After the sunshine of five days ago and with
the proximity to Christmas, there could have been the possibility
of another picturesque winter walk in Holme Wood.
The Mockerkin Mob, our local walking group,
had planned a 'B' walk for their Christmas outing but the weather
failed to play ball.
However our visit to the local woods this day
was very much enhanced by today's walk leader, John, who has
intimate knowledge of the area.

Hmmm . . . not exactly a white Christmas walk
. . . but when it's planned a fortnight ahead, we have to take
the weather on offer on the day.

We walked across the meadows from Maggie's Bridge,
over to Watergate Farm when the group gathered to start the walk.
Our organiser is Peter in the centre with the
blue/black jacket and on his right is John who will guide us
through the woods today.

First stop was The Bothy, which has been variously
used as a fisherman's hut, a charcoal burner's lodgings
and used by foresters and their horses when
working in the woods.
It was no doubt visited by industrialist John
Marshall and the poet William Wordsworth who together had a
major hand in re-planting the woods in the 1820's.
It is now a camping barn / bothy available to
rent from the National Trust.
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John
points out a mighty Horse Chestnut and a small leafed
Lime. |
Tree
Hugging with a purpose . . . to estimate the age of
the tree. |
Four of the group , or was it
five (the others were hidden behind) clasped hands around the
tree.
Calculating their combined arm-span
'in inches' would give a rough indication as to the age of the
tree.
It didn't quite match John's
suggestion that it was planted by Marshall in 1820 but It wasn't
too far out.
[ The calculation does however
differ between the different variety of trees that grow in this
mixed woodland.]

Down at the beach where Holme
Beck enters the lake.
The dogs had a quick swim and
discovered the steep drop off between the beach and the deeper
lake water caused by the gradual deposition of the stones.

Chance to play "Pooh Sticks"
under the bridge . . . Dougal almost had a hand in altering
the result as everyone threw in their sticks.
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The
Goblin Tree, looking a little cold and damp today. |
High
pines, thought to be "Silver Pines" but that
was not certain. |
Holme wood was significantly
replanted in the 1820's after it had been cut and cleared by
the previous owner.
John Marshall was a great environment
and philanthropist and bought a lot of land in Cumbria in order
to improve the habitat and restore the landscape.
Holme wood was re-planted in
two halves, the lower section as a leisure woodland with a huge
variety of deciduous and specimen trees.
The upper parts of the fell were
planted with Larch, hated by wordsworth, but necessary to provide
an economic future for the woodland.

In the woods there was an archeological
survey a few years back, which found Bronze age funerary barrows
and charcoal fire pits.
They also identified this stone
as a boundary stone placed during the time that the woods were
coppiced in sections for charcoal production.

John, who lives next to the woods
and who has become an expert on its wildlife and history, pointed
out old sheep folds that pre-date the woodland
and the flat area that would
have been an old meander of Holme Beck in times past.

Most of the larch has had to
be felled due to disease, but some were killed off but left
standing to provide an alternative habitat.
Amongst the woodland left, John
pointed out what looked like several red squirrel drays.

Holme Beck Bridge . . . an old
structural design more akin to a leisure woodland rather than
commercial plantation.
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From
the bridge we could view Holme Force with it's lower
spout. |
The upper
'mares tail' seemed hidden today, possibly by the vegetation. |

One result of the recently felled
larch is the emergence of a new viewpoint, from which we can
look out over Loweswater.

Click
here or on the photo above for a larger
annotated panorama.

All group walks need a cheerful
group photo . . . I'm on this one . . . thanks to John's camera
work.
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The
diagonal path down which starts at the coffin route,
was hardly recognisable. |
As too
were the newer forest tracks, which were feet deep in
mud a year ago. |

We walked back down to The Bothy
and then back to Watergate where we started the walk.
Lunch was on offer at High Thrushbank,
across on the other side of the lake.
- - - o o o - - -

Richard and Carolyn offered hospitality
at their cottage and everyone brought a contribution to the
feast.
To say we were 'very well catered
for' would be an under-exageration !
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As the lunchtime conversation continued,
the weather improved,
not that we had got wet on the pre-Christmas
walk.
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From their home Richard and Carolyn
had a fine view of Holme Wood
and particularly the 'Pheasant' outline
from the 1950's re-plant.
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Technical note: Pictures taken
with my iPhone 11pro mobile phone camera.
Resized in Photoshop, and built
up on a Dreamweaver web builder.
This site best viewed with
. . . a year's walking to look back on, and the prospect of
more 'A' and 'B' walks with the group in the year ahead.
Go to Home Page
. . . © RmH . . . Email
me here
Previous
walk -
10th December 2024 - Winter
Sunshine in Loweswater
A
previous time up here -
8th January 2021 - Winter
Wonderland (Loweswater)
Next
event -
24th Dec 2024 - Seasons
Greetings from Loweswater
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