria, Uk ( NY 134 210 )

Places visited : Watergate Farm, Holme Woods, Holme Force and back.

Walk details :   2.75 mls, 300 ft of ascent, a leisurely 1 hour 45 minutes.

Highest point : Forest track above Holme Force, 675 ft - 205 m.

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

Weather : Overcast with a hint of rain at times.

Today we have two visitors from Phoenix, Arizona in the United States of America. 

Kathy has been corresponding with us for many years and at last she has been able to make it over to the Lake District

to see her favourite fells that she has viewed from afar for so long.

Her son Mike is travelling with here and makes a fourth for the short walk today.

A walk around Loweswater and Holme woods will do nicely in view of the weather and the time available.

Maggie's Bridge car park and Kathy gives the dogs a cuddle before they bound out of the car to start the walk.

Her son Mike is on the right.

The rain is holding off as we cross the meadow towards the lake.

Although you can't see it so well from down here, we pointed out the " Loweswater Pheasant "

represented by the tree shapes on the side of Carling Knott.

[ hold your cursor over the photo to see an earlier photo from a few years back ]

Watergate Barn set back in the trees, behind Watergate Farm on the side of Loweswater.

A nice property with a large garden to the front and rear.

The boats are out and available for hire down by the lake.

We walk along to the Bothy but don't peep in the windows as there is someone in residence.

( note the two milk bottles outside !)

The new wheel-chair-friendly motorway takes a left and we carry on, using the old path nearer to the water.

The path stays within the wood but the lake continues on towards the Grange Hotel at the far end.

A short climb up through the trees . . .	. . . brings us to Holme Force.

The waters of Holme Beck rise on the slopes of Blake Fell above us then cascades down through the woods.

Mike was looking at the lower cascade near the bridge, but the falls extend much further up the fellside.

Climbing up the slippery path alongside the beck we get a close up of the water spout on one of the upper cascades.

The Water Spout.

Click on the photo to see a short video of the upper falls

(see full screen option for a larger view).

The tree ferns thrive in the moist atmosphere . . .	. . . as do the fox gloves by the track as we climb back down again.

Everything that goes up must come down, as we return to the lakeside.	Walking back to the car at Maggie's Bridge car park.

Come on Harry !

" I'm not really tired  . . . I'm waiting for the boss to stop taking my picture."

- - - o o o - - -

No visit to Loweswater is complete without a visit to the Kirkstile Inn

It's too early for dinner but there's no reason why we can't enjoy a late afternoon tipple.

I introduce Kathy to the classic pub game of  " Shove Ha'penny "

The pub has a properly engraved slate board on which to play.

There are many ways to score at this game but we chose the simple one

of "shoving" an old half-penny coin along the board so that it comes to rest once between each of the parallel sets of lines.

Chivalry dictates that I always let our visitors win

. . . but there's nothing to say that I can't give them a bit of a challenge     ;o) 

A very pleasant afternoon with our visitors draws to a close all too soon.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either my Canon G10 or 1100D SLR digital cameras.

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

This site best viewed with . . . a set of old coins and a lump of polished slate.

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Previous walk - 9th July 2012 Ennerdale Round the Lake

A previous time up here - 21st Dec 2009 Nicole's Snow Scenes around Loweswater

Next walk - 11th July 2012 Crummock and Blue Sheep