July 2024
Looking back over my posts for the past few months I realise I haven’t got many pictures of Crummock Water, our local lake that we see from the front of Foulsyke. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day so I took my camera with me on my morning dog walk.
One of the features of the beach through Lanthwaite Wood is the large stone that tells you how high or low the lake is. The water was very still and the lake level was about average with the rock just on the shoreline.
The views down the length of the lake never cease to impress but the path towards the weir and bridges brings its own interest. I always look out for dippers as I cross the bridges but I didn’t see any this time.
Walking further round the shoreline the wild flowers are in full bloom, meadowsweet, purple loosestrife, harebells, all beautiful summer flowers.
Reluctantly I eventually had to turn round and retrace my steps. But even if you return the same way as you came, the views are always different.
June 2024
We hear and read a lot at present about ‘experiences’ and here in the Lake District there are many such activities advertised ranging from survival training to walking alpacas and glass blowing.
For my Christmas present last year my family gave me a voucher for one of Amy Bateman’s Farm Photography days. Amy is a local photographer and farmer whose book, Forty Farms, won Lakeland Book of the Year in 2023.
I visited Amy’s farm last week and spent a wonderful day guided around the farm by Amy who shared her enthusiasm, knowledge and experiences around photography, farming and a sustainable future. I took a lot of pictures!
The introductory coffee and a chat had to wait until we had followed and photographed a flock of three hundred sheep being moved up a narrow lane.
There were lambs to be photographed
And the sheep dogs were also very cooperative
We got fairly close to a bull with a ring in its nose
And even the cobwebs on an old barn roof required a photo.
It was a great experience!
May 2024
You never know what you might come across on a morning dog walk. Yesterday as I went down the fields to Crummock Water a small flock of herdies with some very young lambs, crossed my path and stopped so I could take a picture. This morning as I turned the corner into our lane there were two hares running towards me, sadly they were too speedy for a photograph.
When family and friends visit our main activities have usually been walking and climbing the fells but what do we do if walking is not so possible? I had a friend to stay recently who is unable to walk as far as she used to and one of the places we went to was Muncaster Castle. The bluebells in the woods were fabulous. As well as the house and gardens they have a lovely Hawk and Owl centre with excellent and informative flying displays.
On another day we visited the Shipping Brow Gallery at Maryport which is a new, small and very friendly gallery with a permanent exhibition of local pictures by Percy Kelly. There is also a Percy Kelly trail around the harbour and also one for Lowry. We completed the day with a drive up the coast to Allonby which has a lovely village as well as beach and an excellent café, the Allonby Tea room, all well worth a visit.
As a child I remember seeing a signpost with Loweswater spelt Lowsewater and I found it a couple of weeks ago when I visited the Dean Scarecrow Festival. It is written in dialect and the pronunciation would be ‘o’ as in cloud and ‘a’ as in cat.
April 2024
April is the month for new born lambs in Loweswater and walking the dog down to the lake this morning, I saw these two in a field by the hedge who could not be more than a few hours old. As you can see from the sharp shadows on the photo it was a beautiful sunny day and the old oaks along the lane from Foulsyke are just starting to come into leaf.
Loweswater lake was perfect.
I had one of my grand-daughters staying with me last week and as she is very interested in animals we spent a lovely day at the Wildlife Park. It is an excellent place to take children, there is a wide range of animals, some of which can be fed by hand, and there are close encounters with some birds of prey, this amazing tawny owl came and sat next to us.
Another day we had a walk to St Bega’s church at Bassenthwaite which dates back to AD 950 and is quietly situated on the shore of the lake.
The access is through the gardens of Mirehouse and as we walked through we were surprised to see this amazing border of fritillaries.
Next month it will be all about bluebells, or whitebells as the case may be.
March
It’s difficult not to focus on the weather at the moment as we are getting such a wide range in the past weeks. We have had lots and lots of rain. It is still very mucky underfoot and you have to think where you can walk. For a couple of days last week you couldn’t get over the bridges at Crummock.
We have had some gloriously sunny days with snow on the fells and I can’t resist taking yet another photo of the view from Foulsyke down to the lake.
Last week I went up Raven Crag at Thirlmere: it has been difficult to access for a while but now it is a lovely walk with new steps up the final ascent. It was a day of heavy cloud so there was no view from the top, the only photo I took was of a very attractive tree stump on the way down.
Spring however is progressing, there has been frogspawn billowing out of the pool by the pump house at Crummock.
The daffodils in Loweswater Churchyard are looking beautiful despite the weather.
and there are a few remaining crocuses.
Last Friday I was surprised by an incredible display of daffodils on High Rigg by St John’s in the Vale: we wondered how they had got there.
Primroses are appearing in the hedgerows, these were on the track down to Maggie’s Bridge at Loweswater.
Many of you will be aware of the extensive felling of larch trees because of phytophthora ramorum in Holme Wood. The wood is now being restored and there was a day for the local community to get together and help. Hundreds of trees were planted and my friend Judy and I helped plant over eight hundred primroses.
February 2024
The start of a new season, the annual maintenance work and updates have been done. I’ve had my Visit England assessment, maintained my Five Star, Gold Award status including my 100% rating on cleanliness so I’m ready to go!
Walking round the muddy lanes despite the weather, one is aware of the arrival of Spring. The catkins have been noticeably bright and a thrush is singing its heart out in one of the tall trees.
Loweswater Church yard has been covered in snowdrops.
There is now a blue carpet of crocus and the daffodils are not far behind.
It won’t be too long until we start seeing lambs locally, I did see some bouncing around in a field as I drove over towards the coast last week. In the meantime Sean brings a smile to all our faces.
January 2024
Last Sunday was a gloriously sunny, but cold and icy, day and I went up my first fell of the year which obviously had to be Low Fell directly behind Foulsyke: the view down Crummock Water was magnificent.
Later that day I thought about some of the many things that make Loweswater so special which prompted me to have a nostalgic look through some of my old photos.
The view towards the lake and the fells beyond can not be bettered.
I walk the dog down to Crummock Water several times a week and have taken many lovely photos from the shore: there are also many views I would have liked to have taken but didn’t have my camera with me.
January is the time to start looking for snowdrops, the first sign that Spring may be on its way.
These are soon followed by the daffodils and in May we have the bluebells.
The herdwick sheep always make me smile even when they are visiting my garden looking for something to eat.
Wishing you a happy New Year.
Joan
October
We are now well into October, the autumn colours are developing and the geese are flying noisily overhead in large V shapes. The rainbow picture which I took a couple of days ago while walking the dog is indicative of the range of weather we have been experiencing recently, the bridge at Crummock below shows another aspect of it.
On a somewhat grey day last week I walked with some friends from Spout Force through the forest to Lords Seat and back over Broom Fell. Even though the light was not good the view towards the silhouettes of the distant fells was impressive.
One of my all time favourite place to visit is Watendlath, it’s a lovely walk over the fell from Rosthwaite with a stop for coffee and a rock bun at the tea shop.
Judith Paris of the the Rogue Herries books by Hugh Walpole was said to live here, I think it probably looks a little different today. Below is a picture of the cobbles over the old packhorse bridge.
Today I walked to another tarn, Easedale Tarn, from Grasmere, it is a long time since I have been there but it was a lovely walk in glorious sunshine.
The rock in the photo below is by the tarn and apparently there used to be a small café for walkers beside this many, many years years ago.
For those of you interested in what has been happening to the footpath to Pottergill along the woods behind Foulsyke, the owner who had totally wrecked the path by bulldozing a wide track through to carry vehicles has recently lost his appeal to the enforcement order requiring him to return the path to its previous state.
August
The school holidays have been a busy time and I don’t seem to have had the opportunity to think about taking many photos. Here is a small selection of happy snappies to give a flavour of the month.
The lakeshore path around Crummock on a morning dog walk
Jet Patcher waiting to start work on the potholes!
Buttermere sheep
Shearing time
A cosmos in my front garden.
Sunset on Grasmoor
July 2023
One evening in the very hot weather we had last month I took Max for a run along St. Bee’s beach where he cooled himself down in a pool after charging around chasing his ball along the beach.
Looking through my photos for the past month they are all either very sunny with bright blue skies or cloudy and grey.
This picture of Buttermere was one of the latter but it was so still and calm that the colour didn’t seem to matter.
Once it started to rain properly we had an invasion of tiny frogs, they were hopping about in the field, crossing the road and several even hopped into the kitchen.
Cumbria is known for its natural beauty and its lakes and fells. However there is lot of human history here as well, I’ve written in earlier blogs about Neolithic remains and there is much Roman history. We are just south of Hadrian’s Wall and Carlisle was the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. This summer there has been an archaeological dig at Carlisle Cricket Club of what is thought to be a Roman bathhouse which I went to see on a cycle ride round the Carlisle area. Earlier in the season two Roman god head sculptures were unearthed there which were said to be ‘unique and priceless’. On our visit amongst other things we were shown were semi-precious stones that had been found in the drains system.
It’s been a bit of a month for history. Cockermouth Castle, a home of Lord Egremont, is open to the public on a handful of days a year and I was lucky enough to be given a ticket for one of these. It was a fascinating visit, much of the castle is in ruins but sufficient still stands to help you envisage what it must have been like in times gone by. The dungeons were still intact!
Finally, coming back to the present day and Foulsyke, I am including a picture of the flower pots in the courtyard which have enjoyed and benefitted from the sunshine although I have had to provide them with a lot of water!
