Footpath Patrols Around Buttermere

Today we have been over to Buttermere where we were able to walk around the lake and do a patrol at the same time.

We haven’t had much rain at home but there has obviously been more over here as Buttermere Dubs has burst its banks.

The route took us on a slightly higher path than we would normally use on the south side of the lake, here they have recently cleared a large area of trees

Back down lower & reflections in the lake, Fleetwith Pike to the right

Robinson reflects in the lake

Looking up at High Stile

Looking towards Buttermere village

Karen’s lunch spot photo with Red Pike behind

We are really enjoying doing these patrols as they are getting us to new places or in the case of Buttermere places we haven’t visited for a while.

Crag Meets The Blencathra Hounds

Today we were patrolling some footpaths near Threlkeld, just the one video when we approached the kennels where the hounds are kept.  It’s noisy!!!

Footbridge Surveys in Eskdale

Today we were surveying two bridges in Eskdale.  We parked at the bottom of the Hardknott Pass where there was a considerable amount of snow piled up by the side of the road.

Not surprisingly the pass was closed

Brotherilkeld Farm with Bowfell in the distance

At the first kissing gate it was apparent that there was going to be some snow today…

But it was very localised just where it had drifted

What was strange was just how much was on the river

Ling Cove bridge our first of the day

Snow on the river, Crag thinks it doesn’t get much better than this

That water must be cold as you can see the snow under the water

We have surveyed these two bridges for a number of years in April & have never been able to cross The River Esk here & have had to retrace our steps to a bridge near the bottom.  Today however the water was low enough to reasonably easily cross.

Impressive icicles hanging from the river bank

The snow almost totally covers the river here

A short video of our surroundings, did I mention it was rather windy today? (check your volume is down low)

We reach our next bridge & the waterfalls aren’t that impressive today

But the icicles are

Scale Bridge, most of the footprints here are sheep

Who we come across further down (they are all watching Crag here)

Our (probable) farewell to the snow until the end of the year, we’ve had some fun in it this winter & spring

Footpath Patrols Around Wallthwaite

Today as the sun was shinning brightly again we set off to do a patrol in the north east of The Park.  We parked in the hamlet of Wallthwaite.
Looking up at the snow on Blencathra

And across the field to Clough Head

Soon we come to some snow drifts in a field
We then cross an impressive bridge

It crosses the dismantled railway from Keswick to Penrith.  We have walked the section from Keswick to Threlkeld but surprisingly this section is not a public right of way, it would be perfect

Looking in the other direction

Another patch of snow with Clough Head in the background

Great Dodd to the left of Clough Head has far more snow on it

Walking down a farm track with Blencathra in the distance

Nothing on google for this gentleman, perhaps he was a local farmer?

Crag disappears off in the distance in this virgin snow

And returns

And if it’s not the snow it’s a river he is playing in

Andy admiring this log stack in a field, wondering how we could get all of this in the car!

“I am having sooooo much fun”

More good weather forecast tomorrow so we are off to Eskdale to survey some bridges