" Easter Rannerdale Valley "

Date & start time: Easter Sunday 24th April 2011, 10 am start.

Location of Start : Hause Point car park, Crummock Water, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 143 211 )

Places visited : Rannerdale Valley.

Walk details : 1.2 mls, 350 ft of ascent, 55 mins.

Highest point : Dale How crags 675 ft - 207 m above sea level.

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

Weather : Couldn't be better !

A fabulous Easter Sunday morning and I drive over to Rannerdale to walk the dogs and to

check out the valley and the famous bluebells before the crowds descend on this tourist hotspot for the day.

I venture up onto Dale How Crags, a little higher than normal, for a better view down into the valley.

First of all, may I formally introduce Harry & Bethan's guest for this week . . . Dillon.

Our neighbour Margaret has tripped and fallen, breaking her leg, so we have her dog for a few days until everything gets sorted out.

Our other guests this week, if only for a brief visit were Doug and Betty, two Loweswatercam viewers from East Anglia.

They were over here for a walk and took the opportunity to call in and say hello to the dogs and ourselves.

- - - o o o - - -

Easter Sunday . . . We don't tend to rush out to the tourist hot spots on bank holiday days as the roads are better with one less car on them.

However, it was such a nice morning that I decided to take the dogs out for a quick morning walk before the valley got busy.

Quiet roads . . . and blue skies over Red Pike and the High Stile Ridge.

Beautiful reflections on Crummock Water . . . taken between Lanthwaite Green and Cinderdale.

I parked the car at Hause Point car park and enjoyed the view over the wall opposite.

No sign of the Osprey this time round.

Through the gate into the field with the bluebells.	Whiteless Pike and yes . . . a blue flower or two !

As it turned out, I would descend alongside this wall from the Dale How Crags (behind the tree) which are about half way up Rannerdale Knotts.

The path up towards the narrows of Rannerdale Valley.

Not a great sign of colour yet but plenty of young growth of bluebell leaves.

This area is interesting from an archeological viewpoint too, as it must have been the site of an old settlement of some sort.

The dip in the ground ahead is the remnants of an old water leat which must have fed a small water mill at some time,

perhaps in Earl Beothar's days, post 1066 and all that.

I looked round for the largest clump I could find . . . well it's early days yet !

Looking across Rannerdale Beck I could see a larger section of flowers starting to show on the south facing slope.

Looking down the steep bank of the beck, what did I find ?

Water babies . . .	. . . Harry and Dillon

I think he enjoys the water even more than ours, if that's possible to imagine.

Bethan looking up at the bank of flowers.

What is unusual about the Rannerdale Bluebells is that the flowers normally prefer a damp woodland environment

but here they cover the open fellside at the bottom of the valley. Presumably the local micro-climate suits them well.

Getting down to their level.

Lets hope they grow faster than the bracken in this warm sunshine.

The colourful slope with Whiteless Pike behind.

I decide to make a round walk of it by climbing up and viewing them from above.

First I walked up the valley, past the bridge and footpath to Cinderdale.

Climbing up alongside the wall . . . yes it was steep !

. . . but it gave beautiful views back down Crummock Water towards Mellbreak and Low Fell.

Top Dog.

Dillon is not so sure about this "perching on a rock" idea.

The view down to Rannerdale Farm Rannerdale Beck winds its way across the fields

and flows into the lake beyond the white cottage in the middle distance.

The imposing bulk of Grasmoor looking down on the valley.

Two people in white have just arrived into the field to see the flowers for themselves.

In a good year, much of the area they are walking through, and the green field on the opposite side of the beck are swathed in blue.

A wider panorama as I return to the car this lovely morning.

- - - o o o - - -

A few shots now from Monday when I was in work and Ann enjoyed a walk up the Mosser Track from Loweswater.

This was Dillon's last morning with us for a while as he is off on holiday to Margaret's friends near Penrith.

I hope he leaves the fluffy duck behind for our two to play with . . . it is theirs after all !

Hear no evil . . . speak no evil . . . what duck ? I can't see a duck ?

Myresyke Farm above Loweswater.

The weather is so nice that the young (white) calves are out in the fields today.

A wider panorama looking across to the Western Fells and Holme Woods.

This view featured in the opening and closing sequence of the Renee Zelwegger film "Miss Potter"

[ Click here for their website and here for the short video with this view at the end.]

The track has become significantly rougher in recent years but is beautifully quiet for dog walks as a result.

- - - 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 few more weeks of sunshine and the occasional shower perhaps to bring the bluebells to their best.

Go to Top . . . © RmH.2011 . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 21st April 2011 A medley of pre-Easter walks

A previous time up here - 9th May 2009 Rannerdale Bluebells

Next walk - 26th April 2011 Watendlath & Great Crag