Date & start time: Thursday 30th April 2009. 3.20 pm start.

Location of Start : Hause Point car park, Rannerdale, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 160 184 )

Places visited : Rannerdale Knotts, Low Bank, return via Squat Beck/Rannerdale Valley.

Walk details : 2.75 ml, 1150 ft of ascent, 2 hours 5 mins.

Highest point : Rannerdale Knotts 1,160ft ( 355m).

Walked with : Neil, Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Sunny and clear but a slight breeze, after a very wet morning.

The Trust sign at the Rannerdale Car Park

Neil was having a wet day in Ambleside . . .

so he travelled over to Loweswater in order to have lunch and watch the rain falling here too.

However, just as forecasted, the weather cleared and we had a beautifully sunny end to the afternoon.

Time for a walk !

The sun shining on Ling Crags and Crummock as we leave the car park adjacent to Hause Point.

One dog wants to go up, the other looks to go down.

I'm just keeping an ear out for the traffic . . . but it's quiet today as it only stopped raining an hour ago.

Harry wants to play in the lake rather than climb up there !

With sunshine and blue sky like this, who could blame him . . .

but I would certainly like several more degrees of heat added to the lake water before I take my shoes and socks off.

Up it is then . . . climbing the footpath onto Hause Point.

Did I tell you that Neil had joined us for the walk ?

Overnight rain has caused Scale Beck opposite to overflow it's banks before entering the lake.

The bright sunshine makes the multiple streams appear like sparkling necklaces.

Part way up we get our first glimpse of the hidden valley of Buttermere.

Oh no . . . It's my wife taking pictures of me again !	Me . . . I was just trying to be artistic . . . of gorse :o)

Neil lifts his camera higher to photograph Harry above him.	When Ann reached him he was still sitting there enjoying the view.

Higher now, looking down on Rannerdale Farm

surrounded as it is by lush green fields.

Myself climbing the pitched path up the front of the fell.	A Blue Beetle having an equally big climb up the grass.

Looking down on Buttermere village and the lake.

Haystack and Fleetwith Pike behind are both clear of cloud but Great Gable is missing.

The end Knott of Rannerdale Knotts taken from the adjacent summit.

Ann pauses for a true summit photo.

Perhaps it should have been Neil . . . as it was his first time up this superb little fell.

Crummock Water, Loweswater and the Solway Firth line up in between Mellbreak and Low Fell.

One of the locals, on sabbatical at this time of year, whilst all it's female friends are down below looking after their new offspring.

Harry sits adjacent to the cairn on the second summit.	Can't seem to see Bethan . . . she must be on walkabout again !

Enjoying the moment, enjoying the view.

Looking back as we walk along Low Bank, the multiple summits of Rannerdale Knotts now line up behind us.

Grasmoor to the right just catching the cloud.

On the end of Low bank now as we look down on the village. The building is the water filtration plant for the village.

The tiny square in the field is the last resting place of Nicholas Size, and is the only formal grave in Buttermere Valley.

Newlands Pass and the road over to Keswick,

before we turn to go down the valley behind us and head back to the car.

Neil and I walk towards the blue sky ahead, the lake also reflecting the strong blue colour from above..

We are on the look out for Bluebells, but these are only alluvial stones.	We cross the bridge rather than proceed down the normal path.

No need to open the gate to get through.

This is the historic path and right of way, but it is little used now as folk stick to the simpler path which follows the wall and the stream.

A definite hint of blue now as we approach the narrower part of the valley.

The Bluebells are out but it is early days yet.

Above the footbridge, the famous flowers are starting to show reasonably well.

Ann takes the bridge but Neil and I stay on this bank a little longer.

The gorse has also burst into flower in the last ten days.

This is more like it . . . but it's not covering the fell side yet.

This side of the valley catches the warmth of the sun . . .	. . . but the north facing slope has no colour yet.

I think the late snow and cool weather in the Lakes earlier this year has delayed the growth of the Bluebells.

They are not as far advanced as they have been at this time in recent years.

As he had not been here before, I took Neil over to see the old stone lined "bloomery" pit.

Bracken was burnt here to create potash which was then combined with lanolin from sheep's wool to produce a crude soap for cleaning.

. . . that's Harry rather than Neil in the photo by the way.

There's going to be a race this year as the bracken is growing fast alongside the Bluebells.

There's plenty of flowers about and the colour is starting to show so we'll keep out fingers crossed for a good display over the next few weeks.

- - - 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 . . . a piece of birthday cake left after John's birthday celebrations yesterday.

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