Saturday 23rd July 2016, 1.55pm (day 1,794)
I love the way these cones also look like flowers — even eggs? I guess all three are more-or-less the same thing.
Young pine cones
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: Lake District
The sacrifice awaits?
Wednesday 13th July 2016, 12.30pm (day 1,784)
In need of distraction from the various (minor) personal and (major) political and institutional cock-ups afflicting my life at the moment — so I did what I usually do in these circumstances, took a book to read on the way and got myself up a mountain. On the top of Dollywaggon Pike (2815 feet, or 858m, above sea level), this tableau awaited…. is the stone on top of the bear a kindness, to keep it there until its owner returns? Looks more like a sacrificial altar to me. Still, there are worse places to be exposed to the elements.
Pike o’Stickle and Bowfell
Tuesday 21st June 2016, 12.05pm (day 1,762)
After over a week of it raining every day, today — the summer solstice — while not exactly sunny, was at least dry. I had a book needing reading for work, I took it on the trains and went for a short but rewarding walk around the head of Great Langdale. Bowfell, in the background, is 2,960 feet high, and not on the itinerary today, but I did get to the sugarloaf summit of Pike o’Stickle about half an hour after this picture was taken. Note the walkers on the top at this point.
The Duddon Estuary and Black Combe
Saturday 4th June 2016, 5.10pm (day 1,745)
One of England’s best-looking, and also hardest-to-reach corners. I have been doing this blog long enough to have photo locations recur even though it feels like quite a while since I was there, and this is true here — the slopes of Black Combe (the 1970′ above sea level mountain in the background), the Duddon Eastuary, and local fauna, featured on this decent shot taken back in October 2013. Today’s shot was taken from near Foxfield station on the long train journey home: not a bad picture for one taken from a moving train through glass, although there are some reflections visible near the centre if one knows where to look.
Climbing Blencathra
Monday 23rd May 2016, 12 noon (day 1,733)
My weekend was Sunday and today. I still seem willing to get up to the Lake District when I can — it’s been six weeks since my last visit, I was getting itchy. Probably I’ll still be doing it when I’m this guy’s age. After all, with a backdrop like this for one’s life — how can it be wrong? The lake is Derwent Water, the town Keswick, the mountains are all worth the time, if I haven’t convinced you yet to visit this part of the world then you really haven’t been paying attention. (See my other blog for the details of today’s walk, and all the rest of them too.)
Great Gable and Kirk Fell
Monday 28th March 2016, 1.30pm (day 1,677)
As its name suggests, Great Gable is the pyramid on the left, and one of the most well-known fells in the Lake District and/or England. Last time I went up it was in foul weather (on 29/7/12) and I am determined to return to it in blue skies, so it was not on my itinerary today — but it was the best looking object on my walk round the upper reaches of the valleys of Borrowdale and Gillercomb. Colder and greyer than it might have been, but I quite like this shot, taken from the nearby summit of Brandreth.
Dale Head summit
Monday 7th March 2016, 1.45pm (day 1,656)
Some weather forecasts just sit there demanding to be used. The thin veneer of vapour on the horizon is the nearest I got to clouds all day. The summit is Dale Head, between Newlands and Honister in the Lake District — a genuinely impressive cairn, and a damn fine view. This is why I worked yesterday instead.
Graystones and Wythop Moss, from Ling Fell
Thursday 18th February 2016, 12.20pm (day 1,638)
Graystones is the modest peak to centre right, Wythop Moss the substantial swamp below. The fringe of trees is the top end of Darling How plantation, which extends down into the unseen valley over the far side of the ridge. And yes, I took the day off, well, most of it anyway, to go on a walk. But I’m working Sunday, so these things balance out, before you call the employment police (probably the Tories are considering such a step).
Heron Pike
Friday 15th January 2016, 11.40am (day 1,604)
I remain grateful for the fact that I have a job flexible enough to allow me to bring my weekend forward a day and get out on a walk on a Friday. However, I wasn’t out basking in the sunshine or anything. This was a severe-weather walk, as rough as anything I’ve ever done, as evidenced by the spindrift seen here. Heron Pike sits between the lakes of Grasmere, Rydal Water and (pictured) Windermere. More photos from this walk on my other blog when I get round to it, but that’ll be tomorrow now.
Bucks and does
Tuesday 13th October 2015, 11.35am (day 1,510)
I’m sure there are lots of things that could be better about this picture, but hey, it ain’t easy to capture wild red deer in England — there really aren’t very many of them, and they really don’t like people. This was my best attempt. I like the way the two bucks are clearly keeping an eye out for anyone who might be messin’ with their does, so to speak.
Being 42 