Spring has sprung in Loweswater and the world is a little more colourful than a few weeks ago.

These are a few of the photos taken of the local flowers in recent days.

For a walk, I've included photos from a trip over to Ennerdale where we walk the old Smithy Beck Trail, much changed in recent times.

The daffodils here are only now just coming into bloom.

Next door's smaller daffodils are very colourful.	In my garden the snowdrops are now past their best.

. . . but the rhododendrons are giving a bright display.	Rhubarb . . . I'm not forcing it up into these cold weather days.

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 A few days earlier we had the shortest of walks at Ennerdale from the Bleach Green car park.

This was the weir at the foot of Ennerdale Water, looking across to Bowness Knott with Great Bourne and High Stile behind.

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On Leap Year Day, the 29th Feb, we decided to return to Ennerdale for another walk.

We had heard that they now charge for car parking  at the forestry car park, £2 for an hour, £3.50 for 2 hours, etc.

This was "the rarely seen Bowness Knott now that the trees have been cleared"

. . . and for good measure, one across the lake to Anglers Crag.

Down by the lake and the weather isn't quite as forecasted . . . the cloud is down on the high fells.

With all the recent rain , the water level of the lake is high, as can be seen in the pool next to the picnic benches.

The trail heads off towards the steeper ground, where tree clearance a while back has really opened out the landscape.

Recent gales have also brought down some free standing timber, as can be seen from the cut logs ahead.

Are you thinking well-being ?

" Spot five things with your eyes, listen for four, smell three, feel two and taste one thing" along the way.

This is the bridge over the strangely named "Dry Beck".

To cross it there's a larger bridge, again it is surrounded by a distinct 'lack' of trees.

These places used to be deep in the forest and quite dark places.

Beyond the bridge the path rises up to join the forest road.

As we walk up, Smithy Beck emerges from our left and runs parallel (albeit in the opposite direction) as we walk up the track.

At the top are several old stone enclosures, thought to be hut circles, the pile of stones on the right being the base of an old hut or house.

These were thought to be in use when the area was busy producing iron from Ennerdale iron ore.

A short way further up is another . . .

and there are several more as one walks on towards the forest gate below Starling Dodd.

Doubling back to the track junction we find what is probably the best preserved of the enclosures.

It is always possible these were the summer sheilings and living accommodation of the wood cutters of the forest.