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I took the dogs out for an  afternoon walk up to Harry's Pool, uncertain as to where to go this nice afternoon.

After dipping our feet in Harry's Pool and climbing the bank opposite, we head towards the Hen Comb ridge

but turned and retraced our route as my footwear was not altogether suitable for the full ascent all the way to Hen Comb's summit

A normal start to a normal walk . . . daily exercise for myself and the dogs.

The old oak in the field has finally come into leaf.

What started as Dub Beck as it flowed out of Loweswater

has changed to Park Beck and now emerges from under Church Bridge, close by the Kirkstile.

The cows are out in the fields at last.

Earlier in the year it was too wet and they would have churned up the grass and spoilt the grazing.

The heat has dried out the pastures which is good but it has also slowed the growth of the grass, so there is not a large amount to eat.

Last week's slight rain has helped somewhat, but the answer at the moment is supplementary hay feed and regular movement to different fields.

White Charolais beef cattle I believe, the ladies watching our passing from the other side of the wall.

The Charolais bull by the gate on left hand side of the lane, the darker colour than the other could means it is a Holstein cow.

Two very powerful looking animals, but calm and quiet as we pass on up the lane.

Through the fell gate and we let some 'gimmer shearlings' pass by before we continue on our way.  'Gimmer' means female and 'shearling'

means a two-year-old (or second year) sheep.  There was no sign of lambs with them as they would have been too young to breed last autumn.

If they are older then they may be sheep that failed to become pregnant for some reason and have been put out onto the fells early.

The dogs are straight into Harry's Pool for a dip.

The more rounded outline of Mellbreak's northern end becomes apparent as we start our climb up the other side of the beck.

The path climbs up following the wall.

Now we start to get the long distance views and a glimpse of Hopegill Head between Whiteside and Grasmoor.

Twin peaks of Darling Fell and Low Fell . . . and our first view of Loweswater.

Now from our lofty position we can look down to the Mosedale Holly and across even further to Red Pike.

First Dodd then Hen Comb are in prospect ahead but there's a lot of rough ground and tussocks in between.

With rather unsuitable footwear for a bigger walk I turn at this first high point and start my way back down,

re-tracing my route back towards home . . . photos are therefore limited at this point so as not to be repetitive.

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A view of Mellbreak through a gap in the trees, from back down in the valley.

Back to the Kirkstile and it was a short walk back along the road to home.