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" Sunshine, Rain and Sunshine . . . Happy August "

Date & start time:    5th to 15th th August, 2019.

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

Places visited :         Crummock Water and Loweswater.

Walk details :             Local walks with friends . . . distance . . . who's counting ?

Highest point :          The sunny days . . . walking though the floods was also fun in a weird way.

Walked with :             Richard, Hilary, Peter and Holly, Ann and our dogs, Dylan and  Dougal.

Weather :                    Sunshine, rain and then sunshine again.

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

 

August seems to be taking on a much wetter look in recent years with summer storms driving in off the Atlantic. 

Nothing too windy for us this year but quite a lot of rain has fallen in recent days.

It's not all doom and gloom as our visitors enjoy a really sunny walk down to the Crummock Water at the start of the month.

Hilary, Peter their son, granddaughter Holly in the backpack, Richard plus Ann . . . and our two dogs in the front row.

Peter and Holly . . . she's suddenly stopped laughing . . . just for the camera !

Relaxing down on Sandy Yat Bay.

The tree seems to be getting smaller each year . . . it was taller and the dogs had difficulty climbing it before.

Now they've just jumped up without a problem.

Dougal has really discovered the water in the last month or so and is really enjoying swimming.

Add a stick into the combination and he can combine two activities. . . as long as someone is prepared to keep throwing the stick !

A great throw Richard . . . only it's a bit high.
Dougal isn't good on items that pass high over his head.
   
Richard has another go . . . this time Dougal has it in his sights.
He's straight out and retrieves it . . . like all good retrievers.

[ There's a whole university research project there for someone . . . why can't dogs look up and follow a thrown item ? ]

Dylan also had a swim once we found a second stick, so before we left we placed the dogs back on the log to dry a little !

- - - o o o - - -

We've not suffered the big floods that Yorkshire and the Midlands seem to have had in recent weeks but it has rained a lot here in Cumbria. 

A couple of days after Richard and Hilary returned to their caravan, it was my turn to take the dogs for a local walk.

I headed up towards the lone pine tree.

Fortunately I had my iPhone with me and I was able to capture a rather nice rainbow in two photos, stitched together at home afterwards. 

Rainbows are too wide for all but the larger wide-angle lens cameras.

The phone offered an 'in-camera' panoramic mode which has also produced a reasonable photo.

Just the two offerings from this walk.

- - - o o o - - -

After heavy overnight rain the dog walk next day was down to the river . . . to see the extent of the local flooding.

The river has risen and overflowed into the field and the water floods across to the small beck that runs through our pond a quarter of a mile away.

A wide panorama again . . . the camera making the 180 degree photo look more like 90 degrees.

Note: There is no left turn in the middle of Scale Hill bridge.

The river-gauge cabin that continually monitors the water levels.

In the bigger floods of recent years the water backed up behind the bridge

and the level reached the slate plaque, half way up the wall of the building.

The start of the riverside path was very much under water.
. . . the river channel is normally this side of the tree.

I decided to try and follow the river on the usual riverside path but it was an obvious non-starter from the beginning.

My path dips into the water once again . . . take to the high ground !
The swimming pool is flowing too fast for safety.

The flood waters on the paths within the woods were not flowing as strongly . . . so letting the dogs into the water there was not a problem.

The new 'canal' leading up alongside the small weir . . .
. . . the path leads us out onto the beach at the side of Crummock.

There's a Breca Swim-Run event planned for two days time and they've been round and placed a few markers for the route.

Someone was kitted up with a wet suit . . . for a sociable swim or possibly a practice for the forthcoming event.

The outflow is running fast over the weir as a result of the recent rain.

What is normally a four foot drop for the river is reduced to about one and a half feet today.

This was the view from the middle of the footbridge.

To get there I had to wade . . . as I was wearing old Keen sandals, now reduced to garden and dog walking duties on my feet,

walking through the water was not a problem . . . shorts would have been better than rolled up trousers perhaps !

Dylan and Dougal wait for me as I wade to the second bridge.

The water is surprisingly warm and wading was not a problem as the main force of the water was contained in the main river channel.

High tide up at the Pump House corner.

The fence I've photographed in recent weeks is now underwater for all but two of the posts.

Walk the wall or wade the path across here too.
The path home via the boardwalk . . . well my feet are wet now anyway.

Low Park Bridge . . . Park Beck is flowing well under the bridge so there's no chasing sticks here for the dogs today.

Dougal has found a ball though . . . which he played with all the way home.

Muncaster House across the fields on the way back home.

Sadly the old stone stile next to the gate has seem better days . . . it will need two people to repair it as the stones are so heavy.

- - - o o o - - -

The poor weather has one advantage . . . I haven't needed to water the two new trees I recently received as a gift.

The two silver birch were decorations for Marc and Alice's wedding at New House Barn

and their parents, our friends Trevor and Gill from Borrowdale, felt that I could give them a good home after the event.

They stand either side of the Rowan tree Peter (Burgess) and I planted last year.

- - - o o o - - -

The short period of summer storms has passed and the sun made an appearance once again

for my walk with Ann to Loweswater Bothy.

The view over the wall of the rather rain-filled Loweswater Care Project boat.

This home made catamaran is certainly floating higher in the water than the other craft would do.

There's a family staying at The Bothy and they are taking full advantage of the weather 

and of the gentle water sports available at their holiday accommodation . . . we'll leave them in peace to enjoy their stay.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Panasonic Lumix TZ60, or my iPhone 6s.

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

This site best viewed with . . . more of the sun ... less of the rain.

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Previous walk - 30th July - Family - Boating at Keswick

A previous time up here - 10th March 2015 - Double Measure - Double Pleasure

Next walk -  18th August  -  Helen's Visit - Loweswater and Holme Wood