" The Bothy and the Beck "

Date & start time: Sunday 13th February 2011, 3.15 pm start. ( NY 134 210 )

Location of Start : Maggie's Bridge car park, Loweswater , Cumbria, Uk.

Places visited : High Nook, Watergate, Loweswater (lake) and bothy.

Walk details : 2.75 mls, 150 ft of ascent, 1 hr.

Highest point : Part way up the woods, but don't get excited !

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

Weather : Overcast and damp, but it had stopped raining.

After a morning fixing scenery it was time to give the dogs the chance of some real exercise

so I parked relatively locally to enjoy a walk across to Loweswater, the lake that is, not the village.

I incorporated a wonder through the woods behind the bothy to extend the walk slightly

which had rather unforeseen consequences.

Parking at Maggie's Bridge at the start of the walk.

It's rather busier of late . . . may be it's the start of Scotland's half-term week ?

I headed for High Nook Farm.

Even though I was on the main track at this point I could tell it was going to be a " damp under foot " walk.

The track to the farm continues on alongside the White Oak Beck.

It won't be too many years before the natural meandering of the river finally undercuts this tree.

The last few floods have eroded the bank and the water is now flowing underneath the root system.

Not up to the farm today . . . I'll took the signposted footpath off to the right here.

Bethan has to retrace her steps a little . . . but then the extra distance might have worked off a bit more of her boundless energy.

A large ladder stile, not the best for the dogs . . .	. . . so I used the conveniently placed gate alongside !

Following the little used footpath across the fields to Watergate Farm, Darling Fell and Low Fell opposite.

Rather damp and soggy under foot as the run-off from the overnight rain has made the grass rather water-logged in places.

" Second Birth "

This old stump of a tree has re-sprouted new growth in recent years.

Loweswater from above Watergate . . .

I missed the path diverting up to that tree so had to backtrack slightly after this to regain the path.

Old beech leaves (and others) cover the paths . . .	. . . while the water covers the inside of boat 3.

Wisely, or fortunately, these rowing boats are now made of fibre glass and won't suffer unduly from their winter wetting.

They'll be back out in the summer, water free and available for hire.

There's a family staying at the Bothy this week . . . nice to see it being used and, by the sound of it, enjoyed.

A potential home of a different sort . . . this one for the birds.	A small enclosure in the woods to keep out the deer.

A recently felled area has been cordoned off to allow natural re-growth without the effects of grazing by the larger inhabitants of the wood.

It will be interesting to see what effect it will have because I very rarely see the small herd of deer in these woods.

Perhaps they are currently hiding behind the trees from myself and the dogs and come out foraging in a big way once we've gone.

Through to the centre of the woods where the new footbridge is starting to blend in.

From here I followed the Holme Beck stream down the short distance to the lake.

Unfortunately I was picking a stick out of the river and my camera dropped out of its case, bounced on a rock and splashed into the water.

Ooops !

A quick retrieve and a dry off with a tissue and we're back in business as this shot shows.

Back through the woods past the small bothy at the back of the bigger stone bothy.

Someone has enjoyed building and no doubt playing in it during their holiday in the woods.

- - - o o o - - -

Mmmm . . . bit of a damp spot on the lens and the battery is showing flat . . . could this be a bigger problem ?

Time to really dry of the camera in the airing cupboard and re-charge the battery to see how big a problem it really is.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . a spare and clean paper hankie !

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Previous walk - 12th - 14th February 2011 The 2011 Tethera Play - re-build

A previous time up here - 16th February 2002 A Loweswater walk

Next walk - 14th February 2011 Scale Hill and Snowdrops