Kielder Water Walk

We had a pleasant walk by the shore of Kielder Water today, starting from the Hawkhope car park.

 Spiny puff balls.

We saw several nesting sites of Collete bees, which were interesting to watch. (They are smaller than honey bees). They make burrows in sandy soil and this species feeds on heather. They were buzzing all over the sandy soil at the entrance to their burrows in large numbers. We thought it was a swarm to begin with, but they were just going about their usual business.

Lunch was at Falstone Old School Café. Rob had the vegetarian cooked breakfast and a slice of coffee cake. I had a jacket potato with cheese and salad. With two Americano coffees the bill came to a very reasonable £16. The food was good and the café is a nice, light and airy place to sit with its high ceiling, and it has craft cabinets to browse. And it is dog-friendly. Recommended!

A Walk By Kielder Water, and A Sunset

We made the most of the fabulous weather today, with a walk at Kielder Water, starting from the Hawkhope car park, along the East shore of lake, by the dam. A Kielder trail guide is available here.

We had lunch at The Old School Tearoom at nearby Falstone. Rob had the all day vegetarian breakfast, while I ate a jacket potato with cheese and salad. We both had a cake and drink and the bill came to under £16. Very reasonable. The food was good and freshly made. Highly recommended.

I was just shutting the chickens in when I spotted this beautiful sunset and rushed out with my camera to get a few pictures, only to find our new neighbours doing the same thing. It really was quite dramatic, but hard to capture in a small image.