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Never two days the same as the bright morning sunshine gives way to gloomy conditions

that fly in and blanket the sky from the west like that spaceship in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

A local fell that we've walked only once before becomes our target for the afternoon

but the visibility suffered as a result of the changing weather.

The tree that Bill and I removed lay on our lawn for a day or so

but Tuesday morning's bright sunshine did allow me the opportunity to clear it away and saw up the logs.

Tea break part way through saw a growing pile of cut logs and a reducing pile of un-sawn timber behind.

Do I remember correctly the quote of the ancient Chinese philosopher :-

" Confucius he say . . . Happiness is a sharp chainsaw blade " ?

By lunch time the garden was organised and tidy again

if not totally clear of the trimmings from the smaller branches.

- - - o o o - - -

After lunch we looked with disappointment as that blanket of cloud flooded across the sky.

A cold front bringing the dreaded "mild" weather was advancing eastward from the Atlantic . . . just as we are ready for our walk !

Never mind . . . we park at the roadside at the top of High Armaside

where the Gray Beck stream crosses under the road.

The farm here has rather daunting metal covered gates but the footpath sign is clearly visible.

The gates open out directly into the farmyard of Harrot Hill Farm

and presumably the visual shield prevents the traffic spooking the cattle and sheep inside.

Over the wall . . . a selection of various ducks and chicken enjoying a run around.

In the sheep sheds many of the pens are full as they are getting ready for lambing.

I also presume that the damp weather finds the cows indoors so as not to cause unnecessary damage to the soft fields.

The footpath sign directed us up the almost straight track alongside the Gray Beck woodland.

 

A slightly over emphasised "fish eye" effect due to the combining three photos

but here the track does do a right angle turn and proceeds on up the hill.

Harrot Fell is the high ground to the left

and the TV mast, so visible from the valley road, is centre photo and hardly visible from here.

Next to some pens in the top field is a rather Heath Robinson looking trailer . . . any ideas ?

To avoid you worrying all evening, it's is a portable sheep dip trailer . . . the sheep are gathered in the pens to the right, driven up the ramp,

dipped in the elevated deep trough and released back into the field down the left hand ramp . . . simple and of course mobile.

 

We continued up the track and at the highest point made a bid for the summit.

. . . then we all sat down . . . rather . . . they all sat down.

The view back up Lorton Valley to the twin-peaked Mellbreak at its head.

The weather looked worse in this direction due to that advancing high cloud.

Towards Skiddaw the skies are still fairly clear.

There's some snow on the tops and the upper cornices enable the lower ascent ridge of Ullock Pike / Longside edge to show.

Down below us is the larger than expected Armaside Farm complex.

There's a lot more pools of water in the valley than are shown on the map.

Directly below us is Casshow Woods

. . . a secluded woodland with a central clearing, bounded on the far side by the main valley road.

You've looked at what detail was available today . . .

Click here or on the photo above for a Loweswatercam 360 degree annotated panorama of the rest.

In view of the weather we cut down through a double gate on a more direct line back to the original track.

On the way down the slope we passed a large glacial erratic, an almost quartz-like boulder, with a dog on the top.

We also passed the smallest of quarries just above the point where the pens and portable dipper were parked.

This quarry may have provided stone for farm building as there are few stone walls in the close vicinity.

Back down the track, round the bend and down the home straight . . . and the walk was done.

- - - o o o - - -

By the time we drove back up the valley the weather was beginning to close in

and windscreen wipers were called into action once or twice.

After previously laying compost in the raised bed I realised that I had covered over

the one sensible place left in the garden to burn off the large amount of tree cuttings.