A shorter walk up Binsey today but a nice one nevertheless. 

This summit can be walked from several directions but I introduce Loes and friend Lill to the shorter south eastern climb from Binsey Cottage.

Welcome to the most northerly and westerly Wainwright fell.

To get to the start of our walk we collected Lill from Cockermouth and drove out past the Lakes Distillery

where there's a herd of Alpacas enjoying the sunny weather out in the fields.

Is it a herd or should that be a pack of alpacas ?

Just as you aim for a photo with him looking straight at the camera, he drops his head and turns away !

Still, there's a car coming and I'm blocking the road slightly so no time for a second photo . . . on with the walk.

- - - o o o - - -

We parked on the roadside close to Binsey Cottage . . . it seems others have the same idea.

Through the gate adjacent to the sheep fold and out onto the fell.

The path by the gate still had patches of frost from the overnight cold weather.

My companions today . . . Loes and Lill.

Looking back at Overwater tucked below Longlands and Lothwaite Fell.

The smaller one on this side is called Latrigg, but it's not the one we climbed yesterday.

Dylan remembered the stone part way up from a previous visit and climbed up without me asking.

It was a hint to have their formal photo taken I think.

I tried to get the girls to climb on the same rock but they refused !

The climb gets steeper as we head off towards the western side of the fell.

It looks like a "1 in 4" slope to me but then we weren't driving.

The western facing edge has the best views but then it's more open to the stronger south westerly wind today.

It's a short hundred-yard crossing to the summit of Binsey.

The summit is well supplied with a trig point, a cairn and several round shelters.

I believe there may have been an old hill fort up here, but don't quote me on that.

Looking north west to the Solway over the Bothel wind farm.

Binsey has a secondary cairn on the West Crag but we'll not visit it today.

The local houses in the distance are in the village of High Ireby, the ones further away will be Torpenhow.

[ Remember that for pub quizzes . . . this is the village that is named three times . . . hill-hill-hill ]

There are certainly a large number of cairns, shelter circles and vague walls of stone up here.

For some reason they want a picture with me in it, for a change.

Looking to the high fells, but the cloud obstructs some and the rest are lacking in definition because we are looking into the sun.

From here at the summit we can only see part of Bassenthwaite Lake, which is why we walked up on that side earlier.

The route back is straight forward and we join out outward path a short distance before the sheepfold.

As we walk down we get a full view ahead of Skiddaw and the 'Back of Skiddaw' fells, from Longlands round to Ullock Pike.

Back to the gate and the path is still just as slippery as before.

Two smiles this time . . . they must have enjoyed the walk.

- - - o o o - -  -

An hour or so after we started we were back at the car, so while we were still a way from home

we thought a bit of lunch might be in order.

There was a cafe at Bothel Crags but it was closed, so we headed home via the Mooter Garden Centre, where they also serve a nice lunch.

As it happens they have a rather nice pictorial wall . . . more or less the view we saw today but with summer colours.

Anyone for soup and a sandwich ?

[ I took the photo once another group had departed and left the view nicely clear]