© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number PU 100034184.

 

The big day has arrived, the presents are opened, both for Christmas and birthday.

As there are only two of us this Christmas we have a leisurely morning and head out for a walk in the afternoon.

There's no need to drive for a walk when we have such lovely scenery around us.

The morning view on this fine Christmas day.

The high fells are shrouded in a layer of what looks like a blanket of cloud

but it is always moving, so the view of the top of the valley changes every time we look.

By the red phone box this Christmas morning.

Cool air suggests hat and gloves but the sun is nice and warm this afternoon.

Ann and the dogs at the start of the walk . . . the other member of the party was sadly just an illusion . . . a trick of the light.

Grasmoor has a seasonal dusting of icing sugar.

The top of Whiteside is brightly coloured due to the sunshine rather than anything else.

Cloud in the Ennerdale Valley behind Haystacks creeps up and over Green Gable.

The view from Great Gable in these conditions must be good, maybe there's even an inversion on the cards in the next valley.

The view back to the Kirkstile Inn.

Christmas is the one day of the year that they are shut, so the car park was strangely empty as we passed.

Kirkgate Farm. . . the sign is cleverly cut as the white of the sheepdog is as a result of the wall colouring behind.

Micro-climate.

The flower basket is still in flower as it benefits from the heat of the animals in the barn behind.

Loweswater, Darling Fell and Low Fell from the lane up towards Harry's Pool.

Should you continue on, this bridleway will take you along the rather wet length of Mosedale and over Flouten Pass to Ennerdale.

Christmas day and several families are out walking on the local paths and tracks, this was just one of them.

They've got two dogs like ours . . . Ohh . . . they are ours !

A wider panorama of Low Fell from the track behind Flass Wood.

The Kirkstile is the large building in the centre.

In fact all the local fells now have their heads in the cloud.

We walk down to Low Park and then join the bottom road that will take us back in a homeward direction.

This is Muncaster House.  We could say it nestles under Grasmoor

but there's the River Cocker, Brackenthwaite Hows, the road to Buttermere and Lanthwaite Green between us and the high fell.

Two fields till we're home . . . despite the early hour the sun has already left the valley floor.

Time to get back, put the kettle on and settle back for an evening in front of the fire and no doubt catch up with some quiet television.