Wednesday, August 31, 2011

An Extended Walk Around Ennerdale Water

Yesterday we were back at Ennerdale, Andy on a work party, Karen taking some more photographs. The weather wasn't good enough to go up on the tops so Karen set off to complete the last of the low level pictures. We were walking in an area that is rarely walked, this muddy puddle must have frozen last winter & hasn't been touched since.
We are walking on forest roads that were constructed for logging on Bowness Knott (note Crag managed to get into this picture twice!)
It's a shame the cloud is down as you would get lovely views up the valley from here
There is so much fungi here, all shapes & colours
A tributary of Smithy Beck
Rather surprised to come across this rather old portacabin
We then walked down to join the Smithy Beck trail
"Our" bridge still standing strong
More fungi
At last we reach the lake
The weather deteriorated so this is the last picture as we reached Anglers Crag on our circuit of the lake

Thursday, August 25, 2011

A Walk To Burnmoor Tarn

Today we decided to do a few more of the Wasdale footpath surveys. The weather was lovely, shorts weather for a nice change. Thankfully these cows were friendly even though they had some very young calves with them. Kirk Fell & Great Gable in the background The sky reflecting in Wastwater gave it a beautiful blue colour
Wasdale Head Hall Farm at the foot of the lake
And across the lake to Yewbarrow
Interesting sign on this stile?
Kirk Fell & Great Gable from higher up
Yewbarrow & Kirk Fell
And we reach Burnmoor Tarn
On our way back Sca Fell & Slight Side
The bulk of Yewbarrow
We have one more short path to survey, Andy sat by Lingmell Beck
Scafell Pike & Sca Fell tower above us

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A Walk Up Haystacks

Today we were back at Ennerdale on a work party. Karen decided to take a walk up Haystacks to take some more panoramic photos whilst Andy stayed with the others working on the River Liza path. We were able to park at Middle Bridge so that vastly shortened the walk in for Karen & the dogs & soon were climbing up to the first photographic point. And these are the two panoramas of the landscape taken from it
As we climb higher Ennerdale Water comes into view
Further on up & great views to Great Gable at the end of the valley
We soon meet up with the Black Sail to Scarth Gap path which is our next photo point
Photos taken we head on up to Scarth Gap where the dogs find something interesting to sniff
Looking up to Haystacks we still have 150m of height to gain
Zooming in on some figures on the skyline
In the other direction High Crag & its very steep ascent/descent
Buttermere & Crummock Water in the distance
We didn't need to get to the summit just skirt around it to Innominate Tarn but the path led us there anyway
Ennerdale Water from near the summit
We stop to take the final two pictures just before Innominate Tarn
It's lunch time so Karen stops at this tarn much to Bess's delight
Crag however is disappointed there are no sticks up here so takes it upon himself to try to rip some dead heather out of the ground
How much fun have I been having?
Finally a picture of Innominate Tarn
And across to High Crag & Seat as we start our descent. Karen had spotted this path on her way up but it looked very steep & the surface was scree, so it was a good down path but not one to try on the way up
Looking back up the route we had come down
We were going to back a little early for Andy to have finished so extended the walk to go down to near Black Sail before walking back. Lots of people gathered there
Lots of mushrooms in the valley today, this quite a large one
Steeple through the trees
Meanwhile Andy & the other volunteers had been busy creating drains on a part of the path that tends to flood.
This one is working well channeling the water away