Date & Time: Wed 16th July 2008. 3.10 pm start.

Location of Start : The car park at Felldyke hamlet, West Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 085 198 )

Places visited : Felldyke, Rakegill Woods, Cogra Moss, up Knock Murton from the south, return to north west avoiding the cleared forestry, and back to Felldyke.

Walk details : 3 mls, 1000 ft of ascent, 2 hrs 10 mins.

Walked with : Jo, Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan. (Jodie was having a day off from the fells today)

Weather : Rained all morning, cleared for the walk, rained afterwards as the light faded.

The sign post at the village car park

This was Knock Murton just eighteen months ago. The top is still clean shaven as then but many of the far slopes are now devoid of trees.   We walk from the far end, past the lake (towards the camera) and up in a spiral to reach the top.   [ More pictures and a link at the end of the page.]

Today was another, rather similar, damp day but the weather improved and

encouraged us out of the house to walk ourselves and our two dog for a few hours in the open air.

Jo was staying with us but but Jodie stayed behind on this occasion (rest & recuperation),

so it was two ladies, two dogs and myself that set off from the car park.

A clear view of the summit from the start as the trees have been cleared.

The local sheep note our passing - " Trust you lot to pick a dry spell, we've been here all day and it's been raining for most of it ! "

High Hows is the rounded fell behind.

The old Beech and other deciduous trees on the left still remain but the bank of conifers to the right is clear. - - - o o o - - - This forestry path to the lake used to be quite dark. - - - o o o - - - The plan is to eventually turn the area into natural deciduous mixed woodland but no doubt a few rogue evergreen saplings will re-grow as time goes on.

Jo and I look across at the reservoir.

The lake is full and the overspill is working.

Sharp Knott and Blake Fell now fill the background view . . .

. . . but the foreground is filled with ironwork !

Note: These are fishing platforms for use when there is a competition in progress.

The lake is a popular fishing spot where people can come to relax. Some come to get away from their troubles or maybe even find their God. However, one person only managed to find a Priest, so he's advertised the fact on the Fishing Club notice board. - - - o o o - - - [ Please read Priest in a fishing context and it will make more sense ] [ Still confused, leave me a guest book message and I'll get back to you ! ]

Where were we . . . ah yes . . . we were walking alongside the lake.	Clearing is still in progress, but not today.

A smart new forestry tractor - couldn't resist a photo.

Apparently it is privately owned and the owner is self employed and works on commission to the forestry company.

The dogs find greater enjoyment playing by the lake side.

More trees are being harvested on the lower slopes of High Pen.

This top end of the valley is looking much larger as a result.

New tracks created for the harvesting rather scar the hillside.

I don't suppose they'll back fill them so the natural fell side will have to wait for years till they become obscured by a new growth of trees.

The old path up the firebreak is still intact and has lost none of it's charm.

Here we look back on the moss and wetland areas at the top end of the lake.

The girls reach the top of the fire break and shed a layer of clothing due to the sun and the warmth of the climb.

The top of the path has been cordoned off . . . a bit late now as we've already arrived . . . but there was no real danger here as they had not been clearing this section of the path recently.

Over the hause and down the other side, along the normal forest track.

Fox glove . . . there should have been a Bee on it, but it flew away !	Danger mine shaft . . . the old iron working still exist in the woods.

We walked right till the end of the trees below . . .	. . . they struck up the hillside through the old workings.

From a distance these sheep looked almost like goats, but the colouring was artificial, done by the farmer or by them rolling in the red mud !

The fresh vegetation and the burnt remains of the gorse and heather was testament to last year's fire up here.

The level section before the last climb to the top . . . It's turned out quite a nice day now.

The cloud has lifted off Gavel Fell behind and is nearly clear of the High Stile Ridge in the distance.

Jo and I can see the summit shelter . . . nearly there.

I was probably trying to stay balanced in order to take this photo of the double summit shelter !

Looking down on Cogra Moss from near the summit just after we left the top.

The route down . . .

head for the brown bit, find a way over or round, and get back to the track that can be seen entering the old woodland area.

The reservoir wall and overflow system at the head of Rakegill Beck.

Another machine . . . another blokes photo !

The forestry operation is never a tidy one.

This is the temporary exit for the timber, down onto the Felldyke road.

Looks like Silverstone, in practice it's more like a mud bath.

Skirting round the cleared forestry, we walked up and over the rise and ended back at the stile into the field we were aiming at . . . brilliant.

There were public footpath signs up here but interestly, nothing was shown on my old map.

Back to Felldyke . . . I think this is where we came in !

- - - 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 . . . an hour or so of dry weather.

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Previous walk - 15th July 2008 Jo, John and Shoulthwaite Gill

A previous time up here - 9th January 2007 Cogra Woods but Not-Murton