Date & Time: Monday 19th May 2008. 11.15 am start.

Location of Start : The red phone box, Loweswater, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 143 211 )

Places visited : Crummock lakeside path to Cinderdale, Rannerdale Valley, Rannerdale Knotts and back via the lakeside path through Lanthwaite Woods.

Walk details : 8 mls, 1550 ft of ascent, 4 hrs 50 mins.

Walked with : Helmut, Jo, Stephen, Ann and the dogs, Megan, Jodie, Sam, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Blue skies and high cloud. Dry and fine.

A change of dog as Sam joins us in place of Polly today !

The last day of Helmut's 2008 visit and chance for him to visit the Rannerdale Valley Bluebells before he leaves for home.

We walked from Loweswater and combined the visit with a climb to Helmut's 38th and final Wainwright summit of this week.

Striding out from Loweswater

Helmut feels so fit after five days walking that he doesn't need two dogs to pull him along.

Our target for today is Rannerdale Knotts, only we will be walking there and back rather than taking the car.

What's this, has Helmut fallen over ?

No he's photographing a rather spectacular Bracket Fungus.

A rather fine specimen, the middle one is about a foot across.

Crummock Water and a view across to Grasmoor and the Scale Hill boat house through the trees.

A flat calm lake from near the outflow.

The Fish Ladder.

The lack of rain this month means just a small outflow over the centre part of the weir.

Ann and Jo walking the lakeside path towards Cinderdale.

Our first plan was to visit the bluebells in the valley below Rannerdale Knotts.

Helmut has fallen over again . . . all in the cause of Art.

This years flowers have been delayed by the late cold spell, and are now suffering from the month long drought.

They are smaller than last year and are wilting faster too, but they still make a fine display !

Jo adopts a more lady-like stance, or is it becasue she can't let go of the dogs.

The view is certainly better when taken from a low angle.

Looking up the valley towards Whiteless Pike . . .

. . . and back down towards the Lake.

A photographic group stop for a break between shots.

In the sheltered corners, the flowers are more colourful.

Several Green Veined White butterflies ( Artogeia Napi) are flying about, feasting on the pollen.

Blue bells . . .	. . . and the occasional white variant.

Walking further up the valley we pass through a large open field of blooms

The Herdwick sheep and her new lamb enjoy the grass but are not interested in the flowers, fortunately !

To climb the fell we continued on to the top of the valley. The large field of blooms can be seen on the right hand side.

Rannerdale Knotts from the start of Low Bank.

What is life if full of care, we have no time to stop and stare.

This gentleman has brough a wind shelter up to enhance his enjoyment of his layed back time on the fell.

Light and shade on Grasmoor, Helmut stops to record the scene.

Lunch with a view . . . but where's Helmut ?

He's way down there with his camera again, this time standing up !

What a view though . . . up the valley to Buttermere and the high fells.

Leaving the summit, we descend steeply by the pitched path down the front of the fell.

Back down at lake level, we can see the bluebells at the entrance to the valley.

Back to the lakeside path, we past this fine Hawthorn Tree.

A close up of the Hawthorn (or May) bloom.

An unusual sight . . . the white flowers of the Holly Tree.

Crossing back into the woods, I nearly stepped on this fella who was sunbathing on the path.

It's a Slow Worm, not a snake but a legless lizard, and is harmless.

It's truncated tail shows that he has been in trouble once already. He can shed it's tail as an escape mechanism if attacked.

The walk continued back through the woodland and we regained the road at Scale Hill bridge.

We were home in time for Helmut (and Stephen) to leave for Blackpool, ready for Helmut's flight back to Vienna tomorrow.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with my Cannon G7 or Ann's Ixus 75 Digital cameras.

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

This site best viewed with . . . a little overnight rain to prolong the show.

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Previous walk - 18th May 2008 Meeting Helmut on Hen Comb

A previous time up here - 3rd to 10th May 2007 Keswick to Rannerdale and Home