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Date & start time: Thursday 18th June 2009. 11.20 am start.

Location of Start : Whinlatter Forest Centre, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 205 245 )

Places visited : Whinlatter forest, Barf, Lords Seat, Broom Fell, Widow's Hause, Graystones, ending down at Scawgill Bridge.

Walk details : 7 mls, 1975 ft of ascent, 2425 ft of descent, 4 hrs.

Highest point : Lords Seat 1,811 ft ( 552 m )

Walked with : Jeff and Rachel, Joan, David, Ann and the dogs, Hattie, Watson, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Blustery winds and threatening rain but ended up dry with some sunshine.

[Click on the drop down menu bar for your choice of Goggle map or photo display ]

 Barf and Lords Seat at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Trail Maps

 

Jeff and Rachel are still in the Lakes so we join them on a walk around the Whinlatter fells.

We are also joined by Joan from Loweswater and David McNaughton from the States

on this blustery, linear walk over the exposed tops to Lords Seat and beyond.

The entrance to the Whinlatter Centre
Do we go this way ? says Rachel . . . No, I was planning that way.
   
Group photo by the Osprey Sculpture . . . Photo sent to me by David.
[ His full group photo was far better than mine ! ]

By walking through the Whinlatter Centre we could show Jeff, Rachel and David the whereabouts of the shop,exhibition, the Siskins Cafe, the Squirrel Webcam and outside, the almost alpine setting of the additional seating area. (Note: the webcam is currently showing the Ospreys not the Squirrels and birds.)

We hadn't long had breakfast so we didn't linger, but a large number of people were already enjoying the refreshments on offer inside.

We chose our forest track and set off up the hill, leaving these riders to set off on their adventure on the Altura Mountain Bike trail.

Bright sunshine in the trees so it was warm out of the breeze . . . much better than forecasted.

The kids up ahead were charging round and round the forest having a go at Orienteering. I hope they made it back in time for their lunch !

Oops . . . in my haste / lack of concentration we've ended up on the wrong track. We should be down there !

Still . . . most roads lead to where we want to go so we continue on round the fell side. Keep a straight face and you'll get away with it !

Yes . . . back on track and there's Barf ahead.

Now what's all this about ?

In the previous picture Harry's discovered a distant pool and was still in it as we passed . . .and the sun's not even shining !

The classic view down to the old Swan Hotel with the white painted Bishop Rock above it.

This was rock is reputed to be the point where a visiting Bishop fell to his death from his horse

as he tried to win a drunken bet about being able to ride his trusty stead anywhere . . . even straight up the fell side.

The conclusion of the group was that they certainly don't make Bishops like that any more !

A slight drop down through the cleared forestry . . .

. . . brought us to the last uphill part of our walk . . . Joan leading the way to our first summit of the day.

The view from Barf, looking north to Binsey, but it's too hazy for Scotland today.

Well, over there is . . . .

Jeff points out the Back o' Skiddaw fells to Rachel.

Below us, the top end of Bass Lake . . . and we spend a few minutes looking for the Ospreys.

The new nest and in it the three 2009 chicks is over the other side of the lake, in the trees below the cleared slopes of Dodd, just to the right of centre.

Further round, the view extends on past Keswick, Derwent Water and up into the cloud covered Central Fells.

There's blue sky up there, but the clouds below are moving fast across the sky in the blustery wind.

From the summit of Barf we are heading up there . . . to Lords Seat.

Jeff and David walk uphill into the ever strengthening wind.

The windy top of Lords Seat and Ann is the photographer this time.

Jeff, Joan, David, myself and Rachel with Watson (Wattie) crossing in front.

Time for lunch . . . but not before we found a place of shelter below the ridge.

The route on from here is across the open grasslands toward Broom Fell and it's large cairn in the distance.

From the ridge walk we get views down into the Aiken Beck Valley.

We will end the walk by descending the steep slope to the right of the photo, in about an hour and a half's time.

Well wrapped up against the cool, blustery wind

we reach the stile at Broom Fell summit as another cloud passed overhead.

A brief stop at the top . . . and we take advantage of the shelter that the high structure provides.

Hattie seems to be having a bad hair day all of her own.

Sunshine again, and we look back at Skiddaw for the last time today,

as we leave the stile and head further on round the circuit towards our next summit, Graystones.

Before then we have to walk past of the forest section known as Widow's Hause.

Joan looks ahead at the next part of the route.

Harry and I take a slightly wider route closer to the trees.

I was hoping for a wind-meter photo in the strong breeze

but Harry's fur is not really long enough and his ears wouldn't stay up long enough for the photo !

Down by the trees we can shed hat and gloves . . .
. . . now that we are more sheltered.

A view across the old wall at the edge of the trees to Grisedale Pike and Hopegill Head in the distance.

A gentle stroll alongside the trees allows us to look down over Highside Farm and across the A66 near Embleton.

The haze still hides the Solway Firth and distant Scotland from view.

Jeff and David follow me up an old diagonal track towards the summit of Graystones.

The girls took a more direct route up the steeper slope.

Looking back across the mature trees at our route so far.

The first summit is Broom Fell and the distant one, Lords Seat.

The girls walk the last short section to the small cairn on the highest section of the open fell.

Despite it's lower altitude the wind up here is still very blustery.

Jeff struggles to get to his feet.

Rachel and Hattie have another bad hair moment.

I make a brief detour to the edge of the fell, taking care on this boggy section of ground.

Click here or on the photo for a wider southern panorama from Graystones.

The Widow's Hause trees are to the left. Hopegill, Grasmoor and the Lorton Valley to the right.

Lorton Valley with Melbreak in the distance.

Our route now follows the fence and wall down the fell side.

I mentioned to David that the last part of the path wouldn't be steep and slippery.

Well . . . at least it isn't slippery !

" David . . . Give me a 'grimace' to let me know how difficult it is."

Steeply down and we are being watched through a gap in the wall.

Four sheep on the cleared forestry section.

The end in sight now as we near Scawgill Bridge and the Whinlatter Road.

A solid stone bridge crosses Aiken Beck

and in the car parking area to the right, we will hopefully find David's car at the end of our walk.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with with my Cannon G7 Digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . A second car at the bottom to avoid walking uphill again.

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© RmH.2009 # Email me here # or leave me a Guest Book Entry

Previous walk -Sunday 14th June 2009 Causey Pike from Stoneycroft

A previous time up here - 15th February 2009 Mist covered Lords Seat and Barf

Next walk - Tueday 23rd June 2009 Keswick's Castle Head

Hello both,

The stainless steel Osprey at Whinlatter is by a friend of ours Steve Blaylock, of Killinghall, near Harrogate. He always works in stainless steel, sometimes in conjunction with stained glass. Steve produced the original Blue Peter boat which can sometimes be seen on TV in the garden at Television Centre in London.

His work can be seen at www.metalsculpture.co.uk

His trademark is a beautiful delicate dragonfly......also made of stainless steel. Sometimes a few of his pieces are in the small gallery near the car park across the road from Keswick Mining Museum.

Thanks for all your pictures. Regards Brian and Linda.

Many thanks . . . RmH