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"  Rannerdale with Cathy & Alexander  "

Date & start time:    Thursday 13th April 2017,  4 pm start.

Location of Start :    Hause Point car park, Crummock, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 163 184)

Places visited :         Hause Point, Rannerdale Knotts, Low Bank and down Squat Beck Valley.

Walk details :            2.7 miles, 950 ft of ascent, 2 hours 15 mins.

Highest point :         Rannerdale Knotts, 1,160ft - 355m.

Walked with :            Cathy, Alexander, Ann and our dogs, Harry and Dylan.

Weather :                    Overcast with rain about but a dry walk today.

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number PU 100034184.

 

Back home in the Lake District and Cathy and Alexander join us here for a few days,

before they are themselves joined by her husband Richard on Saturday. 

Today four of us plus dogs stretch our legs on a local Wainwright fell, Rannerdale Knotts, on our return to the Lake District.

There's a fifty yard walk from the car park to the start of the climb up onto Rannerdale Knotts.

There's quite a lot of traffic despite being mid-week, but it is already Easter holiday time in some areas of the country.

Cathy and Alexander opt for the pitched footpath . . . and Ann seems to be opting for the alternative bridleway route.

Ann regains the footpath and reaches the top of this part of the climb first (as that looks like me standing behind).

The bridleway is the old pony track over Hause Point but is now rather damp and is a less distinct route.

The view down Crummock Water to Low Fell at the far end.

On the second section of level ground we can enjoy a view of Buttermere and the high fells.

Cathy welcomes Harry to the top of this grass section . . . he's doing well for his age . . . now  well over 13 years old.

Dylan competes for a photo by standing on the rock to one side.

Behind him is Starling Dodd and the wooded cleft in the fellside that hides Scale Force waterfall.

Four up . . . myself, Alexander,  Harry and Dylan.
Alexander walks on up the steep grassy fellside with Ann.

Mellbreak and Ling Crags on the other side of Crummock Water.

Geologically they are an extension of the same rock that makes up Rannerdale but have been split apart by the actions of an ancient glacier.

The start of the pitched path that climbs on up the increasingly steep front of Rannerdale.

Harry has lost the spring in his step but in fact the steepest part of this climb was the only time he needed a help up.

Looking back down the valley as a rain shower passes over Loweswater.

Fortunately it continued on its way north east down the Lorton Valley and we stayed dry.

Cathy found a body . . . but it was only Alexander pretending he was tired.

A gentle prod with something and he was up and on his way again !

High above Hause Point now as the new season Honister Rambler bus passes by.

The final rock scramble to the summit . . . Harry finding his own way up unaided.

Ann joins the others on the summit of the fell.

Smile . . . a really happy one it seems.
Alexander is not amused or is that his attempt at a smile ?

- - - o o o - - -

Time to work our way along the ridge, known as Low Bank.

Cathy approaches the second of the Rannerdale Knotts . . .
. . . it will be an overnight camp site for these guys.

Onward and downward . . . the second summit well behind us now.

To the side we look across Squat Beck Valley to the bulk of Whiteless Pike.

It is often called Rannerdale Valley but in fact Rannerdale Beck (seen on the left ) only joins Squat Beck in the lower part of the valley.

The enclosure to the right of the turn of Rannerdale Beck is the main area for the famous bluebells.

We'll walk down the valley and see it in close up before we end the walk.

Time to leave the ridge and in so doing we catch this bare Rowan tree as a silhouette against the sky.

The hardy Herdwicks can cope with cold days and nights on the slopes of the higher fells.

It is rather more unusual to see such a young lamb up here too . . . but he seems to be coping well.

Alexander trying out his unconventional bridge technique once again.

Little does he know that we're not going that way !

We're heading down to popular side path rather than taking the old right of way down the centre of the valley.

Our onward passage is being monitored by the sheep.

The air is clear once again as the rain showers over Loweswater are long gone.

Down into the narrow section of the valley . . . the "Jaws of Rannerdale"

Well, if Borrowdale can have some, then so can we.

Looking across the bluebell meadow . . . April 13th . . . still a bit early at this time due to the cold Spring.

There are a few purple flowers starting to show . . .
. .. but it will be several weeks until "full bloom".

Dylan appears at the top of the River bank, presumably looking for me, as I cut back across to the main path.

Down past the hawthorn tree . . . Mellbreak ahead once again.

A final shot looking back at the large crab apple tree and the shapely peak of Whiteless Pike.

- - - o o o - - -

Based on the weather forecast and the state of the flowers today, plus how well they are growing in my garden,

there might be a reasonable show of bluebells in Rannerdale Valley over the first May bank holiday weekend this year.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Panasonic Lumix TZ60, or my Panasonic Lumix Gx8 Camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . a dash of blue . . . or should that be purple ?

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Previous event - 1st to 10th April 2017 - Swansea Visit to see Luke

A previous time up here - 6th May 2012 Rannerdale Bluebells May 2012

Next walk - 14th/16th April 2017 - Two local walks - Friends and family