March 2023

Last Tuesday was gloriously sunny but bitterly cold so my friend Judy and I decided to do a walk we had been promising ourselves for ages; Cold Fell and Matty Benn’s bridge. The way was fairly pathless at times so it was one for such a clear day. We got some amazing views from the top of Cold Fell and could see out over the Solway to the Isle of Man. It was said you could see Blackpool Tower but the wind turbines were muddying the view beyond Black Combe.

Matty Benn’s bridge was tucked away off the main track as we headed back to the Cold Fell road. It lived up to expectation. It is a very narrow and beautifully formed stone arch bridge  with no sides crossing a small gorge. The story goes that Matty Benn, a farmer in the mid-1800s, used to ride her horse over the bridge on her way home after she had been to market and a local inn!

The predicted snow arrived overnight on Thursday and we awoke to a winter wonderland. Even my WW1 Tommy in the garden got a new coat.

The obvious pictures to take in front of Foulsyke are towards the lake but the sun was so bright in the morning I had to point my camera towards Whiteside which was looking very white indeed.

The local herdies were tucking into their feed as I took the dog for his morning walk.

In the late afternoon I walked down to the lake where the views were absolutely stunning.