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" Back Home and back into the Swing "

Date & start time:    Sunday 2nd and Thursday 6th June, 2019.

Location of Start :   By the red phone box, Loweswater, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 143 211 )

Location two :          Roadside near Burthwaite Farm, Wythop, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 182 291 )

Places visited :        The garden, the Lonesome Pine and Ling Fell.

Walk details :             2 miles, 625 feet of ascent, 1 hours 15 mins.

Highest point :          Ling Fell, 1,224ft - 373m

Walked with :             Ann and our dogs Dylan and Dougal. A cameo by Chris and Linda Howarth.

Weather :                    Summer sunshine and blue skies.

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Even though we drove home from Scotland in the rain and I also got slightly damp on the Farmer's Trip,

the Loweswater weather was not yet set to autumnal mode.  The sun came out, the skies cleared and the temperature rose.

Either side of my formal day out in the week there was plenty to do in the garden and plenty of dog walking as well.

Time to see how the greenhouse has managed with our fortnight off.

A kind neighbour, Joan, has popped in a few times so most things survived the heat.

Some of the tomato seeds had failed to take or had been eaten (I found two large snails in there this week)

so a few new plants from the garden centre made up the numbers and we're back on course.

The plants in the raised beds have grown in the fine weather.

Brassicas have done well, the beans less so . . . anyone need a lettuce !
The sunshine and lack of rain has slowed the new bedding plants.
   

After three days of gardening, starting at the top of the garden, I eventually reached the bottom of the paddock !

The most significant changes over the fortnight . . . the strong green colours and the length of the grass.

- - - o o o - - -

Several fields around us have changed ownership recently and the first one on the walk has been hardly grazed.

Consequently the grass in this field has also grown longer than normal and the long  grass moves like waves in the gentle breeze.

The second field has sheep and their lambs are growing fast.

Wool from these Swaledales is not worth much so many are shedding their winter coat naturally rather than the farmer shear them.

Summer greens . . . not vegetables . . . but the overall colour of the valley.

The rather grand house is the Vicarage where our new lady vicar has settled in well after her first six months in post.

The familiar sight of the Lonesome Pine . . . always a good target for a short walk.

The dogs also seem to enjoy the view, albeit with their backs to Crummock and Mellbreak.

Dougal, the youngster, is full of beans and is soon ready to be off once again.

On some of the more grazed fields the summer flowers are more abundant than when we left on our holiday.

Makes the mouth water just thinking about it !
Night time and one of my fellow workers in the greenhouse !
   

I 'Goggled' what frogs eat and it wasn't tomatoes . . . so he's fine to stay and eat the bugs and slugs !

Out in the garden we have been graced by a hedgehog again this year . . . we've seen him a few times since we've been back.

The dogs have seen him first on several occasions but he just rolls up and they leave him alone and he/she soon moves on.

- - - o o o - - -

We also had two other visitors in the garden this week . . .

Chris and Linda Howarth popped in to see us and the dogs.

They were staying locally and are regular views of the site . . . thanks for thinking of us and for calling in.

- - - o o o - - -

In the lovely weather we venture a little further for a walk later in the week.

Roadside parking beyond Wythop Mill . . .

. . . prior to the start of our walk up Ling Fell.

The view across to its near neighbour . . . Sale Fell.

We follow the 'coffin route' around the flanks of the fell, climbing slowly upwards.

The view back now includes Skiddaw . . . and Ullock Pike if you look closely.

Navigation decisions . . . we'll take the high road . . . we're looking west here over Cockermouth and the distant Solway coast.

The reason we chose this fell today . . .
. . . was to listen to the tuneful skylarks.
   

The weather was so good and the birds flying so high, they were difficult to see, let alone catch on camera.

We did spot a few sitting on the heather and the moorland scrub.
Several were singing too . . . This is a very much enlarged image.

The sounds stayed with us as we continued on to the top.

 

The trig point on the top of Ling Fell.

It has been seven months since we were last here and Dougal has grown.

He's also a lot heavier now to lift onto this tall trig point.

[ If you right click and open this RSPB link in a separate window you can have the skylarks audio play as you take in the view from the top.]

Now click here or on the photo above for a 360 degree annotated panorama for the full effect.

The  diminutive stone cairn on the summit . . . well there are few spare stones on this lovely grassy fell.

If you look up and to the right above Skiddaw Little Man peak there's a skylark, more good luck than judgement !

Picture of the boss . . . plus Dougal and myself.

Having reached the highest point . . . the only way is down.

This is looking east over (green) Burthwaite Heights, (wooded) Lady's Table, Ullock Pike with a cloud shadow and on towards Skiddaw.

The path curves back around the far side of the hill and we see Sale Fell once more.

Below us the track we used at the start of the walk re-appears on cue.

Dougal guesses the way back down to the car . . . or does he remember it from his first visit to the fell last November.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with Ann's Panasonic Lumix TZ60 Camera

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

This site best viewed with . . . a lawnmower and two dogs eager for a walk.

Go to Top . . . © RmH . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 4th June - Loweswater Farmers Summer Trip

A previous time up here - 18th November - Ling Fell for Dougal's 2nd

Next walk - 10th June - Fellbarrow & Local with Margaret