After Work Stroll Up Farleton Knott....

A long dull day at work meant it was important that I get out and re-motivate myself...a stroll up onto Farleton Knott, my local hill would be just the ticket. I also wanted to try out something new tripod wise as well. I used both my Lumix LX3 (Compact) and Lumix GX80 (Micro Four Thirds), they're both capable of producing results far better than their owner! Enough preamble here's a few pics...

Birds Foot Trefoil, loads of this up on the Knott at the moment...LX3

Googling" lightweight tripod for backpacking" resulted in a Youtube clip of a variation on this idea. The clip showed just one peg and cord, with the trekking poles cantilevered...This is the GX80 on a 1K Gorillapod...really steady the camera and lens weighs over 500g....LX3

This is the same set up but with the LX3 on the tiny Original Gorillapod. The LX3 is just over 250g so is more than happy on this mount. The idea works well...unless you can't get pegs in!!....GX80

All you need...plus a couple of trekking poles of course for a compact camera similar in weight to a LX3....GX80

If the camera is heavier the larger Gorillapod is required. You could use much thinner cord in both cases though, I just grabbed this from my "bits bag". If backpacking just keep a couple of pegs to one side when striking camp....just don't lose them otherwise erection of your shelter might be compromised....don't blame me!....LX3

West from near to the top of Farleton Knott, Coniston Fells in the distance. It would have been good to stay up there for the sunset....but I hadn't eaten since 12 noon....GX80

Taken from the same point looking North along the summit rocks...GX80

Looking back at the crags and summit, taken in 16x9 format....LX3
Always good to be out, a real tonic after being inside all day.

The Duddon Valley and Wrynose....on the Motorbike

After 5 days of walking...of various difficulty and effort I felt it was time for a day on the motorbike. I seem to have mainly used it or commuting this year, so a micro tour was in order. I set off across the A590 to the West, I stopped off to check how the Ospreys were doing at a non-publicised nest. Both birds were in attendance, I only had compact binoculars so couldn't see much else. Then I rode up the Western side of Coniston Water....some photos of the day.

Dow crag and Coniston Old Man, the backdrop to Torver.
Back on the bike I crossed over to the Duddon Valley via Broughton Mills and Seathwaite.

I had hoped to take some pictures of Tarn Beck near Seathwaite...but there was barely any water!
The photo above is at Birks Bridge looking downstream.

Strangely worn rock under the bridge.
This pool features in Ken Russells film "Tommy" The Who's rock opera.

The Duddon above the bridge and the lower slopes of Harter Fell

Dale Head shining white against a shadowy Little Stand

Once over Wrynose it was much brighter...and warmer! I stopped to look across at the Langdale Pikes. From here it was back home via Little Langdale, Waterhead, Bowness and the Lyth Valley (always much quieter than the A591 and nicer on the motorbike.
A great day, good to be back on the motorbike purely for pleasure.

Souther Scales and Bruntscar from Ribblehead

A bit of a photographic walk today., although I'm a little disappointed with my results. I parked at Ribblehead...I was there just after 8.30am and it was swarming with folk! I soon left them all behind as I walked through the old Ribblehead quarry and into Gauber Pasture. As so often when I'm out on my own (not Hill Bagging) I make things up as I go along....

Ingleborough from Fell Close Rocks.

Looking back to Ribblehead viaduct from Sleights Pasture Rocks

I couldn't find many Bluebells...just these few in fact. Whernside in the distance

Quite a few Violets though

I descended into the "hole" which contains Great Douk Cave...the recent heavy rain ensured a decent waterfall.

Back on the limestone pavement and a view across Chapel-le-dale to Whernside.

The fields below Souther Scales Farm were a mass of Primroses

I crossed the valley passed Chapel-le-Dale church and headed up towards Ellerbeck

Whernside seen from just below Ellerbeck

I made my way back along the bridleway through Bruntscar, Broadrake and Ivescar. Pausing here to take a photo of the viaduct before returning to the car.

Bluebells.....

Perhaps it's just me, but the Bluebells this year in the Lakes are as beautiful as I can ever remember them. So after sorting my gear out, washing stuff and other general jobs that have to be done I set off  on the motorbike for the Bouth area in the South Lakes. Bluebells are notoriously difficult to capture by camera...they never seem to look "real". Here's a few of my attempts....

All taken with a Panasonic Lumix GX80 with either a 14-45mm or 12-32mm
Other than cropping to a squarer format (which could be done in camera if you wished) there hasn't been any post processing.

Dusting Off the Deschutes Tarp

It's been a long while since I've done a solo backpack/wildcamp. In truth I've attempted to get out several times....even getting the tent/tarp pitched then turning tail and returning home! I've just not been "feeling it" together with a lack of self confidence. I can't explain what clicked to get me out last night, who knows!
I packed my gear on Monday evening and took it to work in the car...still not completely sure I'd carry it through.
Sorry for all the "I" in this post.....but this blog is mainly about "ME ME ME"! Anyway off I went and parked below Rydal Mount....

My proposed destination was Alcock Tarn or thereabouts, so off on the "Coffin" Route I strode

Its a popular path and justifiably so, great views down to Rydal Water and across to Loughrigg

The light was very flat, I didn't take many photos. I arrived at Alcock Tarn, this was as good as the sunset got.

I walked back a couple of hundred metres to Grey Crag to a good spot I'd seen earlier. I was a bit rusty at my campcraft...but got the Deschutes erected and stuff organised eventually.

After a bit of a broken nights sleep, I woke to my alarm at 5.30am hoping to see the sky a mass of colour as the sun rose....ah well...

As the sun gained a bit of height Silver How caught the first of the light beyond Grey Crag.

I packed up and started to descend back the same way I'd ascended the evening before.

Perhaps I should have waited a bit longer as the light was starting to improve. Grasmere was starting to wake up below me.

Wetherlam in the distance beyond "Red Bank"

Then it was back along the "Coffin"route to the car. Rydal Water looking it's picture postcard best.
I'd enjoyed the trip, sometimes hard to justify the effort....its camping for campings sake of course.
I'll be having another trip in the next few weeks I think.

Three Bridges and a Viaduct...

Another warm dry day, and another day on the motorbike. Over to the Dales today, with a theme of taking photos of bridges. Although a couple of other subjects seem to have crept in. A lot quieter than yesterday in the Lakes even in Dent village centre....tomorrow may be different, but we plan to be somewhere even quieter then.
Here are the three bridges....oh and a viaduct...and a motorbike.....

My Honda NC700X, I've owned it for 2 years now and find it excellent for the type of motorcycling I do. There are 2 big pluses for me...What appears to be a fuel tank is in fact 20lit of storage (the fuel is under the seat) and the average fuel consumption of over 80mpg! 

Lincoln's Inn bridge over the River Lune, it carries the A684 between Kendal and Sedbergh.

Millthrop Bridge over the River Rawthey  on the way from Sedbergh towards Dentdale

I was distracted from bridges by the wonderful shapes in the bed of the River Dee! 

Stone House Bridge over the River Dee, although today there was barely a streams worth.
Sadly this bridge suffers regularly from "hits" by modern traffic, indeed the top stones on the downstream have almost all just been replaced.

.....and a viaduct. This is Dent Head Viaduct, and of course carries the Settle-Carlisle Railway.
I'd had a chillout day, and enjoyed the peace of Dentdale.

Three Tarns....But NOT Those Three Tarns!

No today's weather meant that I should spend a bit of time on the motorbike. So after a morning committed to sorting some errands, I .set off to capture a few images of 3 different tarns. It felt like we were at last clear of Winter, the sun really warm. Although it meant that the light was somewhat hazy. So here are 3 images from the 3 tarns I visited today....

Kelly Hall Tarn

Yewdale Tarn

Blea Tarn.
The posts will I think be from elsewhere for a few months now....the Lakes are over-run with folk. Even on the motorbike progress was painfully slow. Time to head for less popular areas!

Low Level Ramble From Chapel Stile

Pulling the curtains back this morning to find that it was snowing and Farleton Knott wearing a new dusting was a bit of a surprise. Probably not a good one all things considered....I'd really rather like to be properly in Spring now. I'd already planned on a low level walk, seeing what I could find to take some photographs of. I parked in Chapel Stile and headed over Owlets Nest towards Little Langdale....

I found this gnarled old Holly tree and felt it would suit Black & White rather than colour.

The cloud had temporarily lifted above Wetherlam as I dropped into Little Langdale.

My route whch I was making up as I went along led me over Slaters Bridge.

And into Cathedral Quarry.

On reflection this twisted Silver Birch on one of the Hodge Close tips might have been better in Black & White

A quick look into the main quarry at Hodge Close.

Then past Stang End to join the Cumbria Way at High Park....it looked rather brighter over on Stone Arthur above Grasmere.

But I did find a "Money Tree"...:-))

Then past Colwith Force.

Over the relatively new bridge above Skelwith Force. It was then Cumbria Way beside the River Brathey and Elterwater back to the car.
The light had been rather flat, a great day all the same.