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Mellbreak after a photo Date & start time: Monday 4th January 2010, 2 pm start. Location of Start : The red phone box, Loweswater , Cumbria, Uk ( NY 143 211 ) Places visited : Kirkstile, Kirkhead, Mellbreak (Nth top) and back via the traverse path. Walk details : 3.5 mls, 1800 ft, 1 hrs 50 mins. Highest point : Mellbreak (Nth top) 1655 ft ( 509m) Walked with : Myself and the dogs, Harry and Bethan. Weather : Promising but fading.
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It's another beautiful morning and the snow is still about but the roads are a little clearer and traffic is moving . . . not that you get a lot of traffic in Loweswater. The moon sets as the sun rises today. 1st (sun)light on the Church 10.14 am due to a bank of cloud over the Buttermere end of the valley. Jobs done, it was time to walk the dogs. There's a panoramic photo in the Kirkstile Inn showing the view from the top of Mellbreak under winter snow. I've always meant to try and duplicate it, so today I combined that objective with walking the dogs. Loweswater with a hint of ice on it, especially at this end. Harry on the screes but Bethan takes the correct path today.
The small rock platform at the top of Raven Crag before we continue the ascent. It's a bit cloudy now and the light will not be good for that photo. Still the view is nice for this one. Buttermere from the Surprise Viewpoint. Looking across at a wintery Hopegill Head. Just as I reached the summit all hopes of a panoramic shot were dashed as the clouds which had been building over Blake and Gavel came across and hid the view. - - - o o o - - - No panorama but we can have a summit cairn shot to record the moment. Recently a Loweswatercam viewer, Del Blackmore, asked me how I managed to get the dogs to pose for the photo . . . easy really . . . you try it . . . Move your cursor over the photo to take your own photo. Did they look away . . . try again ! ( don't call them or they'll run over to you ) Missed it . . . do it slowly this time ! No . . . once more, this time quietly when they're not expecting it . . . make sure nothing distracts them. [ Alternatively give up and when your not expecting it they'll look towards you again ! ] Oh well . . . on with the walk. Just as you leave the summit of course the cloud clears and all the fells are back in view. The outline of the High Stile Ridge is lost in cloud. It's blowing across the tops at a fair rate . . . it must be very cold up at that altitude.
There's a lovely traverse around the western side of Mellbreak and makes for an easier descent. The path follows the white band of snow . . . somewhere across the middle of the photo. Safely down and we're back on the Mosedale track heading for home. Harry and Bethan indicated they wanted to go down to the pool . . . so we went down to the pool ( well I quite fancied checking out the river). Ice on the stepping stones . . . but I'll not cross today. Just below the pool is a small but iced over waterfall. and just below that the water cascades under an overhanging mossy bank and has produced a fine set of icicles. [ Sorry no video . . . move your cursor over the photo if you want to see the water move.] - - - o o o - - - |
Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera. Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder. This site best viewed with . . . a brighter day to achieve my photographic moment. © RmH.2009 # Email me here # or leave me a Guest Book Entry Previous walk - 2nd January 2010 Barrow & Outerside A previous time up here - pick one from my "Fells Page" under M for Mellbreak Next walk - 5th January 2010 Fangs Brow in the freezer
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