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I visited the White Oak Valley via the lower slopes of Hen Comb earlier in the year

but with just a mobile phone the photos weren't high quality or extensive enough to post separately, so today three months later,

I decided to re-visit in order to get better photos and more understanding of the place by walking in from the High Nook side of the valley.

Early July and the weather was fine and dry

so I extended the walk slightly by first heading up towards Foulsyke House to first walk along the top road.

Looking back as I cross the first field.

Rannerdale Knotts stands out above the trees, as does Great Gable at the head of the valley.

Scale Hill Cottages (the old hotel) and the extensive rocky screes of 'Whiteside' which presumably gives the fell its name.

Foulsyke House and above it, the Lonesome Pine on the side of Low fell.

In the field next to the car park are a a number of beef suckler cows.

There seem to be more cattle about in recent years as the farm subsidies gradually change from 'animal numbers' to more environmental considerations.

The High Nook farmer is post-bashing with a hydraulic fencing machine mounted on the back of his tractor.

Climbing steeply beyond the farm, following the Coffin Road track up into the High Nook amphitheatre.

Here the river spits, one tributary draining Gavel, the other Blake Fell. 

Tucked to one side is High Nook Tarn, but strangely neither stream flows through the pool

but keep to the right hand side of the valley, leaving High Nook to rely purely on local surface run off to maintain its level.

The dogs and I take the bridleway rising up onto the western side of the White Oak valley.

Ahead, on the other side of the dip, is Hen Comb.

This is quite a good track for the next mile but peters out unceremoniously before reaching Floutern Pass.

We leave the track where it levelled out and looked down for a route into the valley.

Three months on it's high summer, the weather is different and the bracken has grown to such an extent that everything is hidden  !!

- - - o o o - - -

To digress, these are two pictures from a walk up at the top end of the same valley.

This is a large sheepfold close to the Buttermere to Ennerdale path, the photo was taken on a walk back in June.

From Floutern Cop, the small grassy summit alongside the highest point of Floutern Pass, I look down on the diminutive Floutern Tarn.

Normally hidden from view, the tarn nestles beneath the high crags on the northern side of Great Borne.

In this warm summer weather all three of us enjoyed a swim in its quiet waters before heading back home.

- - - o o o - - -

As I mentioned before, I was also in the valley in April, again on an unplanned "dog walk" which had been extended due to the sunshine.

That time I approached the old White Oak Mine area via the Mosedale Valley and the track that passes the Kirkstile.

Across the way you can see several horizontal ledges on the lowest slopes of Black Crag.

These are both tracks and water channels that served the old lead mine, hidden in the shadows of the other side of the valley.

I dropped down into the White Oak Valley a short distance upstream where one of the old weirs must have been.

You may be able to make out the channel in the bank opposite which was the start of one of those horizontal leats.

What now looks like a path would once have once been a water channel carrying water slowly across the fell side towards the mine.

The faster fall of the river meant that the water channel "gained height" and this allowed it to power a water wheel overlooking the mine area.

Motive power like that was important for work within the mine but also powering crushing equipment for the initial processing of extracted ore.

An old excavation, presumably a mine entrance now collapsed and filled with rubble. 

The vegetation has not grown back over the lead-poisoned mine spoil.

The path / water channel continues on above the old entrance to a flattened area

which could have been the site of a header tank or mill pond for a water wheel set slightly lower down the slope.

[ I really must try and find out more information and any site plans for the old workings. ]

The flat ground next to the river would have been the initial processing area for the lead ore.

The gate ahead leads across farm land to the adjacent High Nook Farm and away to the main road and distant ore smelters.

One last photo of the spoil heap showing varied nature of the crushed spoil rejected after initial crushing.

- - - o o o - - -

Today, with the summer season, sun higher in the sky and a better camera, I thought I could get more meaningful photos . . .

Looking across the fields to Low Park, Crummock and Grasmoor.

July and the pub is properly re-open for business

with folk enjoying the beer garden and facilities once again.

Loweswater St Bartholomew's Church,

photo-wise it's " Righteousness after thirst" as opposed to the other way round.

The cottage is just a sheep's walk away now.

Perhaps several cups of tea would be more refreshing than a beer after this warm walk.

- - - o o o - - -

Towards the end of that April walk I met a couple of fellow walkers

and we chatted about the White Oak bridleway and how they had difficulty in following it at the top end of the valley.

We also talked about Hen Comb that they had just climbed . . .

. . . and sent me a photo from the summit cairn and from their river crossing at Harry's Pool.

We met last Sunday at the ford across Mosedale Beck as we were coming down off Hen Comb. You were walking the dogs and we chatted for a while. Thank you for sharing details of your website. We’ve tracked it down, as you can see, discovered your name, and that of the dogs. A couple of picks from that day when we met you on Hen Comb. Off my camera so nothing special.  Later in April we were in Ennerdale doing some higher peaks!  Brenda's normally the photographer. Keep sharing your walks – they will be an encouragement and help to us as we continue to visit the lakes regularly. And we hope to meet again. Until then our warmest regards, Tony & Brenda Sharp.   Thanks to you both for the chat and the photos.  Sorry it's been so long  hitting the airwaves . . . RmH.