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.]

A Trip to the Grey Mare's Tail Waterfall, near Moffat

Rob, Brock and I had a morning out, visiting the Grey Mare's Tail Waterfall, near Moffat, today.

There is a car park nearby and you can see the falls from there, or take a walk up into the hills to get alongside the waterfall and to climb up to Loch Skeen (about 2.5 miles up, reached via a steep and uneven, but well-marked path). The Loch feeds the waterfall. Since the weather was good, we decided to walk up to the Loch. After climbing up the first steep incline with many steps to navigate, we were wondering if we'd made the right decision!

The view looking back to the car park

Part of the first upward incline

You can see how the waterfall gets its name. It is a 60m (200ft) drop into the gorge, making it the fifth highest cascade in the UK.

The 'Photobummer' strikes again! The number of photos we have that show Brock's rear end does not bear thinking about. Here he is enjoying the walk. We had to put him on the lead at some points, where the drop to the burn was steep, and when there were other walkers and/or sheep around.

Made it to the top! This is Loch Skeen. A brief rain shower came down just as we stopped for our sandwiches.

 

This video shows the top section of the main falls, but there are many other small waterfalls further up the burn.

 

 

This was where we stopped for our picnic.

The price in the car park is £3.00 and you can buy a leaflet about the Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve (including points of interest along the walk) for 50p.

A Short Visit to Keswick

We had a couple of hours in Keswick today: walking down to the lake and through the town; stopping off for lunch in Abraham's Cafe in George Fisher (jacket potatoes with salad and cheese with excellent Americano coffees, and now dog-friendly like the rest of the shop, so Brock was pleased); a quick browse in the Oxfam, where I bought some embroidery threads; and food shopping in Booths.

Here are some of the photos that I took on my mobile (I forgot my camera :o/). The light was very atmospheric, with low cloud, but bright sun.

Lots of wildfowl, as usual, attracted by the people feeding them.

Picnic at Rosthwaite, Keswick

We returned to Rosthwaite near Keswick for a second walk from this beautiful village.

First, coffees and flapjack from the tearoom, which has a dog-friendly garden with an amazing view.

The walk follows a small river and takes you through woodland.

Brock enjoying the walk.

The view from our picnic spot.

The next three photos were taken on our earlier walk in May of this year.

Millican Dalton was an eccentric individual who lived in a split-level cave and led groups of people in outdoor activities for almost 50 years. This photograph shows the view from the lower level of the cave, which had a stone bench in it, which may perhaps have been his bed.

This lovely wall had pieces of slate set amongst the stones, which gave an interesting pattern.

A beautiful walk, and quite popular with walkers. There is parking in the village. The small car park by the village hall is £3 per day in an honesty box. The National Trust car park prices start at £4.

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.

A Trip To Alnmouth

Rob, Brock and I had a few hours at Alnmouth, Northumberland on Wednesday.

It is a very attractive seaside village, with a marina, golf course, lots of restaurants, pubs, hotels and cafés (for its size). There are also a few gift shops and delis to browse in.

We enjoyed lunch at The Red Lion Inn: a 'starter' of crisps, followed by Stilton and red onion sandwich for Rob; omelet and salad garnish for me. (The latter was a special request that they kindly cooked for me, since they didn't have any vegetarian, gluten free dishes listed on the menu.) The food was tasty, and it was a nice place to sit and relax. I see from their website that they do Bed and Breakfast, and also have a beer garden overlooking the sea, which we didn't spot. The Inn allows dogs into the bar area and beer garden, which is useful if you happen to have one with you.

[Click on any photo to see a larger version.]

Next we had a walk on the beach, which is beautiful: wide sandy expanses and very few people, even on a sunny day in August.

Brock found a new friend to play with: Becky.

We enjoyed an ice cream and Brock showed quite a bit of interest in getting some. And succeeded.

The nearby market town of Alnwick is also worth a visit for the shops, Alnwick Garden and Alnwick Castle.

Friars Crag & Calfclose Bay Walk, Keswick

Rob, Brock and I had another day out in Keswick. We seem to keep ending up there recently because there are so many places that welcome dogs, which is useful in hot weather.

The walk is 3.5 miles long and is very flat, with just a few muddy sections - fine for walking shoes/boots. There are some magnificent views of Derwentwater and the attractive bays and islands around the lake, with the backdrop of mountains. [Please click on the photos to see a larger version.]

This boulder of Borrowdale volcanic rock was split and carved 

by Peter Randall-Page to commemorate the National Trust's centenary in 1995. 

It is partially covered by water when the lake is fuller.

We drove a way out of Keswick on the Windermere road to have lunch at a pub called The Kings Head. We sat outside in a shady spot on the terrace area with Brock, and had our lunch: a bog standard cheese sandwich and chips, followed by sticky toffee pudding for Rob; jacket potato and cheese followed by ice cream for me, with two drinks the bill came to just over £27. The other vegetarian choices were:- a lentil and root vegetable hot pot (£12), or a pasta dish - both a bit too heavy for a sunny day, lunchtime meal. Both of the staff serving were friendly and nice, but the food was very average, so I wouldn't rush back.

 Smiling, despite an empty glass...

Brock looking longingly at a chip