Tag Archives: Wainwrights

Jan 01 2025
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Daily Post, Landscape

Coniston Old Man, from afar

Wednesday 1st January 2025, 3.00pm (day 4,878)

Coniston Old Man, 1/1/25

As a location, the Lake District has featured 171 times on this blog, so about once every 28.5 days, or roughly every four weeks. But in 2024 the place appeared only three times, the lowest yearly total by some distance. Finishing the commitment to hoik myself twice around the Wainwrights has made an obvious difference. This shot is taken from no nearer than Morecambe, with a very long zoom. Will I be back more in ’25? In all honesty — probably not.

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Jul 14 2024
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Daily Post, Landscape

Above Grains Gill

Saturday 13th July 2024, 2.00pm (day 4,706)

This blog has been going long enough (we approach 13 years next month), but my regular walks in the Lake District predate it: it was 19th July 2009 when the LD blog recorded ‘walk 1‘. Fifteen years have since passed, and with walk 215 today — I haven’t published the page just yet but will do so soon — I completed my bagging of every one of the 330 Wainwright fells therein: twice. Well, it’s certainly given me something to do (and to spend money on) in that time: but I am not upset it is finished, quite relieved, in fact. No broken legs, you know?

These guys stand at the top of Grains Gill, which runs into the heart of the District south from Borrowdale. I have just come off Great End, which would, toponymically, made a good finishing point but it turned out to be my penultimate fell — from here there is still Seathwaite Fell to come, just to the left of this shot.

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Sep 10 2023
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Daily Post, Landscape

Scafell and Slight Side

Friday 8th September 2023, 9.00am (day 4,397)

Scafell and Slight Side, 9/9/23

Scafell, on the left, is the second-highest mountain in England at 3,162 feet (964m) and even Slight Side, the pimple below the sun, is 2,499 feet, so no dwarf. I decided that ascending both was a good idea on a day which reached the high 20s Celsius, and on which breezes were just a dream, happening elsewhere. This was, perhaps, the slowest walk I have done since I was a toddler. But they were bagged. (See the Wainwrights blog for the gory details if you like.)

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Jun 10 2023
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna, Landscape

Formal sheep portrait, with Muncaster Fell

Thursday 8th June 2023, 4.15pm (day 4,305)

Sheep portrait and Muncaster Fell, 8/6/23

I am fond of the genre that is the Formal Sheep Portrait. They do pose — I mean, I’m not saying they know they’re having their picture taken, but they’re quite happy to stand still and check you out while you formulate the shot. This one is taken on the slopes of Irton Pike, in the west of the Lake District: it’s Muncaster Fell that is in the background, sporting a heavy growth of rhododendrons, hence the dusting of pink.

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Apr 16 2023
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Daily Post, Landscape

The Scafells, from Red Screes

Saturday 15th April 2023, 11.15am (day 4,251)

Scafells from Red Screes, 15/4/23

The summit known as Red Screes, with its substantial tarn, sits at 2,541 feet above sea level but is still considerably lower than the Scafells: left to right from the edge of the picture, Scafell, Scafell Pike and Great End. Great Gable pops up to the right. A fine day to be out walking even if the transport arrangements once again…. but what the hell, I expect too much perhaps. Read more on the other blog, if you like.

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Feb 24 2023
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Daily Post, Landscape

Walkers on Knott Rigg

Thursday 23rd February 2023, 12.40pm (day 4,200)

Walkers on Knott Rigg, 23/2/23

It was about time I paid another visit to the Lake District, having missed out on most of the winter, and I was not the only person to be thinking that it was too nice a day to stay indoors. The walkers stand on Knott Rigg, a fairly inconsequential lump that becomes the 306th Wainwright bagged on my second round, so I have 24 to go. In the background, Red Pike.

I notice that this blog, which was started on my 42nd birthday — hence the name — has now reached day 4,200. I am sure that I will think of some way of marking 6th April, which I calculate will be day 4,242.

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Jul 31 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape

The summit of Wandope

Friday 29th July 2022, 12.45pm (day 3,991)

Wandope summit, 29/7/22

On 29th July 2012, ten years ago, I was obliged to leave the rustic yet comfortable surroundings of the Black Sail hut and haul myself over Great Gable, a substantial lump of rock, in what remains the grimmest weather conditions I have encountered on any of my Lakeland walks. As today’s trip was the 200th of those — a pleasing milestone to reach — it was also pleasing that the weather was a damn sight better. (See my other blog for the full details.)

Wandope wasn’t one of the two Wainwrights bagged on the day, but this long-distance shot of its summit was the picture that pleased me the most: a case of it turning out just as was intended. The slopes in the background are those of the High Stile range, over Buttermere.

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Jun 13 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape

Grey Friar

Sunday 12th June 2022, 10.10am (day 3,944)

Grey Friar, 2,536 feet high, is one of the Coniston fells of Lakeland; this picture is taken from its western side, in the Duddon Valley. The pose of the sheep was too good to ignore, though yes, maybe this would be better still without the foliage to bottom right. But I like the composition in any case. (For more from today see my Wainwrights blog.)

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Apr 17 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape

Gray Crag, above Hayeswater

Friday 15th April 2022, 11.05am (day 3,886)

Gray Crag, 15/4/22

Busied myself up enough to get to the Lake District once more: those who follow my other blog can read all about my day there. Gray Crag was the most dramatic object seen — but fortunately not climbed — today (I’ve done it before, and it’s proper work I can tell you). Below it to the left, just visible, Hayeswater, which supplies the taps of Penrith a dozen or so miles away, hence the need for the access road. But I don’t think that spoils the shot; instead, like a necklace, it seems to accentuate the graceful lines of this fell.

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Dec 14 2021
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna, Landscape

Above Bassenthwaite Lake

Monday 13th December 2021, 11.40am (day 3,763)

Sheep portrait, Bass Lake, 13/12/21

As the country spirals back down into a stupid, paranoid and self-deluding feeling of ‘safety’, I’ve given up trying to talk to anyone about this so will just carry on doing my thing, including all activities which are health-giving and beneficial. The Lake District seems a fine setting for just that sort of thing. This is the National Park’s 150th appearance on this blog; an average of over once a month, which emphasises its value. ‘Work from home’? Bollocks to it. That will kill us all, faster than anything else.

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