After a sobering return from a beautiful week in the Highlands, it was time for a beautiful little jaunt in Eskdale.
I was also due to hang out with me Dad again. After arriving at Dad’s, he suggested checking out Stanley Ghyll Force, one of the Lake District’s largest waterfalls. I were game for that!
Where to go on the final day of our week long Scottish Highlands getaway?
We had a few options, but ultimately settled on an area we’d only visited once, the very first time we explored Glencoe in Autumn 2014: Kinlochleven.
We were exceptionally fortunate with the Scottish Highland weather.
Although conditions were consistently near the freezing point, we enjoyed days of clear light and skies. The only day that wasn’t the case was when we hiked around Glenfinnan.
We’ve only ever been to Oban once before.
This was way back in Autumn 2014, when we first went into the Highlands of Scotland. On a particularly murky, misty, and wet day we drove away from the mountains and instead went to check out the nearest major town: Oban.
Somewhere new and somewhere old.
The draw of Glen Etive is always strong, especially with those world-famous views towards Buachaille Etive Mòr. But before we revisited what is quickly becoming known as the “Skyfall valley”, we wanted to check out somewhere new (to us).
The grandest valley beneath the tallest mountain.
The last time we visited Glen Nevis was way back in Autumn 2014, which was our very first time in the Glencoe/Lochaber area. This was in the prime of my HDR days.
After nearly a decade, it’s time to tick this one off the bucket list.
Early on in my photography journey—almost immediately after I learned about the wonders of Glencoe—I discovered and read about a “secret” valley above the main Glencoe valley itself.
We’re back in the Highlands for a week!
On the way up from Cumbria, we stopped off roughly halfway through to check out a place we’ve been meaning to visit for ages: New Lanark and the Falls of Clyde.
If the weather’s not going to improve, time to go somewhere that suits it.
Regular readers of this site may know that Mallerstang, technically part of the Yorkshire Dales, is one of my favourite places in Cumbria. Typically my hikes in the valley explore the region south of Wild Boar Fell. However towards the northern part of the valley, as it starts to flatten out, one can find a historical gem: Pendragon Castle.
Time for somewhere new (to us).
In all my time of living in Cumbria and visiting the Lake District, I’ve never set foot near one of the Lake District’s most popular attractions: Wray Castle.
After the recent freeze, winter fog has descended over the land.
It’s been soupy thick and still, gently drenching everything and chilling bodies down to the bone.
Over the weekend, the outdoors called us—as always—and so we tried somewhere a little different. Above the village of Staveley, which also serves as the entrance to Kentmere, a small yet imposing fell dominates the skyline: Reston Scar. It may only be 834 feet (254 m) in height, but it’s relative isolation allows for cracking views…
Arctic conditions have returned.
After what’s seemed like an endless amount of rain, a dry and cold front has arrived over the British Isles, covering the fells in frost and snow.
By the gods, there has been a lot of rain.
It’s made getting out for some winter hiking difficult, if not impossible. In decades past, the Lake District was more known for a lurking misty drizzle that saturated everything. With climate change ever more present, these days rain in Cumbria crashes down in sheets of massive downpours, overwhelming infrastructure and rivers alike.
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope you all had a merry time with those you love (which can also just be yourself). What are your goals for 2023? Let’s hope this year’s a little more… boring, shall we say?
Merry Christmas everyone!
I hope you all find peace and rest this holiday season.
We had our usual quiet affair for Christmas. Dad came over to stay with us, and we all enjoyed a fantastic Christmas dinner that my lovely Lisabet put together. But, to the eternal question: what to do on Boxing Day? Apart from stuff ourselves silly with Christmas Day Leftover Sandwiches, of course…
I’ve been wanting to get into the snowy mountains for a while.
As I’d accrued a fairly significant amount of flexi-time at work, I used it to take a mid-week day off and headed into Lake District.
The first snow of the season has arrived.
Fortunately—living where I do—there are plenty of quick routes one can take from the town centre to ascend some nearby hills and check out the expansive wintery views.
The seasons progress and the weather is changing.
After a month of near-constant rain interspersed with heavy fog, a high-pressure system is moving in and bringing with it clearer skies and lower temperatures.
It was me Dad’s birthday at the weekend!
To celebrate, we all enjoyed a lovely wander around Talkin Tarn, east of Carlisle, before treating Dad to lunch.
The last time we were at Talkin Tarn was around November 2017. I only remember this because I had just bought a Sigma dp0 Quattro, and this walk was my first opportunity to put it through its paces. This was also back in my tripod days.
Time for somewhere a little different.
For a little while now we’ve had our peripheral vision on a little-known nature reserve in southwest Cumbria: Hodbarrow Nature Reserve.
Today was the day to visit and explore it.
The weekend arrived and it finally stopped raining.
To celebrate, Lisabet and I explored somewhere often overlooked by us and perhaps many others. Heading west from Kendal towards Barrow-in-Furness lies the coastal town of Grange-over-Sands.
Ever since we returned from South Wales, it basically hasn’t stopped raining in North England.
This has severely limited opportunities to get and about in the local area for some quality hikes and enjoy the season’s autumn colours.
Our last full day in South Wales.
We’d previously enjoyed some waterfall action at Cwm Rhaeadr near Llandovery. But that was just one waterfall, even though it was a mighty one.
Did you know that Wales is home to the most castles per square mile of any country in Europe?
Certainly during our stay in South Wales we visited our fair share of them, mostly in ruins, such as Dinefwr and Castell Carreg Cennen, and Llandovery castle.
Just outside of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, one can find other excellent stretches of South Wales coastline.
East of Pembrokeshire, Swansea is home to the Gower Peninsula and the Gower AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). We had already explored a small section of this area at the start of our holiday at Mumbles. But further along the coastline from Mumbles one can find a stretch of fantastical coastline between Port Eynon and Rhossili.
If I had one main personal goal for this fortnight in South Wales we’re enjoying, it’s to get up one of the mountain ranges in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
If there’s a feature that—to my mind—typifies South Wales that isn’t it’s glorious coastline, it’s the waterfalls.
In fact, in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park lies an area called Waterfall Country.
After a morning spent carefully watching the weather apps, it was time to venture out.
Southwest of Wales one can find the historical port town of Tenby, or Dinbych-y-pysgod (“Fortlet of the fish”) to give its proper Welsh name. While we drove through the lashing rain, we arrived at Tenby in relatively dry conditions, wandering around the town and its beaches as the clouds gradually lifted and broke apart.
A last burst of summer in autumn.
For our second full day in South Wales we decided to check somewhere we’d never been to before on our previous South Wales explorations: Mumbles.
We’re in South Wales for a fortnight!
It feels great to relax and have a proper break from the severely challenging year we’ve had.
Arriving at our holiday property Friday evening—after a gruelling 5-hour drive in the lashing rain—we woke up Saturday deciding to explore the area nearby where we’re staying around Llandeilo.
There’s so much in history in the UK that it can sometimes be hard to separate the work of man from nature.
With a beautiful autumnal weekend on the horizon, Lisabet and I set out to meet up with my Dad for a hike somewhere new: Walltown Country Park in Northumberland.
We had opportunity this weekend to visit somewhere a little different.
As we move from Summer to Autumn—with the increase in stormy downpours apparent—the quality of light improves drastically. But before the legendary Lake District autumnal colours arrive, we’re in peak fruit and berry harvesting season. What better way to observe and learn about growing fruit and vegetables than a tour of Lawson Park above Coniston Water?
Back for the first time in 2 years.
Time for something rather different from me.
If you’re a long-time follower of my blog or work (hello, and thank you!) you’ll know I’m mostly about the landscapes, nature, architecture, and travel.
I think we’re due a break after the year we’ve had.
Happily Lisabet and I was able to book our usual two-week September/October break. Where to go this year?
We felt that Scotland, as much as we dearly love the country, would prove too costly with 2022 petrol prices. What about Wales? It’s been a good while since we’ve visited, moreso since we’ve been to South Wales in particular.
There’s something awe-inspiring yet slightly unnerving about a giant hole in the ground.
The Yorkshire Dales is known for many things: beautiful waterfalls everywhere, isolated peaks, perfectly sculpted valleys… and also, caves. It’s home to some of the most extensive cave systems in the UK.
A gorgeous evening on the horizon. What to do? Where to go?
Lisabet often has brilliant ideas and this no exception: park up alongside Force Falls and follow the path all the way into and around Levens Hall Deer Park and back.
After a wet week, it was nice to get up on the fells above Kendal.
On the Sunday, Lisabet had a series of obligations to attend to, so I took the opportunity for a solo hike. As Kendal sits in a valley (Kent + Dale, that is, “the valley of the river Kent”), it is flanked east and west by small fells. On the western side of the valley the ground gently rises up before terminating in a series of limestone cliffs plunging down to the Lyth Valley. The main fell here is Scout Scar, a local favourite, but a smaller sibling can be found further north: Cunswick Scar.
British weather has returned to its unpredictable norm since the heatwave.
This has made getting out for good long hikes—either during the weekends or in the evenings—difficult. We’ve had periods of torrential downpours, almost monsoon-like.
A 4am start.
The UK is on the cusp of a record-breaking heatwave, kicking in Sunday evening/Monday morning. Even before the real heatwave arrived, Sunday’s temperatures up here in Cumbria were looking to peak at around 26°C. Not only that, summer in the Lake District is easily its busiest time. So what to do?
The British summer heatwave has arrived.
I took the opportunity for a long overdue stay over at my Dad’s, so that we could enjoy a lovely wander in the glorious British sunshine during the weekend.
Today required… flexibility.
My initial plan for the day was to get up early and head to Kentmere for a lovely walk around the valley and its fells. It’s usually a trial to access Kentmere; the road to it from Staveley is long and narrow with few passing places. Then, once you’re at Kentmere, the only place to park is outside the church, fit for maybe 4–5 cars.
It has been too long since I’ve been to Great Langdale.
In fact, from what I can make out, the last time I visited Great Langdale was November 2020. That’s bad.
My poor Lisabet is still fighting COVID-19.
So, after being a dutiful boyfriend and sorting out brews/shopping/whatnot, I took the opportunity for a solid hike up to Scout Scar.
The weather is really starting to pick up in the UK now. Whilst we haven’t seen temperatures that the likes of France are currently experiencing (pushing 42°C), parts of the southeast England and London have been hitting 30°C.
COVID-19 is in da house.
2 years and 3 months after the initial UK-wide Lockdown announcement, my poor Lisabet has contracted the virus.
She’s being quarantined in the bedroom, door shut, windows open, and donning a mask whenever I need to go in to deliver brews or food.
2022 has got more twists and turns than a goat’s intestines.
This isn’t the place to rant. Suffice it to say, it’s been a super frustrating year. Thankfully, I have had a small nugget of personal positive news, which I’ll clutch tightly to my chest and use as a shield for whatever 2022 has next for me.
It was time to show Dad the glory of Grisedale.
With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee giving us two days holiday, Dad and I were able to spend some time together. We embarked on a hike up Grisedale, an offshoot of the main Patterdale valley near Ullswater. To my mind, Grisedale features one of the greatest valley sceneries in all of the Lake District.
To start, I need to make a few disclaimers.
Firstly, this isn’t a technical review, involving test cards, colour charts, and other rigorous methods of optical testing. I don’t know how to do any of that, and I’m sure plenty on the internet have already done so.
2022 has been fuckin’ wild so far.
But finally, things are a bit happier. Family members that had been in hospital for separate issues are now home and recuperating.
It’s been stressful, and there have been somber conversations.
I wanted to see a lot of bluebells one last time for this year.
A work colleague tipped me off about Brigsteer Park, a woodland south of its village namesake, Brigsteer. The village sits underneath Scout Scar, and there’s a surprising amount of woodland underneath this fell.
There’s a lot going on right now.
So, with another glorious spring day on the horizon, Lisabet and I booted up for a hike up the fellside of Kendal into Serpentine Woods.
There’s more to the Northern Fells of the Lake District than meets the eye.
Nearing the end of our May break, and after having enjoyed the delights of Dash Falls, Lisabet and I decided that a reasonably high climb was in order.
Here’s another place I’ve been meaning to explore for ages.
The Northern Fells of the Lake District are dominated by two champions: Skiddaw and Blencathra, the 6th and 18th highest mountains in England respectively. These fells make up a wall of peaks at the southern end of the Northern Fells, looming directly over Keswick and Threlkeld.
We’re taking a week’s break in Western Cumbria.
After arriving at the accommodation near Wigton, meeting the owners, and settling in, we decided an evening stroll at nearby Allonby Bay was in order.
Things are really starting to look nice and green now.
After what seemed like a month or so of virtually no rain throughout spring, the April/May cusp has brought a decent amount of overnight precipitation. It seems like the plants really needed it.
Another Yorkshire Dales waterfall ticked off.
On the way back from our weekend at Pateley Bridge, where we scrambled up Trollers Gill and explored Almscliffe Crag, we decided no the scenic route right through the centre of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Welcome back to Barkbooth Lot!
We’re starting to see those beautiful bluebells appearing in woodlands across Cumbria now, so over the weekend we enjoyed a wander around our new favourite bluebell spot, Barkbooth Lot.
Yorkshire’s a beautiful county, isn’t it?
Living in Kendal as we do, we enjoy closer access to the Yorkshire Dales, an area in North Yorkshire we love dearly. But there’s plenty more outside of the Dales.
Happy belated Easter everyone. Did you have a good ‘un?
Usually for Cumbria, and the Lake District in particular, Easter signals the first tourism wave of the season. With that in mind, and no obligations to serve, Lisabet and I booked a couple of nights away in a beautiful B&B set in bonny Pateley Bridge, in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
A brighter weekend means a long Sunday morning above Kendal.
We’ve been to Warriners Wood many times before, after we found it during the winter of 2021. As of spring this year it appears to have survived the 2021/2022 storm season rather well, and some of my favourite trees are still standing strong.
Cumbria’s got super cold again after last weekend’s bizarre heatwave.
Following the weekend’s temperatures pushing 20ºC, Monday onwards saw conditions plunge back down to freezing point with fresh snow falling on the fells. Thankfully, as the week progressed, the atmosphere cleared up and blue skies have been a regular feature, but temperatures are still barely reaching 10ºC.
Spring has changed very quickly in the UK.
A couple of weeks ago temperatures barely rose above 10ºC, often settling in at around 5–7ºC. Within the last week, temperatures have suddenly risen to 15ºC with clear skies and barely a breeze. Today, the weather nearly hit 20ºC.
This weekend, it really feels like Spring has arrived.
Temperatures rose to the mid-teens, finally, and the skies have cleared up. The daffodils are out in full, and this year’s lambs are alternatively dosing in the sun and sucking at their mums.
The daffodils have arrived!
Spring is in the air, so I decided a local wander was in order to see how spring was progressing. I was delighted to see daffodils blossoming here and there, but the other side of the coin was seeing the damage this winter’s storms had done to Serpentine Woods.
It was nice to get a bit of altitude.
I think the last time we hiked the High Sweden Bridge circular was back in June of 2020, just as the UK was starting to come out of the first COVID-19 Lockdown. Wow. Time flies, eh?
My shoulder’s starting to feel well enough for some more energetic and long distance hikes.
With the weather forecast finally looking nice for the weekend, we spent Saturday with my Dad and took him to the historic village of Brough in Cumbria. Here one can find the impressive ruins of the 11th century Brough Castle.
The week leading to these photos and this post has been… frustrating.
On Monday my left shoulder grew progressively stiff and painful. By the evening I was in a lot of pain and I ultimately did not get a second of sleep. Looks like I did another one of my favourite Fit-During-My-Sleep-And-Discolate-A-Limb-Whilst-Shredding-Muscles.
The day after Storm Eunice.
Evenings and weekends have been frustratingly wet and stormy in February, which has meant that I’ve not been able to get out into nature as much as I’d like. This culminated in the week commencing 14th February, which saw two named storms passing over the British Isles: Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice.
Recently I had the joy and honour of staying over at my best friend’s place in Preston, Lancashire.
I lived in Preston for many years, leaving in 2012 to move further up north in Kendal, Cumbria. As such, it’s been a decade since I’ve seen Preston. The city has changed a lot.
A new storm has arrived on our shores.
Storm Cowrie, like Storm Arwen, has not brought much in the way of rain (at least here in Cumbria) but definitely in terms of wind. There’s already been recordings of 140+ mph winds on the peaks of the Cairngorms in Scotland.
For our final full day of our mini-break, a trip to the coast was in order.
The weather forecast for the day had the fells of the Western Lake District blanketed in clouds. Instead, the westernmost point of Cumbria seemed like a good alternative.
Compared to Buttermere’s clear blue skies, Ennerdale could not have been more different.
I think the last time we were at Ennerdale was in April 2017. Goodness. That’s coming on to 5 years now. It’s one of my favourite places in the Lake District, with a distinctly unique “vibe” compared to any other area in the National Park.
It’s time for a mini-break.
We were planning for a Christmas break away in Scotland. But after the emergence and subsequent rise of the SARS-CoV-2-Omicron variant, we decided to cancel it.
I hope you like trees.
With other duties and tasks that needed to be completed today, we decided on a lovely 10,000-step walk around the Levens Hall Deer Park. The park was landscaped some 300-odd years ago, around the same time as the gardens of the historic Levens Hall. As such, many of the trees in the park are centuries old and, unfortunately, some of them have suffered after Storm Arwen’s 100mph winds.
Welcome to the ancient village of Kirkoswald.
The day ahead looked to be rather changeable, with unpredictable downpours combined with gusty winds. Our best bet was to head to Northern Cumbria. So why not spend a day with Dad?
Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to a joyous and—hopefully—more globally positive 2022.
The weather has been… weird. In fact, the UK set a new temperature record for New Year’s Eve, reaching as high as 16.5ºC. That is uncharacteristically warm. Temperatures maintained their elevated levels on New Year’s Day, too, but high winds also arrived. After a decent lie in, Lisabet and I decided on a local favourite to enjoy the first day of the new year: Scout Scar.
And now for something completely different.
After yesterday’s thrilling circular hike around the gorgeous and epic Malhamdale, today we embarked on something a little more tourist-friendly and flat: the Keswick–Threlkeld Railway walk.
Merry Christmas everyone!
After a morning of tasty foods and gift exchanging/opening, Lisabet and I decided on a wintery hike around Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales.
The Yorkshire Dales has much to offer but a particular jewel in the Park is Malhamdale. The area features the beautiful village of Malham, the epic and ancient extinct waterfall of Malham Cove, the cavernous cathedral of Gordale Scar, and the peaceful waters of Janet’s Foss.
Thankfully a dry, if bitingly cold, weather system has descended on the British Isles.
On the Saturday, Kendal was engulfed in a soupy-think mist. It almost seemed to muffle the world in a pillow. In actuality, a temperature inversion sat on top of a lot of Lake District valleys, including Kendal. Conditions above the inversion were clear, sunny, and bright.
On Saturday just gone, my Dad celebrated his 68th birthday!
Do you know what else happened on that day? Storm Arwen arrived. And it brought with it sustained winds of over 60mph with gusts approaching 100mph. Ultimately it caused power cuts for tens of thousands of homes across the UK as trees were torn from their roots and slammed into power lines.
And just like that, it starts to feel like winter.
This past weekend, temperatures suddenly plunged 5–8°C, bringing in clear and frosty days with freezing cold nights. On the Sunday, a crystal clear blue-sky day greeted us, so we donned our gloves and hats and made our way into the Lake District. Our goal: a lovely autumnal hike from Grasmere, up to Easedale Tarn via Sourmilk Ghyll, and back down into Far Easedale before returning to Grasmere.
Finally, we’re starting to see some crisp and clear autumnal days.
After another week or so of rain and clouds, Saturday set the scene with clear skies, warm sun, and cool temperatures. Our mind started racing: where to go? We wanted to go somewhere where we could shoot the last of this season’s autumn colours, ideally.
Grisedale keeps evading us.
After meticulously scanning the weather forecasts and satellite radars, Dad and I embarked initially on a lovely hike up one of my favourite valleys: Grisedale.
Last time rain fended us off. This time, a running/trials event blocked all the car parks in Patterdale and Glenridding. No matter, that’s why you should have a back up plan! Instead, we drove back towards Brothers Water and pulled up in a little-used layby. This was the start of the hike into Deepdale.
It’s been a while since my last post, for which I can only apologise.
A lot can change in a month, and this particularly applies to the British weather. After one of the warmest Septembers on record, and a particularly dry summer, October developed into a wet and blustery month. By Wednesday 27th October, Storm Aurore arrived and dumped 361.6mm of rainfall in almost 36 hours over Honister Pass (for context, the UK record for highest rainfall in 24 hours was recorded at Honister Pass; 341.4mm due to Storm Desmond in December 2015).
Our Loch Lomond holiday is over.
But before I say goodbye, here’s some bonus photos that didn’t really fit in with any of my other Loch Lomond Holiday posts.
I hope you enjoy them. Until next time, Scotland…
Wednesday was looking like another glorious day! So this time we aimed for the more quiet northwestern part of the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park. Welcome to Balquhidder Glen, lined by mountains known as the Braes of Balquhidder.
The rain finally ceased.
So we set our sights on one of our main “bookmarks” for this Loch Lomond holiday: Loch Katrine.
In particular, our true goal was a small yet isolated hill high above the loch called Ben A’an (461 m/1,512 ft). It’s a very popular hill walk and for good reason: it offers one of the grandest and most spectacular views in all of Scotland (check out the Wikipedia view here).
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs attracts people from afar for its lochs and mountains, of course. But the national park is also nationally famous for its extensive forests and woodlands.
We’re back in Scotland, bayBEEEE!
It feels so good to be back. Especially during the height of autumn, clearly the best time of the year.
We’ve had to contend with a variety of low pressure weather systems waving across the British Isles this week. This doesn’t seem to be easing. So, this morning, we got up and out to Balmaha. We wanted to get a hike up to the summit of Conic Hill (361 m/1,184 ft) before the forecasted rain storm arrived.
Autumn’s definitely here. You know what’s also here? The Great British Changeable Weather.
I took an educated guess at the weather today and decided our best bet for good light and conditions would be East Lake District/Cumbria during mid-morning/early afternoon. So! We ventured to the Lowther Castle and its Estate, for a healthy jaunt from the castle grounds to Askham Fell and back round.
Wow, it’s been a good couple of weeks since my last blog post.
Firstly, sorry about that. It’s been a mad two weeks or so. Largely because I’ve changed jobs, which has required a lot of spare mental energy to adjust to new circumstances, after being at my previous employer for 7.5 years.
Autumn has arrived.
The “life” from all the verdant vegetation is starting to wane, the ferns are turning rust-hued, and the leaves are beginning to drop. Autumn’s here, and I cannot wait for those autumnal colours.
It was time to come back to the Howgills.
Back in April this year, 2021, Lisabet and I made our first hike up onto the Howgills, summiting Winder (473 m/1,552 ft), the fell that directly overlooks the beautiful Yorkshire Dales town of Sedbergh. It wasn’t hard, during that hike, to gawp at the next fell along the ridge from Winder, namely Arant Haw at 605 m. We vowed to return and tackle Arant Haw.
Woohoo for a week off! With the Lake District as rammed as it is at the moment, let’s go somewhere and l’al bit different.
The North Pennines AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) is a favourite of ours but remains relatively untouched by us. We’ve explored arguably the jewel of the North Pennines, High Cup Nick, many times. But another absolutely stunning part of the area is the three main waterfalls: High Force, Low Force, and Cauldron Snout.
After two successive weekends of rain, it was time to seek a waterfall or two.
Getting outside for some solid hiking has been difficult given the changeable conditions we’ve experienced in August. Thankfully, the week ahead is looking promising, which is fortuitous because I have a week off.
Time for something a little bit different.
The Lake District is obviously world famous for its natural splendour; the lakes, fells, tarn, waterfalls, and everything in between. But beneath the surface of this picture of paradise lies thousands of years of man-made work.
Here’s the final collection of work from our week-long summer jaunt around Northumberland.
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a town steeped in history and filled with curiosities. It’s England’s northernmost town, right in the northeastern corner of the country. In fact, it’s slightly further north than Copenhagen in Denmark as well as the southern tip of Sweden.
It was time to continue exploring a “local” fell.
The first time Lisabet and I checked out Whitbarrow was only a few months ago, March in fact. Considering it’s just a few miles west of Kendal, it’s incredible that we’d never hiked up the fell in all our time living round here.
Ah haar, there’s a sea fret rolling in.
Early on in our Northumberland break we fancied a hike around Embleton Bay, to shoot photos of the bay’s massive and smooth black basalt boulders with views towards the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle.
The heatwave has finally ended.
After a week of temperatures pushing 30°C consistently with barely any air movement, today was looking a more comfortable 23°C with some wind.
About a month ago we embarked on one of our favourite local-ish walks, Barbondale in the Yorkshire Dales. On that occasion I was somewhat distracted by the sheer number of deer flies biting chunks out of me. Part of the Barbondale hike we did involved clambering over into Bullpot. We resolved to return to Bullpot for a deeper exploration of the area’s famous pot holes, gills, and caves, particularly Ease Gill Kirk.
The British Summer Heatwave has arrived.
In the week leading up to yesterday, Saturday 17th July, I had been planning a fell walk with my friend, Kate. She has more experience fell walking than I do, so we agreed to try a fell walk incorporating a view I’ve been after for years: Dale Head.
