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Date & start time: Sunday 15th February 2009. 11.30 am start.

Location of Event : Roadside at Whinlatter Pass, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 205 245 )

Places visited : Circular walk from Whinlatter to Tarbarrel Moss, Lords Seat, Barf and back via Beckstones Plantation overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake and Keswick.

Walk details : 4.6 ml, 1500 ft of ascent, 3 hours 10 mins.

Highest point : Lords Seat 1811 ft ( 552m)

Walked with : Jo, John, Ann and the dogs, Jodie, Polly, Harry and Bethan . . . joined by Dave Leslie and Jayne plus Dave's dogs, Holly and Rosie.

Weather : Low cloud and damp to start, clearing towards the middle of the day as forecasted.

The Osprey Sculpture at Whinlatter Park

 

The forecast was for low cloud and mist, clearing towards midday.

We delayed the start and enjoyed the better weather as expected.

The better weather added other benefits too and you'll see our group increased to six by the end.

The off road car parking at the head of Whinlatter Pass.

This area is now heavily used and starting to get rather cut up due to the mountain bike activity. The main car park charges several pounds for parking and so this off road area has gained popularity but at a cost to the landscape.

Level Crossing . . . do not stop on the cycle track.
Ann, Jo and John pause clear of the crossing.

The steep forest track up through the trees takes us away from the bike routes.

The whole area seems to be well organised so that there are very few routes that combine walkers and bike traffic.

Tarbarrel Moss and we're up in the mist now.

They're not particularly worried by the lack of views.

They are more interested in staying upright on the more difficult forest track sections.

A young Scots Pine in the mist . . .
. . . and a young John P crossing the stile at the edge of the forestry !

Group photo at the Lords Seat summit fence post.

Click here or on the photo above for a 380 degree annotated panorama.

One last bit of snow just below the summit . . .
. . . is a great attraction for both Harry and Polly.

What's this . . . could it be sunshine . . . could the weather forecast be coming true ?

Yes . . . the mist is clearing slightly and we start to get a view at last.

Two people are already at the summit and are looking down on Keswick and Derwent Water below.

The Bowness Wood promontory and St Bega's Church across Bassenthwaite Lake.

The southern end of Bass lake and the busy A66 roadway below.

Standing at the summit the cloud was coming and going.

This was the brief glimpse of sunny Latrigg through a gap in the clouds.

The A66 again, but I recognise those two people . . . they are supposed to be climbing Binsey today !

Dave Leslie (who we met yesterday) and Jayne have decided to walk the same fells as us today.

- - - o o o - - -

 

A change of plans due to the weather

and a fortuitous second visit of the day to Barf summit

by David and Jayne meant that our two paths coincided.

 

They had come back up to catch the view

now that the clouds had cleared.

 

- - - o o o - - -

 

Left: Colour co-ordinated Paramo Girls

 

- - - o o o - - -

 

 

As we were all now heading back to the same place

we joined forces and set off towards the Whinlatter Centre again.

Swirling mist on the side of Beckstones Plantation

and our route along the forest road can be seen slowly climbing the fell side opposite.

Clear of the thicker trees, we stop to discuss the view.

The old Swan Inn

and the Bishop Rock . . . looking almost like a snowman today.

Snow on the high fells is clearing slowly as the warm temperatures assert themselves.

This is Clough Head and the Dodds seen over Keswick.

The full extent of the Helvellyn Range is seen from the seat on the forest road.

The icy nature of the winter snow and the colder temperatures at altitude is allowing the wintry scene to continue a little longer up there.

More mountain bike routes alongside the track . . .
. . . but we're walking the forest road back to the car.

The new Cyclewise Hire Centre and Shop and shop at Whinlatter.

Back to the Osprey artwork below the main Whinlatter Visitor Centre.

Behind is the cabin at the start of the Go Ape course and one of their participants can be seen zip-wiring through the trees behind.

- - - o o o - - -

 

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

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

This site best viewed with . . . an improving weather forecast and a good imagination beforehand.

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Previous walk - 4th February 2009 An OFC Walk around Gowbarrow

A previous time up here - 12th March 2007 Barf and Lords Seat through the trees