Hiley Website

Another local favourite on an afternoon that promised good weather but started off with rain.

Dee and John are up for a couple of weeks and wanted a good walk, but one that was not to long for their dog Amber.

Would the weather deteriorate as we drove the short distance towards the high fells or improve as the forecast said ?

Dry under foot but there's plenty of cloud about and the chance of a dry walk is not guaranteed.

Still, with a waterproof in the small day pack, there's no point in dwelling on the problem.

A member (or two) of the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team offer slide shows in the local Youth Hostel for overnight YHA residents and other visitors to the valley.

These talks have been held for many years and we remember being entertained for an evening while we were staying in the Bridge Hotel. That was a few years back now, before we moved to Loweswater.

If you have a spare Tuesday evening this summer go along and see a few slides of the area and learn about the work of the team.

They are running the slide show on all five Tuesdays in August.

- - - o o o - - -

Our walk started with the steep path up the end of Rannerdale.

Grey it may be but the weather was holding. It was warm and humid which combined with the angle of the slope meant that shorts and t-shirts were the order of the day.

The view up the remainder of the Buttermere Valley was accompanied by a rain shower which swept its way across the High Stile Ridge

and up and over Fleetwith Pike. Fortunately this side of the valley remained dry.

Amber, Harry and Bethan's 11yr old sister, needs a little more time to climb these days compares to our seven year olds.

We wait while she does an extra wide zigzag, taking the grass path in preference to the stones.



It would be a dry climb all the way now . . .	. . . after the second steep section of the path.

Bethan, sheep watching against a dark sky background.

This one, higher up the fell, has still to shed her winter coat, although her friends are already kitted out in shorts and t-shirt.

The end Knott of Rannerdale Knotts allows Bethan a great view of the valley below.

She, perhaps more than many of the dogs we have known,

is a great one for finding a viewpoint and just standing and enjoying looking around at the world.

This was her view down the valley now the air has really cleared.

Five ridges in close up.

Rannerdale summit, the second Knott, the ridge leading to Whiteless Pike, High Snockrigg and Robinson Fell.

The summit cairn on Rannerdale, looking slightly less ram-shackled.

It's been a hot and humid climb so Amber seeks a drink from a rock pool on the summit.

" If I stick my feet in, it feels really nice. "

" In fact if I sit in it completely, I'll be really happy."

" She's done it . . . now what are the rest of us going to do for a drink ? "

Never mind . . . just relax and enjoy the view !

Fleetwith Pike, Brandreth, Haystacks and the cloud even clearing off Kirk Fell and Gable.

The rain has cleared completely as forecasted and the air is as clear as a bell.

[ I always though that was a funny analogy . . . vision being compared to sound ]

Ann has captured John and I just tidying up the sprawling pile of summit stones

while the Foreman looks on !

Climbing down from the second Knott on the way along the Low Bank Ridge.

The lad in front of Lad Hows . . . the climb up cloud-free Grasmoor.

Master or mistresses of all they survey.

" If they can do it . . . so can we. "

Looking into the sun reflecting off Crummock Water.

The beck opposite leads up to Scale Force, and the highest of the fells is Great Borne which overlooks Ennerdale Valley

John on the path leading down into Rannerdale Valley.

Move your cursor over the picture (and back reasonably quickly) to observe the magic of a three dimensional web site.

[ Remember you saw it first, here on Loweswatercam ! ]

The vivid summer green is unfortunately due to an abundance of bracken.

A rather fine curved wall follows one of the minor streams down off Whiteless Pike.

The areas that were coloured earlier by the hardy bluebells that survived the floods, are now being colonised by foxgloves and bracken.

All thoughts of the grey start to the walk are now just distant memories in our heads . . . and the camera.


Remember: Press F11 for a full screen view of this page.