Tag Archives: walking

Oct 16 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

Ether Knott

Thursday 15th October 2020, 1.15pm (day 3,339)

Ether Knott, 15/10/20

The start of teaching has been delayed four weeks this year, but the summer can’t last forever. This is basically my last three-day gap of freedom before it all kicks in. And in weather like today, I made the most of it — as did the other walker just visible on this shot, below the summit of Ether Knott, a minor protuberance above Borrowdale. Behind, Skiddaw, one of the Lake District (and England’s) 3,000-footers. Boosting one’s immune system is very much the way to go, whatever the lockdowners think.

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Oct 03 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

Barf, from Lord’s Seat

Friday 2nd October 2020, 10.55am (day 3,326)

The Lake District mountain that is Barf has a very silly name, but it is a rugged little beast and has a great view. Its summit has featured before, as some eight and a half years ago I was up there with the couple who’d brought their grandson’s Action Man along for the ride. With a weather forecast that is significantly deteriorating, I made the most of a chance to rebag it (and its two neighbours, Lord’s Seat and Whinlatter) today as part of my ongoing second Wainwright round. I’ll work some other day…. OK? Wouldn’t you?

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Sep 19 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

Loch Skeen

Friday 18th September 2020, 10.30am (day 3,312)

Loch Skeen, 18/9/20

The weather forecast today was such that it made one think — ‘Hmmm, better get out into the open air, before some pencil-pushing parasite with a job to make seem relevant decides I can no longer be trusted to do so.’  So I went out.  To Scotland, in fact: making this only the second non-English shot since the beginning of February.  It was worth the drive. This is Loch Skeen, near Moffat.

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Sep 10 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Hedge tunnel

Wednesday 9th September 2020, 11.10am (day 3,303)

Hedge tunnel, 9/9/20

What would have been the best photograph of my day was never actually taken. At one point on my walk through the hills of the Medway valley, I came round a corner and a grass snake and I startled each other — the first snake I have ever seen live in the wild, even including other countries. But my camera was in its bag and it was far too keen to leave my vicinity for me to be able to bag it.  Never mind. Instead, I present this mildly sinister hedge tunnel: I can quite imagine some goblins coming along to surprise me in the other direction.

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Aug 23 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

In the Hope Valley

Saturday 22nd August 2020, 3.25pm (day 3,285)

Hope Valley, 22/8/20

I see little prospect of my leaving the UK for the rest of 2020, to be honest.  But luckily, this is a diverse and beautiful island, and there are plenty of bits of it that I have not seen yet.  Up until today, that included the Hope Valley, which heads into the Pennines west of Sheffield, and can be reached on a train from there or Manchester.  I rectified this omission today, and had a grief-free and pleasant day out there, and a dry one, despite the showers which seemed to be affecting everywhere else in the north today.  I hope the couple pictured here enjoyed it too.

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Aug 20 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

The Wrekin in mist

Tuesday 18th August 2020, 5.10pm (day 3,281)

The Wrekin, 18/8/20

This would be a nicer photo without the bushes in front, but I took it from a car, stopped in the middle of a road, in order to capture the sight of this hill wreathed in mist.  This is the Wrekin, a well-known protuberance in Shropshire, and one that Clare and I had just hauled ourselves up in weather much like this — on occasion there was mist and cloud, in other parts, clear skies. Another County Top done, anyway.

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Jul 29 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

Walker and Walna Scar

Tuesday 28th July 2020, 1.20pm (day 3,260)

Walker and Walna Scar, 28/7/20

This guy was very helpful today — not because he offered us direction as such, but because his bright orange and yellow gear was later seen heading up Harter Fell, our destination for the day, and this helped reveal the correct path.  Hence the value of hi-vis.  A good walk today but I never seem to experience Eskdale in truly good weather.

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Jul 27 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

What on earth are you doing here

Sunday 26th July 2020, 12.05pm (day 3,258)

Stony Tarn, 26/7/20

That was doubtless the thought in the minds of these two sheep as this foolhardy human (i.e., me) trudged into their territory in weather that could at best be termed ‘inclement’.  I was certainly thinking it too.  Taken at Stony Tarn, near Eskdale, at about the point I decided to give up on the primary target of the hike and go somewhere warmer and drier.

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Jul 22 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Heartbreaking story about terribly cute creature

Tuesday 21st July 2020, 12.45pm (day 3,253)

Tragic lamb, 21/7/20

I went on a Lakeland walk today.  I didn’t feel like mentioning this story when using this photo on my walking blog. If you’re having a day full of the joys of summer, and don’t feel like having it spoiled, admire (or not) this picture of the lamb. (The mountain in the background is Black Combe, where several years ago now, I took another picture of a sheep that I still rather like.)  Then move on, your day unblemished by tragedy.

Sadly, this lamb is in trouble. A minute after taking this shot I came across its recently deceased mother (I warned you…).  Although I didn’t conduct a close inspection, the ewe could not have died that long ago: probably from an attack by a fox or some idiot walker’s unleashed dog.  I hope the local shepherds find this orphan before too much longer passes: after all, that is what they do, and are good at. But people, please — keep your dogs on a lead when there are sheep about. You knew that, right?

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Jul 12 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

Tiny Tyne

Saturday 11th July 2020, 12.55pm (day 3,243)

Tiny Tyne, 11/7/20

If you’ve ever been to the city of Newcastle, you will be plenty familiar with the River Tyne, which flows through the place like a big fat worm, and is spanned by a multitude of bridges.

This, however, is the baby Tyne: a mere infant in swaddling clothes, pictured a couple of miles south of the village of Garrigill in Cumbria, and as near the middle of nowhere as one tends to get in England. I think it’s rather cute.

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