The weather is dry at last, but it is getting colder with appreciable snow on the high fells today.

After a fine lunch at the Orient Express Cafe we drove the short distance down the side of Bassenthwaite Lake to Thornthwaite,

where we've planned a walk up into the Whinlatter Forest . . . but our first possible parking space was not available to use.

We turned off the A66 towards the village of Thornthwaite, onto the old road.

Woodend Brow car parking was unavailable today as the drainage seemed to be problematic.

The car park is rather hemmed in by the A66 embankment and the drains are blocked.

That blue sign informs handicapped people where to park . . . that's not very fair is it !

We headed on down into the village, past Barf and old Swan Hotel and parked by the old roadside garage.

The bus to Preston College also seems to have suffered from a bit of a service cut-back.

- - - o o o - - -

My walking companions today, Loes and Lill.

From the start of our walk the views were a delight.

Here we're looking over the first houses of the village at Ullock Pike on the side of snow capped Skiddaw.

Looking over  to the snow on distant Helvellyn.

Above the final house (and garden shed) there's a gate leading into the forestry.

There's been a lot of felling and some storm damage in the eight years since I was here last.

Everything is a lot more open, light and airey.

A wind-blown tree spans the raging beck but don't even think about crossing

as the dampness and the moss makes it as slippery as a greased pole.

All signs of the landslide of nine years ago have gone and the path is in good condition.

On reaching the first forest track there's a signpost which apart from the direction arms, tells you to slow down.

I didn't think we were walking that fast, but perhaps it related to mountain bikes crossing the public footpath.

Above are the pools that one can see from the Whinlatter Road.

Our path navigated around the top of them, where it joins a larger forest track.

These delightful pools are a lot more open now, due to the tree felling of recent years.

We are heading up to the road in order to cut back to Thornthwaite by following a different beck back down the fell.

On this top section the views are clear all the way to Helvellyn and the Dodds.

Someone has demolished the bridge on the tight bend on the way up Whinlatter . . . again !

We'll turn left her, down the forest track marked as unsuitable for motors and now blocked by large bollards.

The track leads steadily back down now,

following the Masmill Beck which drains the eastern side of Hospital Plantation of Whinlatter.

Turning north once again, over the beck and heading past Ladstock towards Thornthwaite.

The beck seems to have a water collection weir and a pipe.  Hopefully someone is generating power from the water.

Another fine view of Helvellyn as we pass the last house in the row.

That house and bridge look familiar . . . we're back to Seldom Seen.

Across the beck and a sign on the house ahead caught our eye.	"Street of sixty Springs" (possibly seasons?).

Obviously living in Seldom Seen Valley houses the weather is constantly changing and rarely predictable.

What we did predict successfully was that the track would bring us back to the main road,

well at least the old main road, where our car is patiently waiting just a hundred yards away behind the beech hedge.