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" The Matterhorn and the Pine "

Date & start time:      17th March 2021.  4 pm start.

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

Places visited :          Foulsyke, Matterhorn Rock, The Lonesome Pine, back via the woods.

Walk details :              2.6 mls, 825 ft of ascent, 1 hour 15 mins.

Highest point :           The Matterhorn Rock at the magical 1,000 ft above-sea-level contour.

Walked with :             With the dogs, Dylan and Dougal.

Weather :                    Sunshine and blue skies.

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It was a lovely afternoon and eminently suitable for a walk. 

After a busy morning there was still time to give the dogs a couple of miles of exercise

and for me, maybe the dogs also, to enjoy the wider views that the valley has to offer on such a day.

- - - o o o - - -

It's been a sh*tty week . . . my kind neighbour let me have a double load of matured horse poo which would be appreciated by the garden.

The blue sheet protects the grass, the red bucket protects some daffodils, the wheelbarrow is for shipping the 'compost'.

This week my neighbour Martin sent me this picture of the local female kestrel sheltering on his barn roof.

He noticed I was working hard, so came along with his wheelbarrow and fork and the job of moving it was soon done.

Aren't volunteers wonderful !

Our local farmer and his good lady releasing some sheep with their new season lambs

onto a un-grazed field of fresh grass opposite our kitchen window.

The recnent few days heavy rain has washed the garden clean but now I have the chance to get out outdoors in the  dry once again.

More tidying up but it was also it was chance to enjoy the seasonal colours on offer.

Dwarf Daffs, taller ones behind.
More in the centre of the octagonal walled flower bed.

Final picture . . . a dash of lovely pink colour down by the  garden gate.

- - - o o o - - -

With the return of fine weather the smaller camera found its way out of the case and into my pocket for an afternoon walk.

Rose Cottage . . . soon to be lived in again, once the go ahead is given for April 12th self-catering visitors.

Across the fields towards Foulsyke.

There's an old pond in the dip ahead and the local farmer can remember it being used for swimming in on a hot day.

He told me that the field beyond it is called the "pool field" and the one near the cottage that I call "puffin tarn" is actually known as the "tarn field".

It just remained for him to tell me the name of this one . . . and it turns out that it will be an easy one to remember.

The field we look out upon from the kitchen window of the Hiley's Cottage is known as "High Leys" !

We walk up and over the high bit and down to the old pond.

Sadly the wall holding back the water of the pond is breached and the pond is silted up and full of trees.

It will take a lot of time and effort before anyone can swim in that again.

Lovely visibility today . . . the fells seen above the field gate are Whiteside and Grasmoor.

Round Foulsyke and into the woods, to emerge above the out-take wall.

In the field below, the ponies that are normally grazing on the fell are looking for fresh spring grass.

Climbing up alongside the fence

with a view across to High Nook and the White Oak Valley nestling under the Loweswater Fells.

We've reached the path that skirts the fell.  The dog flap is redundant, the stile has rotted

and the old wire mesh fence is gradually collapsing as both people and sheep cross it on a regular basis.

Higher up the path is a lovely triangular rock which, as we're discussing local names, I call the Matterhorn Rock.

Somewhere around here is a brown line across the path that is the 1000 foot contour . . . haven't spotted it yet !

The dogs add scale and Dougal display a certain dexterity, as the top of the rock does actually narrow to quite a sharp point.

We walk on a short way so the panorama now includes the sunshine on Loweswater.

The highest summit of the group, Blake fell, is hidden by the brooding bulk of Carling Knott.

Time to turn and walk back via the rock, returning via our outward path.

A close up of the rock also brings the view of the cottage and Crummock Water to the fore.

Over the non-existant stile and we follow the path around the lower slopes of Low Fell.

. . . to the Lonesome Pine, and from here we can look across the valley to Grasmoor

and see how the summit of Grasmoor is set back from the main crag overlooking the valley (see our recent Grasmoor walk)

Great Gable and the High Stile Ridge, framed by the tree branch.

The shadow is partly from the tree, partly from the ancient enclosure that surrounds it.

The wider panorama including the Foulsyke group of houses and the Godferhead wildlife pond below.

The path to the tree continues on above the fell wall

and we follow on that path till we reach the stile above the old Pottergill Farm.

Oak Bank Farm renovation work continues a-pace. The old green barn has now been dismantled

and the diggers are noisily breaking up the old cow shed floor in order to create a grass lawn in front of the barn conversions.

Below the stile a path drops quickly down to the Whinney Ridding Woods.

Two views in the woods . . . one looking down the valley in the Pottergill direction.

The other shows the path on through the woods, with Dylan leading the way.

Foulsyke and Wood End houses as we exit the trees.

Today's weather has significantly dried the gateway to the last two field, as we walk towards home.

The slope of High Leys field, leading leading down to the cottage.

Time for tea I think ?

- - - o o o - - -

 

Technical note: Pictures generally taken with the Panasonic Lumix Tz60 Camera this time.

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

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Previous walk - 1st March - A Gentle March up Grasmoor

A previous time up here - 6th September 2020 - Low Fell's Matterhorn Rock

Next walk - 24th March - Dale Head down to Buttermere