Reasons for Reasons
I was ‘raised’ – to use a phrase from our American friends – in south Lakeland and it has always remained home. Even though I left to study when I was 18 and didn’t return untill September 2010. A lot of years.
During those interim years I have had a great life, travelled and met some wonderful people and also have a managed to bring up my son fairly successfully. So, it although it was sort of ‘on the plan’, my move back North was not without trepidation.
As part of my ‘self affirmation’ that I had made the right decision I started a Facebook album ‘Reasons To Move North’. This has had wonderful comments from my friends but I never had the courage to make it public. Then recently I went on a Travel Writing Course with Zoe ,and much to my delight and surprise received more affirmation from positive comments on my travel writing. Something else which has always remained strictly within closed leaves.
A mindful review of my first year here followed and I realised that I had had an amazing twelve months. Yes, I have travelled away, but I have also done more here in the North West than I would have previously thought possible. And I have had so many visitors! People like it here! I have become a guide for friends and acquaintances who then spread the word about how wonderful the Lake District is. This led to my providing itineraries for weekends or longer visits. Some I accompanied, others I simply provided a ‘bespoke’ itinerary, with or with accommodation booked.
So, now it’s time to go Global!
And now I have built my own blog I have used my technical, from a previous life in IT, to build one for the Howgill Harriers. If you would like one put together then please contact me for a quote.
Weekend Walking North Lakes Part 2
Just outside the National Park , Penrith sits on the North Eastern Corner of the Lake District and the boundary follows the A66 west before bulging north to encompass Skiddaw, Blencathra and the slopes behind. North from the A66, before Blencathra is an intriguingly named village of Mungrisdale. On the road to the village footpaths cross in ladder like regularity giving several access points to Blencathra and the fells. The clouds of the previous day had been blown away and the hills were etched in high definition on blue screen. Several...
read moreWeekend Walking North Lakes– part 1
Two very different days and very different walks this weekend. Neither had I walked before, the second was a totally new area altogether and there is so much more there to explore. Saturday the hills were still hanging on to grubby grey cloud, but as I was with a friend more used to walking Warwickshire flatlands, staying off the tops happened to be more suitable. Getting out of the car and looking around brought satisfying ‘wow factor’ adjectives as my passenger looked across and up the valley. Follow a foot path out of the car park,...
read moreCumbria Views for Cumbria Day
January – Backbarrow February – Walk round Wansfell March – Harter Fell April – Duddon Estuary May – Goat Water June – Garburn Road July – Holme Canal August – Ullswater September – Crook October – Farleton Knott November – Heversham December – Scout Scar Follow the links for more details – enjoy
read moreOrrest Head
Friday was a ‘blue sky day’ but though not at work all day I still had commitments and could not dedicate myself to the hills all day. The forecast for the weekend, time of writing Sunday morning, has fulfilled it’s predictions of being a tad grey, so I am doubly glad I grabbed a brief lunch with Rosie and headed up to Windermere and the first ever Wainwright. Orrest Head is a little hill on the southern edge of Windermere and even on an early February day had attracted people whose footwear was more used to pavements and...
read moreBrimham Rocks
The grand finale of this walk is acted out on the edge of Brimham moor by the monolithic sculptures of Brimham Rocks but it is well worth taking in the earlier acts of the escarpment and woodland valley first. Parking, more easy than west end theatres, adjacent to the main stage and hosted by the National Trust. There are several routes wandering down the escarpment, but exit stage left and take the Nidderdale Way, in a westerly direction at first. There are occasional boulders dotted about. They quickly become shrouded in moss and...
read moreFacelift
Giving my blog a bit of a facelift. Taking a little longer than anticipated. If menus etc, don’t quite work, they should in a few days.
read moreNo Preservatives
After the recent ‘Flapjack Challenge’ on my Facebook page, a few people asked for my recipe. So here it is. You can see how well used and well loved it is by the state of the book. There is little elaboration in the method as it was much used when I was a child. I think I just kind of absorbed the recipe by some kind of osmosis and then, when I decided to write down some of my favourites, just gave the sketchiest of instructions. I am not going to translate the oz, ounces in to grams as my current posh electronic scales have ...
read moreSunshine in Coniston
When the snow eventually arrived it just dumped on us, but for a day we had high pressure and blue sky. Unexpectedly. So it was a quick breakfast, pack backpacks and go. The roads were fine after the chaos of the night before and even off the main A590 and onto the Torver/Coniston road the snow plough and griter had been and cleared our way. It was just so wonderful to see some blue sky after so many dull grey days. Everywhere looks so different, Torver looking more Alpine than Cumbria. As it happen we ended up only on a short walk up...
read moreGreen to White and Back Again
Cumbria has avoided the best of/worst of the wintery weather, depending your perspective on the white stuff. The Langdales tend to conjure up images of steep sides and craggy peaks, but they have to start somewhere and the valleys of Great and Little Langdale have woods, tarns and a sense of remoteness, especially on a rather dull January Friday. Driving from South Cumbria the snow joined us passing Kendal and we were making significant tracks by the time we reached Skelwith Bridge. Rather than drive on to Elterwater, our original plan, we...
read moreFocal Length
F8 and F13 Posted in response to a request from a facebook follow to illustrate what happens when you change the ‘F’ number on your camera. The top photo was taken with F8 and the bottom with F13. Both photos taken in Kathmandu. Browse my site for more on this trip.
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