Hiley Website

On a recent February visit to the lakeshore at Ennerdale we were greeted with high winds and wintery showers.

Today, just four weeks later the weather was exactly opposite . . . sunny, warm, blue skies and the gentlest of breezes.

As an alternative to our previous route, this time we walk the section of path anti-clockwise from Bowness towards the site of the old hotel.

The view as we drive round the corner and enter Ennerdale was one of sunshine and blue skies.

Most of the snow on the high fells has melted in the recent mild (wet) weather.

Just a residual scattering covers the top of Pillar and Scoat Fell.

The Bowness Knott car park is always quiet enough to find a space.

The new signs at the top hold a lot of local information.

Say "sit" as you hold your cursor over the picture . . . to make Dylan wait while you read.

From the top end of the car park we cross over the forest road

and head down on a path through the old bracken directly to the lake shore.

A lovely clear view of Pillar, with the double bump of Pillar Rock on its shadowy side.

Pillar and Steeple are two of the best known mountain names in the Lakes, but in fact Steeple is one of the smaller outlier summits.

It is the small triangular top, to the left of the snow on the flat ridge of Scoat Fell, the full extent of which is partially hidden by the evergreen tree.



At the lakeside path we turn right . . .	. . . heading to the picnic table marked on the map.

The path continues round the lower promontory of Bowness Knott

and dips and climbs delightfully through the trees and rocky outcrops as it makes its way around.

The sunshine really emphasises the flowers of the gorse which open to greet the warmth it offers.



A large fallen boulder forces a bend in the path.	There's always opportunity to detour the last few feet to the water's edge.

The dogs lead the way around the boulder . . .

. . . and soon the view of the northern shore of the lake is revealed.

The high ground on the right is Banna Fell, with Knock Murton set back slightly in the centre.

As we pass around the headland we lose the view back of Pillar . . . but Steeple is still just visible above the darker tree.

The high top in the distance is the summit of Haycock.

Ennerdale offers all sorts of opportunities to get out and explore

This lady was re-starting her afternoon paddle after a short time ashore.

Off to canoe more of the lake . . . as recommended by the Wild Ennerdale web site.

We've rounded the headland and pass a track which appears to come directly down from the Bowness Knott car park.

The path continues beside the lake, but from here on it is separated from the fells by agricultural fields.

This is Bowness Knott, the rocky outcrop which gives its name to the car park and the local area.

Alongside is Herdus . . . the extension of Great Borne . . . with a flock

(or should it be on this occasion a herd-us ?) of sheep in front.

Our path continues all the way along the lake shore towards Bleach Green,

but we'll not walk all the way today as we would have to travel the same distance back in order to return to the car.

It would be quicker by bike though

. . . but I don't think our Harry could manage the pace that this rider's dog was maintaining.

There he was . . . gone . . . or at least he's still alongside the blue clad cyclist, part way along the next section of the path.

An old fence post remains steadfast on the water

as we look back and appreciate the lovely blue reflection of the sky on the lake.

The bridge over Gill Beck . . . this is the stream that has drained down from Floutern Pass

and marks the limit of our February walk with friends Sherran and Bill before we headed back to Bleach Green that day.



A pollarded ash, flowers at its base, has re-sprouted well.	Across the lake the sunshine is catching the top of Anglers Crag.

Calm waters as we reach the site of the old Anglers Hotel pier.

I'm on the lakeshore path . . . Ann has diverted onto the grass that was once the grand lawn of the hotel gardens.

The rows of daffodils probably survived the site clearance all those years back

and have managed to re-grow each year since.

An old stone gate post . . . virtually the only remaining garden feature from that time.

We rest up on the new seat at the back of the grassy area . . . the remembrance plaque is enlarged below.

	An old postcard of the gardens. There's a link to more pre-year 2000 Ennerdale photos at the bottom of this page.



Nature has reclaimed the area . . .	. . . once the bulldozers removed the buildings.

What a shame it has gone . . . that would have been a wonderful view to wake up to each day.

A view that rivals that from the Wasdale Head Inn, the famous old hotel in the next valley.

Who knows what this place could have been like had the water company not threatened to raise the lake and prematurely demolished the property.

- - - o o o - - -

Time to be heading back to the car now . . . so we reverse our route . . . back towards Bowness Knott.

The wide view from our track, across the head of the lake and round to Anglers Crag.

A flotilla of four goosanders I think . . . two male, two female.

Out in the centre of the lake is the small rock island which is itself covered in birds, most likely gulls

but there are two larger, darker birds out there too.



Back through the gorse bushes . . . Herdus summit ahead . . .	. . . with the rising moon above, just noticed for the first time today.

What we've noticed too is the intensity of the sun gradually diminishing . . . as a bank of high cloud spreads in from the west.

The camera sees the colours on the lake totally differently when looking into the sun.



A halo around the sun due to the high cloud.	A lower photo . . . picking up the sparkle on the water.

A few moments spare to just sit and admire.

With the sun fast falling behind the cloud, the air temperature falling with it, soon it is time to move on.

We make our way up the shortcut path that we saw earlier, heading directly to the car park.

A slightly damp path . . . muddy in the middle section today . . . takes us up past the cottage known as Bowness.

Don't know who currently owns or uses the place but there is someone in today tending to matters in the garden.

Just the drier section at the top and we're nearly back to the start of the walk.

Where shall we go now ?

- - - o o o - - -

There's no signpost to home . . . or to the two places we need to visit before we get there.

The first was Ullock where we needed to drop off an envelope of goodies.

One local resident has renovated the old Pullman Coach from the grounds of the Hound Inn in Arlecdon

and placed it on the railway track outside their home.

It sits on the old, discontinued Cockermouth to Distington branch line which in its heyday

the freight trains would have used to take iron ore from local mines to the coast at Workington or Whitehaven.

The owner has even got a red phone box with an old A / B style coin mechanism . . . those were the days !

[ The train carriage was beautifully illuminated when we passed through the village last Christmas ]

- - - o o - - -

Following an invitation from a farming friend to collect some eggs, the other place on our way home was the chicken shed at our neighbour's farm.

He had conveniently gathered the spare eggs into one place so there was no searching around in the straw.

Two varieties and two coloured eggs . . . the brown chickens were more expensive . . . because they were on higher perches !!

Oh well . . . time for supper . . . what shall we have tonight ?

- - - o o o - - -


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