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It is going to be a sociable weekend with Hilton staying with us for a few days.

Margaret and Catherine and are staying in Keswick for their busy weekend but also find time to call over.

On the Saturday they were here for an afternoon walk and no doubt a full evening's chat.

A Friday evening stroll after Hilton had arrived.    He had travelled up to the Lakes by motor bike for a change

and just needed a smaller walk to stretch his legs . . . so three of us headed down to the lake across the fields.

A pause on the slope down to Sandy Yat beach . . . just to enjoy the superb visibility.

The view stretches away into the distance, the sunshine clearly highlighting the crags on Haystacks and Great Gable at the far end.

There were three people on the walk . . . as you can tell.

The low, dark bulge in the shadow of the middle person is presumably one of our dogs.

Whiteside and Hopegill Head as seen across The Peel.

Several colder days and nights have started to give some of the trees a slight autumn tinge.

There's a shimmer of a breeze out in the centre of the lake, but here tucked in by the small beach the water is flat calm.

The shadows on Rannerdale Knotts have risen up the hillside even in the twenty minutes since the earlier picture was taken.

Looking the opposite way at the Pump House, the stone building is also reflected in the calm waters.

It's a quarter to seven in the evening and it will not be long before the sun will be setting on the cottage too.

Autumn is in the air and no doubt the clear skies will allow the temperature to drop quite low tonight.

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Saturday morning Catherine and her mum Margaret walked on the slopes of Catbells

in order to scatter Margaret's husband Richard's ashes at a place he loved.  In the afternoon they joined us for the rest of the day.

This was our group as we walked the track up to Harry's Pool.  The photo location was chosen to include Loweswater in the background

as neither Margaret or Catherine had actually seen the lake that gives the area its name.  Hilton crouches down to balance the photo !

Down at Harry's Pool, so called because it was a favourite swimming place of our lovely dog Harry.

Chance to throw a few sticks today . . . especially for Dougal who is becoming an equally keen swimmer as was Harry.

Unfortunately in bending down on the stepping stones to catch one of the rejected sticks as it drifted by,

the earth moved, there was a total reorganisation of the rocks . . . or perhaps I wasn't concentrating on where I put my feet.

The result was a less than glamorous slide into the stream and wet clothing up to the knees !

We walked a short distance downstream just to show Margaret and Catherine the start of the lovely waterfalls.

There's a second swimming pool just after the first cascade with fast flowing, rich peaty water today. The pool is four or five foot deep.

Normally it is perfect for a lazy swim . . . if the water is warm and the day is hot.

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In the evening we enjoyed supper together and chatted about the weekend

and put the world to right (as best we could) . . . a good weekend all round.

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Catherine's Facebook pictures can be seen here

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Recently one of our Loweswatercam set me a small challenge along the lines of . . . " Where was this picture painted from ? "

Martin wrote:  " I wondered if I might ask for your help trying to locate a picture that I have.

I thought of asking you as I believe that it is in the Loweswater/Lorton area."

As a bit of background, my mother’s family were Quakers by the name of Harris and were quite an extensive family in Cockermouth and the surrounding area. This picture has been part of my life as far back as I can remember as it hung in my mother’s bedroom and I always knew that it was in “Cumberland”. I may have been told where it was but I was probably too young to remember. I have often wondered exactly where it was and recently saw an old photo album (dating from about early ‘30’s) belonging to my mother’s uncle and thought I had cracked it. However, my aunt, who is the only remaining sibling, said that the picture was one of their mother’s favourites and thinks that it predates (probably about 1910 - 1915) the photo album. She said that she thinks it is a view from one of the family houses in the Lorton area.
It is the fells visible in the background through the trees that are of interest. We have to assume that the artist (who is unknown) has painted a true likeness and the question is, do you recognise the shape of them so that we can get an idea of where the artist was sitting?

(Just to confuse . . . ) The uncle whose album it was had two properties in the Newlands Valley - Birkrigg, which we know well as we have stayed there. The second is called Emerald Bank, just down the road, which we don't know at all. There are photos of the house and the trees that bear a close resemblance to those in the painting. The drive to the house cuts down from the road then doubles back down the valley to the house. My thought was that the view could be from the house up the short section of drive and up the valley towards Scope End and High Snab Bank. I’m not sure if the valley floor is as flat as that in the picture and there is then the question of date.

I’m always up for a challenge like this . . . how about having a guess yourselves ?

My photo was taken from the Thackthwaite Road in the Lorton Valley close to Whinfell Hall caravan site.

However what looks like the southern end of Mellbreak is in the wrong location if the wooded slopes are that of Red How. 

The summit of Red Pike looks okay but is under-exaggerated.   The two fells on the left could be Grasmoor and Whiteside.

If this is correct then I need a viewing location more to the left and a little further up the valley.

This it seems is still work in progress . . . have any of you any ideas ?