Date & Time: Saturday 14th July 2007. 4.30 pm start.

Location of Start : Hawes Point car park, Crummock Water, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 163 184 )

Places visited : Hawes Point, Rannerdale Knotts, Low Bank, Squat Beck, Rannerdale Valley.

Walk details : 2.75 mls, 1,125ft of ascent , 2 hrs.

Highest point : Rannerdale Knotts, 1160 ft ( 355 m )  

Walked with : Our daughter Jenna, Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : A dull day cleared to give us a late afternoon walk with the occasional burst of sunshine.

Jenna on Rannerdale Knotts summit.

 

Our daughter was up for the weekend and, after a lazy day at home, a sudden improvement in the weather encouraged us out for a walk.

We chose Rannerdale Knotts, as it's a proper fell walk that causes you to raise the heart rate, but gets you back home in time for tea !

The cloud topped slopes of Grasmoor look down on Rannerdale Farm and Crummock Water as we start our climb.

Not so many people about today, but there were several guys down there preparing to go sub-aqua diving off Hawes Point.

   
A trace of bubbles off the point show their progress underwater.
The old cart track over Hawes point, now a grass covered pathway.

A few minutes later and a bright burst of sunlight locally contrasted with a particularly dark shadow on Haystacks, with dramatic effect.

   
Ann starts on the steep, pitched section of the path.
Further up Jenna pauses too, but I think for a breath this time!

A delightful little rock garden, overlooking Low Ling Crag on the opposite side of the lake.

Low fell and Darling Fell plus a view of Loweswater, both lake and hamlet

seen between the steep slopes of Mellbreak on one side and an adjacent rock outcrop on the Rannerdale climb.

Is this a good place to pose - the end-most summit rock with the steepest view over the lake ?

Or if you insist, a second, less dramatic shot on a smaller rock but with a view of Loweswater this time !!!

Robinson Fell now catching the sunshine, as Ann stops at the summit to zip up her coat.

The dogs are in full flight as they jump down from the top towards me.

Bethan, slightly breathless after her run-around . . .

. . . and Harry too, stationary for a change.

This local has more sense than to spend all afternoon running round.

Centre stage, the Herdwick sheep, with Fleetwith Pike, Brandreth and Haystacks behind.

   
The greens of summer as the bracken's colour matched the Rowan's.
Another burst of sunshine, on the foreground grass this time.

Following recent rains, the ground was more damp than normal,

and Sour Milk Gill on the other side of the valley was powerful enough today to enable it to be heard from over here.

We walked the length of the ridge towards Buttermere but then swung left (above) and walked back down the Rannerdale Valley.

- - - o o o - - -

Part way down we passed another Rowan, this time with quite well developed fruit which had already started to take on some colour.

Perhaps the colder environment down here in the valley was upsetting the calendar slightly ? Thinking about it, some of the bracken we had seen on the exposed ridge was also starting to turn colour.

The cold wet weather and the lack of sun in recent weeks was having an effect on the vegetation.

- - - o o o - - -

Behind the Rowan, the valley of Rannerdale Beck climbs between Lad Hows and Whiteless Pike.

In the narrow part of the valley, between a rock and a wet place, Mum and daughter stop for another photo opportunity together.

The walk ended back at Hawes Point, the clouds a little higher, the air a little drier, and the temperature a little warmer.

Perhaps it may be even nicer tomorrow ?

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon Ixus Digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . time to chat to family, if only one at a time.

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Previous walk - 7th July 2007 Water Aid's Six Peaks Event - Scafell Pike

A previous time up here - 4th April 2007 A Rannerdale Scramble with the grandsons

Next walk - 17th July 2007 White Oak Beck towards Gavel Fell