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Site History :

I created this site in 2000, initially as an internet advert for our holiday cottage but also as an exercise to keep me sane, having just been made redundant from my long-term job. We subsequently moved to the Lake District and now live in the cottage ourselves, so the site has now evolved into more of a hobby, and is consequently home for many of our photos. It has become a type of web log of our days out, a celebration of the local countryside, and a showcase for family pictures.

Ann and I had previously lived in Swansea (South Wales) but got fed up of travelling the M6 motorway every time we wanted to travel north on holiday. We found the cottage after a day out climbing the Loweswater Fells and were knocking on the estate Agents door at 9am next day! We could not move up straight away so holiday-let the cottage for two and a half years. When our youngest left for college, Ann took early retirement, I found a new job, we moved north - so here we are !

 

You will find walks, local events, family pictures and more, which I hope reflect the beauty of the Lakes and provide a small an insight to our life in Cumbria and beyond.

I hope you like them.

Myself, Harry and Bethan on Causey Pike, Nov 2005.

 

Camera 1:

From the start, I used a small pocket size Cannon Ixus 4 megapixel camera, and re-size the pictures in Photoshop in order to fit the page. I reduce the physical size to 8x6 and compress the file size to under 50 mb for ease of downloading and economy of space on the server.

Camera 2:

 

In 2007 I invested a few hard earned pennies in a new camera, the Cannon Powershot G7. It is a slightly larger camera with more SLR-type features, and as befits modern technology, 10 megapixels and 6 x optical zoom capability. A bigger back screen and big icons means I don't need the reading glasses so often. A tele converter allows me some long distance shots provided the anti-shake feature works as promised.

With the advent of broadband and cheaper web hosting the file sizes have grown slightly, and finally the site has been developed using Dreamweaver, self taught, warts and all.

Best viewed .... Best viewed with the eyes !

I first spotted this gentle humour on the Pathfairies site and it kind of stuck! Now all I have to do is to try and think of new ones each time !

All the ideas for the site are my own, but I am often inspired by others for which I am very grateful. I have added links to many of these sites on the Links page and thanks each of you for keeping me on my toes and keeping me thinking. Special thanks to Andrew, David, and Sean.

 

Disclaimer :

The information, maps, routes, suggestions and photos are provided for information only but are correct to the best of my knowledge. How you use them is your responsibility, so don't blame me if you get lost, lose at trivial pursuits or otherwise fail to appear as worldly wise as you hope you could be after reading these pages.

Many of the pages refer to our days on the hills. Fellwalking, however, is not without risk and never more so than in bad weather. Make sure you have sufficient warm and waterproof clothing, good footwear, and sufficient food and drink for the trip you are planning. If venturing out onto the fells, carry a map and compass and know how to use them. Practice on good days so that it becomes second nature on the bad ones.

For more advice on safety and mountain rescue, please click on the Mountain Rescue Safety Page and the Met Office Mountain Safety page

Any walk times, mileages, or height calculations I have given are only approximate to my actual walk on that day. Times especially are dependant on the weather, who you walk with, and how much you stop for photos and refreshments. Use them as a guide by all means but you must plan your own trip based on your own speed and your own style of walking.

Any description, either in pictorial, word, or map form, does not imply a right of way. All land is owned by someone and with with the new open access and existing rights of way, we a very fortunate to be able to take advantage of so much of our countryside for recreation. With rights comes responsibilities too, so treat the land, the locals, and the visitors with the respect and responsibility they deserve.

Any polite suggestions to improve the site would be most welcome.

Email me @ : Hiley105.btinternet.com