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Our daughter and family are up in the Lakes for the weekend and with friends are staying in Loweswater's Rose Cottage.

Al and Mark have decided to spend the day road cycling around the area and managed over 45 miles today.

Paula, Sue and our grandchildren Tom and Abi prefer a local walk.  

The weather is too rough for a high altitude walk so they chose a lower level walk and we join them for the first half of it.

There has been a few heavy wintery showers in the last few days leaving the tops a beautiful white.

Overnight there's  been a heavy frost and Loweswater is looking beautiful.

Paula and Al, Sue and Mark are staying across the road in Rose Cottage.

Tom and Abi are staying over this side in our cottage.

Over breakfast there was another heavy hail shower and the forecast is very changeable

so they chose a local walk to appreciate the area, the snowy high fells and the autumnal colours in the woods.

We actually started out along the road but Ann popped Harry in the car so as to avoid unnecessary tarmac walking for him.

From the car park we set off up Scale Hill through the deciduous woodland.

Some of the trees have lost their leaves but many are still retaining their autumn colours.

Another rain shower with a bit of sleet or hail in it, passes over us as we make the top of the hill.

Not very pleasant weather if you were any higher !

The first high point of the summit was fairly exposed.

That's Grasmoor over the back.

Across the valley are the Loweswater fells of Carling Knott and Burnbank.

The Loweswater Pheasant woodland stands out against the snow and hail of the higher slopes.

In the short walk from one high point to the other . . . the weather changed.

It is almost like turning on the colour switch . . . the sunshine returned.

The valley behind us was illuminated in a similar way and a brilliant rainbow crossed the sky.

Sadly my camera battery gave out in the cold and by the time I had warmed it up enough for a photo, the rainbow was almost over.

[ Note to self:  once you have charged the spare battery . . . put it back in the camera bag ! ]

Once over the shock of a freezing battery under my armpit for a few minutes, it was all go again with the camera.

The view up the valley was superb and the sun was really sparkling on the lower end of Crummock Water.

	From the top we headed down to the woodland below and skirted round the left hand edge of the woods.     Through a gap in the trees I took this photo of Grasmoor which suddenly appeared over the gateway looking like a Alpine peak seemingly rising up to eternity.

On through the woodland

the sun catching the leaves and making them almost iridescent with colour.

Down to the boat house where Abi found a geocache in a box under the tree

and Paula found a sandwich (or three) in a box inside her rucksack.

- - - o o o - - -

Paula and Sue were planning to extend the walk around the lower end of the lake

so Ann and I took our leave as they enjoyed their lunch and we returned to the car.

What has been surprising this autumn has been the lack of storms, the retention of the leaves on the trees

and the resultant riot of colour . . . and today it was even set against the white background of November snow.

Dylan and Harry lead the way back through Lanthwaite Woods to the car park.

Paula and the others returned later . . . after an afternoon of some sunshine and one more wetting.

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In the evening we all adjourned to the Kirkstile . . .

Sue and Paula after a successful walk . . .

Al and Mark after a successful bike ride . . .

and Tom and Abi . . . after a very nice evening meal.

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