Whinlatter, Lorton (et al).

Date & start time: Friday 17th December 2010, 3.15 pm start.

Location of Start : Roadside near the Whinlatter Forest Centre, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 205 245 )

Places visited : The garden, Lorton Bridge and Whinlatter Forest.

Walk details : 1.5 mls, 450 ft of ascent, 45 mins.

Highest point : Whinlatter Forest gate 1450 ft - 446 m.

Walked with : Myself (Roger) and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Sunny and blue skies after overnight snow.

[ Alter the settings to zoom or change the Map, use Everytrail to download the Gps route ]

The dogs needed a walk and I needed to get over to Keswick to pick up the reprint

of the 2011 Loweswatercam Calendars dispatched to work by the printer.

" In Fishers on a day off " I hear you say . . . yes but with a purpose in mind, plus a delightfully snowy dog walk first.

First the day before and a garden full of visitors.	Two different red squirrels come for food from the bird table

The birds and the squirrels are eating as much as we care to put out for them.	Oops . . . the thaw is short lived and it's starting to snow again.

Not a great snowfall but the temperature has dropped 10 degrees from yesterday.

I don't know about you but I can count nearly thirty birds taking advantage of the table food.

Wildlife spotting in the snow . . . birds and squirrels.	The miniature paws of the tiny red rodents.

The table in the lower garden has a strange finger print in the snow.

The five straight lines are from flapping wing feathers as a bird has taken flight from the table.

- - - o o o - - -

Time to set off to Keswick and so I combine it with a walk at Whinlatter.

Snow has returned to the valley.

Before I walk the dogs I take a quick look at the progress achieved over the last few weeks at Lorton Bridge.

Cones protecting the new tarmac overlaying a new pipe of some sort.

Two guys at work today

preparing the ground in sub zero temperatures for the underlying tarmac road surface.

The cantilever supports have gone and the bridge is looking good.

New curb stones have been laid.

They are expecting tarmac tomorrow with any luck.

The problem here is that the frozen ground is not the best for laying tarmac

However they may well give it a go in order to open the bridge to pedestrians over Christmas.

Walking back to car I passed the delightful front of Lorton Bridge Cottage.

- - - o o o - - -

The quickest way to Keswick is via the Whinlatter pass.

Hopefully the road is open.

Lovely afternoon views as I successfully negotiate the hill and bends above Scawgill Bridge.

The view here is of Hobcarton Crags and Ladyside Pike.

Real Christmas Trees for sale.	I park and head off up the forest track towards the fell.

Picture postcard scenes despite the lack of long distance views.

Now that's what you call a big squirrel.	No great information on the board today.

Bird tracks earlier . . . bike tracks now.	Participants on the Altura Mountain Bike trails in Whinlatter

Clear forest tracks across the hillside below Whinlatter Fell.

Views across to Grisedale Pike are superb.

The awkward stile at the forest fence has been replaced by a rather nice gate.

Bethan waits patiently to be allowed through.

The view from the other side allows a wider panorama including Hobcarton End.

Time to be off . . . so I turn to retrace my steps to the car.

A nice horizontal spread of late afternoon sunshine on the Helvellyn massif.

More tracks . . this time created by and abandoned by a large caterpillar.

Great Mell Fell in the distance.	Orienteering pictures for the young visitors.

Dasher . . Santa's reindeer . . . rain dear . . it looks more like snow to me !

Let's not Go Ape . . . the aerial ropeway system has few visitors today.

Beware Heavy Lorries . . . turned into a play area for the younger kids.

The Osprey sculpture at the car park . . .	. . . and so back to the car.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either my Canon G10 digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . plenty of orders for a reprint of the Loweswatercam Calendar.

Go to Top

© RmH.2010 # Email me here # or leave me a Guest Book Entry

Previous walk - 12th December 2010 Allonby Sunset

A previous time up here - 14th March 2008 Going Ape at Whinlatter

Next walk - 19/21st December 2010 Family in Cumbria