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" A Mill Beck, Buttermere walk " Date & start time: Monday 3th February 2014, 2.45 pm start. Location of Start : The Nat Trust car park, Buttermere, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 173 172 ) Places visited : High House Crag, Mill Beck valley, Buttermere village, Long How and back. Walk details : 1.6 mls, 250 ft of ascent, 1 hour 20 mins. Highest point : High House Crag 560 ft above sea level. Walked with : Myself and our dog, Harry. Weather : Overcast but fine and dry. There's a cold edge to the breeze. |
" A Mill Beck, Buttermere walk " at EveryTrail [ Alter the settings to zoom or change the Map, use Everytrail to download the Gps route ] |
The need to visit friends in Buttermere gave purpose to this next walk, but it wasn't as planned due to the irresistible offer of tea, cake and a natter first. Afterwards, a second objective was decided upon . . . a walk down Mill Beck through the village and what started out as a simple dog walk became a delightful afternoon stroll, if slightly damp underfoot . As you walk out along the road from the National Trust car park, you are greeted by this delightful Scots Pine opposite Crag Cottages and Crag House Farm. After that tea and chat, I started out again on a walk, deciding to go up onto the slopes of Rannerdale Knotts first. The thicker snow of the last few days has been diminished by the warmer temperatures and the rain. Climbing above the village now, the white house on the left is the old Buttermere Hotel, now the Buttermere Youth Hostel
Not sufficient time left in the day to extend the walk out to the end of Rannerdale Knotts . . . . . . so I cut across to the Mill Beck Valley. The road across the side of High Snockrigg is the Newlands Pass road to Keswick. Two people had to be rescued from their car here this week as it turned sideways on the black ice and ended up with two wheels over the edge of the three hundred foot slope down into the top part of the valley. Zooming in on Bleaberry Comb and the summit of High Stile. Further round to the east, the dramatic outline of Green and Great Gable, with Windy Gap between. " Come on down . . . this is the way !" The plan now is to follow the beck down through the village. The woods are mainly deciduous trees with the occasional evergreen one adding a splash of deeper colour.
Buttermere Church on the other side . . . a more unusual view this time. The beck itself cascades down into the village. There was an ancient mill here for grinding corn but I've yet to discover where the old building and mill wheel were originally sited.
The Fish Hotel, one of the two pubs in the village. If dogs could read . . . but he knows where we are going anyway.
Bold Fleetwith Pike at the head of the Buttermere Valley . . . the snow behind is sitting on Grey Knotts and Brandreth. A fine Herdwick ram grazes the meadow close to an old slate gate post. His flock of ewes gather a short distance away and observe our passing . . . intensely. Harry and I will pass on going down all the way to Crummock shoreline. The path from here down to the trees on the left is quite wet and muddy in places. Me and Harry . . . by a "me-and-er" in the stream ! We had crossed over the bridge and make our way back up towards the car. Long How Woods. Some path restoration work a few years ago meant that this area is nice and dry to walk along. Back at the car at the end of a delightful little walk . . . a bright, dry spell in this continually wet and windy winter. - - - o o o - - - |
Technical note: Pictures taken with my Nikon P520 digital camera. Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder. This site best viewed with . . . dry clothes for a change ! Go to Top . . . © RmH . . . Email me here Previous walk - 30th January 2014 - Sunshine on The Cockups A previous time up here - 1st January 2012 New Year in Buttermere Next walk - 9th February 2014 - Knock Murton Sunshine
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