Date & Time: Monday 22nd January 2007. 3.35 pm start.

Location of Start : Rannerdale car park, Buttermere Valley, Cumbria Uk. ( NY 163 184 )

Places visited : Rannerdale Knotts, Low Bank, Hause point and back.

Walk details : 1.6 mls, 950 ft of ascent , 1 hrs 15 mins.

Walked with : Ann and the dogs.

Weather : Late afternoon sun amidst gathering clouds, after a nice winter's day.

Flowering spring Snowdrops in the garden already and it's still only January

 

Ann had been busy in town, and I had been like King Wenceslas's serf this morning ~ gathering winter fuel and doing the 101 other things that need doing to keep the place ticking over, so it was mid afternoon when the dogs and ourselves got the chance for a walk.

That's us . . . last people out in the day

We parked below Grasmoor, resplendent with a dusting of snow and with a patch of sunlight on it's flanks.

The trees have lost their leaves and completes the winter scene.

Low Fell at the far end of the lake is catching the afternoon sun.

"You can see our house from here" ~ See that big white house just below the line of sunshine ~ that's not ours, we're the little one just below it.

Rounding the top of the first knoll of Hause Point I found the dogs waiting for us as usual.

Behind them was the dramatic top of Red Pike.

Along the ridge, the next summit is High Stile, with Bleaberry Tarn hidden in the mountain combe.

Trying out the new camera, zooming in on the summit crags of High Stile.

To the left again,across Scarth Gap, Kirk Fell also has a good covering of snow.

From part way up Rannerdale, Green and Great Gable just start to appear over Haystacks.

Suddenly the sun finds a gap in the clouds above Starling Dodd

Looking round, Whiteless Pike catches that direct sun making it's part of the fell side glow brightly.

Turning to see what else is illuminated, I noticed the sunlight was also shinning up the Ennerdale Valley and

spreading its yellow glow across Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Green and Great Gable and on to Kirk Fell.

Great Gable, head in the clouds, its craggy north face now clear above Haystacks.

Just look at that sun shining on the back of Haystacks, and onto the lower slopes of Green Gable.

So much to look at. Here's Loweswater and the Solway Firth, with Scotland in the distance.

That patch of sun has moved, and extended into a narrow band spanning both Grasmoor and Whiteless Pike.

A moment to sit and enjoy the view.

Not everywhere was sunny. Robinson was in shadow, the sun hidden by High Stile.

The mighty bulk of Honister Crags, with just a snippet of sun on its peak and on the fell side behind.

All the time the light was altering. Here we are further along the Rannerdale ridge, towards the Buttermere end.

Green Gable again, seen over the notch of Black Beck Tarn

Sunshine on Beck Head above the darker mass of Haystacks summit.

The sun seems to be fading now as the afternoon draws to an end.

All of a sudden the clouds lift slightly, the sun sets lower behind Great Borne and the light intensifies.

Great Gable over Haystacks ~ say no more.

Sunset pinks on Beck Head

Then the sun set . . . just as if someone had turned off the lights !

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon G7 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

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Previous walk - 20th January 2007 A Wainwright Celebration Weekend

A previous time up here - 2nd June 2003 Rannerdale Knotts and late bluebells

Previous walk - 27th January 2007 Back to earth with a local walk