A Walk Near Hoddom

Rob, Brock and I had a lovely walk on Sunday, around the Hoddom estate, along the River Annan, around small back roads, and back to the car park (about 3+ miles).

 Eagle swooping on a salmon, wood carving

Repentance Tower
 

Brock meets a tall, new friend

Trees on the golf course, with Hoddom Castle seen at right

Beautiful, old tree

There was a children's bicycle race event on, around The Castle grounds, so we had to make a slight detour back round the golf course rather than through the woodland.

Holiday In North Berwick: North Berwick

After yesterday's exertions and 4-hour-round-trip, we decided to explore locally in North Berwick today.

 
We gave Brock his second walk of the day in the Lodge Grounds Park at North Berwick, then headed to the dog-friendly Steampunk Cafe for morning coffee and cake. It was so warm that we were able to sit outside. The coffee was excellent and the staff were friendly, so I would definitely recommend giving this small cafe a visit if you are in town.

Mural at Steampunk Cafe

After a look around the town - there are lots of small independent shops, cafes, restaurants and five charity shops to explore - and lunch back at the flat, we headed out for a walk along the beach as far as the golf course.

 The Law: a volcanic plug that you can hike up, and handy landmark for locating North Berwick!

One of Brock's many new friends: Sula (left)

We had another delicious double espresso ice cream from Gelateria Alandas back in the town, and chips for dinner from the nearby North Berwick Fry.

A Walk Near Rosthwaite in The Lake District

Rob, Brock and I had a lovely walk yesterday, starting out from the small village of Rosthwaite in The Lake District. (Keswick is the nearest town). The walk is about 4 miles long, with some steep paths to negotiate. There is a tea room in the village, plus two small car parks and loos. The car park next to the village hall is the cheaper of the two, at £3 per day.

The first part of the walk is alongside a small river, Stonethwaite Beck, and through woodlands. You pass Millican Dalton's cave (the said gentleman actually lived in the cave for many years). We stopped by the river for coffee from a flask and a picnic lunch - a beautiful spot to relax in.

Then it is up into the fells along a well-maintained cobble pathway.

Castle Crag (you can climb up this rocky outcrop if you're feeling lively!).

Looking back towards Derwentwater, just seen in the far distance.

Coming back down to the valley.

A beautiful walk, and not too busy at this time of year. It is suitable for dogs, although you will need to keep them on a lead at some points, as you pass through fields of Herdwick sheep.

[Please click on any photo to see a larger version.]

Screel Hill Walk

Rob, Brock and I had a walk up Screel Hill on Friday. The weather started out hot and sunny, but became a bit hazy, as you can see in the photos. (Please click on the photos to see a larger version.)

Above is one of the views from the upward journey.

The walk is all uphill to get to the summit (not surprisingly). You can stick to the forestry track of rough gravel/hardcore, or take a detour through woodland for the first part of the walk. We went up one way and down the other. The views from the track are better, with distant peninsulas and islands just visible in the Solway and Auchencairn Bay. Much of the woodland has been felled since our last visit, so the landscape looks a bit stark in places.

 Brock enjoying the walk.

Starting to climb the hill.

You leave the easy gradient of the forestry track and climb up the steep incline to the top. In a few places, you need to use your hands to scramble up. It was not too wet and boggy on the day we went up, but I'm sure it would be, in the wetter weather.

We saw a green lizard scampering about, but it was too fast to take a photograph of it. There were also butterflies, bees and ravens flying about. On the way down we saw a heron at one of the little streams.

 There are huge boulders everywhere, covered in bright yellow and black lichens.

The journey down is much faster! The whole walk is about 3 miles long and we found it rather strenuous. It takes about 2 hours to complete.

Talkin Tarn, Cumbria

Rob, Brock and I went for a walk at Talkin Tarn, Cumbria yesterday. The snow was still lying on the ground and most of the lake was frozen. (Please click on any photo to see a larger version).

 The water birds were all congregating in the one part of the tarn that wasn't frozen.

Brock looking a little bit crazy. He loves this walk, as there are usually lots of other dogs around for him to meet and greet. The third photo shows the new woodland that has been planted next to the lake.

Trip To New Lanark

Rob, Brock and I went to New Lanark yesterday. It is a restored 18th Century cotton mill village, with a visitors' centre, shop, cafe, roof garden and more.

On arrival you park in the car park above the village and have a steep walk down to it, with great views over the buildings and river. (Click on any photo to see a larger version.)

First, we enjoyed the walk alongside the River Clyde to the waterfalls, with Brock.

There are three waterfalls upstream from New Lanark lying on the Clyde Walkway: Dundaff Linn (3 metres) is the close to the village. Corra Linn (28 metres) is about 20-25 minutes walk, and Bonnington Linn (11 metres) about 30-45 minutes walk. The one shown in the photo above, is Corra Linn. The ruined Bonnington Pavillion (below) is situated high above the falls. It was a summerhouse for the aristocracy to view the falls in a mirror, or through the frame of the window.

The river levels were quite low, so it was not as spectacular as during our last visit. There is the Bonnington hydro electric power station nearby, which takes some of the water flow to produce electricity. It was the first hydro electric power station built in Scotland, in 1927.

We had lunch in the cafe in the village, set in a renovated mill. It is a huge space, still showing interesting features from its original use. The food is tasty, but the service was very slow. (I had to stand at the counter for 10 minutes, to order the food, as there was no one serving).  I had a melon 'boat', followed by baked potato with cheese and beans. Rob had a similar potato, and a muffin. His muffin was very good, as was my melon. The potatoes came with a pat of butter, crisps and salad. The salad was nice and fresh, with mixed leaves, grated carrot, chopped red pepper, onion, cucumber, and sliced tomatoes. The potato had been properly baked with a thick skin and they were a generous size. The baked beans were good and hot, too. We both had cappuccinos. The bill came to just over £16. Other options included salads, paninis, pies and soup.

The roof top garden is just visible behind the trees.

The gift shops sells various souvenirs, food items and organic wool spun in the village, which I would have been very tempted by if I was a knitter. If you are interested in the history of the village, there is a museum/visitors' centre to see.

Also in the village is a small shop selling sweets from jars and other gift items. We treated ourselves to some chocolate covered caramels for the journey home - delicious!

An interesting day out, but a lot of walking involved!