Sunny Summer Days

Summer is beginning to fade and although there may be some warm sunny days ahead, there is no doubt autumn is on it's way. It's a while since I've been in this space. This year, more than ever, I felt the need to fully embrace our summer break. The abrupt ending of school back in March, followed by the challenges of home learning, and a whole new way of going about our daily lives had left me more depleted than I realised. And yet, this situation has also made me appreciate (even more) the simple things in life which make me happy. Summer has been different in many ways and even though we haven't travelled very far this year, it still feels as though we've enjoyed a proper holiday.

The garden has been my sanctuary for much of this year and this last month, especially, it's been wonderful to see some results. The apple trees are growing fast and I'll soon need to re-pot them.

The carrots are extra tasty. (After a good wash, of course)

The tomatoes, which were planted a little later than usual, are just beginning to ripen now.

The sweet peas are coming to an end, but throughout the summer they have provided me with some delightful colour on the kitchen windowsill, filling the room with their delicate scent. 

The long sunny days have been blissfully unhurried.

In between the rainy days, the skies have been the bluest of blue with soft wispy clouds.

The little lemon trees are growing fast.

Much of the home grown beetroot has been eaten now, and the rest has been pickled ready to enjoy during the cooler months.

The sourdough starter was a non-starter for me, so I went back to baking bread the way I usually do, using the no-knead recipe. Much more simple and a lot less work : ) I'm glad I gave it a try, however.

Some trips out were more spontaneous than others.

At least I had a swimsuit packed for an unexpected evening dip.

No time to cook dinner, so it had to be a chip supper. A rare treat.

Lakes, rivers, or puddles. Always where there's water. And why I always carry a spare set of clothes.

An early start for a walk up Brock Crags, overlooking Brother's Water.

Looking up Threshthwaite Glen in the early morning sunshine.

Skipping down the fell.

A trip to the beach on this occasion.

Plenty of space to run.

A shaded walk beneath the trees.

Walking uphill again.

A perfect picnic spot looking towards the fells.

Back at the river again, fishing for minnows this time. It had been a few years since I last did this but I hadn't forgotten how.

Beautiful purple heather on Whinlatter

As far as the eye could see.

Looking over towards Skiddaw.

Gathering blackberries.

I've taken a photograph of this field most years. When it turns to gold, for me it indicates the arrival of late summer.

Another early start to climb Hartsop Dodd.

Looking towards Ullswater.

Gray Crag above Pasture Beck. Another beautiful picnic spot. And yes, it did involve a paddle : )

Caudale Moor. 

We collected lots of blackberries. Some are for spiced blackberry vodka, all the rest are in the freezer ready to make jam and compote. 

Hallin Fell. We set off very early for this one, which turned out to be unnecessary, although it did mean we got the summit to ourselves on what was the most beautiful morning. Ullswater looked like a millpond. Our last hurrah to the summer days before autumn term began. 

Lily in the distance.

School started back mid-week and I'm happy to say we're beginning to settle into a routine again. Some changes are taking a little bit of getting used to but I'm surprised at just how quickly we're adjusting.

The nights are beginning to draw in now and there's a chill in the early-rnorning air, but I'm hopeful we'll still enjoy some warm sunshine during these late summer days.

J. X

Up and Down

Our summer season is flying by and the days are beginning to get noticeably shorter now. Over the last few weeks the weather here has been very changeable and I can't even remember the last time I needed to water the garden. Although we haven't experienced quite the high temperatures as down in the South, the dry sunny days have been perfect for getting up on to the fells and enjoying some of the quieter areas of the Lakes.

Just over a week ago now we climbed Troutbeck Tongue, a small fell in the centre of the Troutbeck valley. We walked along a narrow lane from the middle of the village until we passed close to Troutbeck Park Farm, which was once owned by Beatrix Potter, before our route took us up across a field and on to the lower (quite boggy) slopes of the fell. Fortunately, it was only a short section of the track and we managed to keep our feet dry.

The track up to Hagg Gill. Our path turned up to the left here.

Almost at  the summit with Wansfell Pike in the distance.

Getting higher. Froswick and Ill Bell.

Looking down Troutbeck Valley towards Windermere.

It was a really enjoyable short walk and, as you can see, it was lovely and quiet there. It is so reassuring knowing we can get out without the worry of lots of people gathered together and for the first time in a long time I even enjoyed a drink sat outside the hotel in the village where we started our walk.

Friday had been forecast to be hot and sunny. Yay! So our plan was to set off early to be able to find ourselves a quiet spot on the shores of Ullswater and enjoy a morning paddleboarding. Lily had never done this before but was very excited to give it a try with a bit of support from big sister. It was a lot of fun and I think she's hooked. After a picnic lunch beneath the trees, we set off for home and it wasn't until we were driving towards Glenridding that we realised just how busy it had become and I was so glad we had managed to find a  quiet spot, away from the crowds. 

Earlier this week, we climbed Sour Howes and Sallows. Another two small fells and once again setting off from Troutbeck. We followed the rough Garburn track before crossing over some stiles to reach the lower slopes of Sour Howes,  climbing onwards up the path and enjoying the views back towards Windermere.

Not too far until we were afforded some beautiful views.

The small fell right in the middle of the valley is Troutbeck Tongue which we had climbed last week.

Small clumps of purple heather on the fell and, thankfully, not too boggy this time.

The summit of Sallows.

I hope we might get out again over the weekend but, as is always the case when having spent a lot of time outdoors, there are so many household chores to catch up on and, having been neglected a bit lately, the garden needs a good tidy. The sweet peas are looking a bit bedraggled and some of the sunflowers are long past their best. We've already enjoyed some of our beetroot but I've yet to find out how well the carrots have grown. I might get Lily to pull one out later. The tomatoes haven't done quite as well as I first expected but I'm hopeful we might still get a reasonable crop. 

J. X

Making Up for Lost Time

I cant believe it's been almost two weeks since I last posted here but now that the world is beginning to open up more and more, we've been making the most of every opportunity to get outdoors and to teach our legs how to walk uphill once again.

Our first walk was to Harrop Tarn. This is a short but steep climb up a narrow track through woodland, accessed from the shores of Thirlmere. It was lovely and quiet there and once past Dobgill Falls the view opened up onto the tarn where we sat and enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Although the day was quite overcast, the air was warm and still. On a clear day you would be able to see Helvellyn to the east beyond the bridge.

Our route continued on forest track alongside the tarn and back through the trees, down the hillside overlooking Thirlmere.  The fell on the right in the above photograph is Steel Fell, which we climbed the day before lockdown back in March. It feels such a long time ago now.

Time for a quick explore on the shore at Thirlmere before heading for home.

Our second walk up Latrigg was much more familiar, as we have climbed this many times now. This is a very popular little fell with visitors to Keswick, as after just a short climb you are rewarded with beautiful views over both Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater. I was aware that for this reason we would probably encounter many more people on this walk but it actually wasn't as busy as I had been expecting and there was more than enough space to pass everyone quite safely.

And this was the reason I wanted to come here. Some of you may remember my post of two years ago here.

I hope I can continue to do this for as long as possible.

While we were in the area I thought it would be a nice idea to climb Ling Fell. I had noticed this little dome shaped fell earlier in the year when we were walking up Sale Fell (photograph above) and decided it might be worthy of  a visit, and since Latrigg had only been a short walk we wouldn't have any problem in bagging another small summit the same day :)

On the way up. 'So very tired'. Don't be fooled, she can out-walk me any day and usually does.

View from the summit, overlooking Sale Fell with Bassenthwaite beyond.

We even made it to the sea again. A lovely walk around a nature reserve and a very happy time spent poking about in rockpools.

J. X

Hill Top

On Monday we finally got the opportunity to visit Hill Top, former home of Beatrix Potter and inspiration for many of her books. I had originally wanted to visit earlier in the year as it had been one of the school's topics for the spring term, but better late than never, and although we couldn't go into the house itself, we might at least be able to enjoy the garden while it was lovely and quiet.

We parked up on Windermere's  west shore and enjoyed a simple picnic lunch before walking up a short track to Claife Viewing Station, which suddenly appeared through the trees and offered beautiful views across the lake. The courtyard café had recently re-opened, so it was here I was able to enjoy my first proper coffee since the beginning of lockdown, and it tasted oh-so-good.

From there we followed the signposts for Hill Top, which took us uphill along tracks, and lanes to reach Near Sawrey. At one point we thought we might have been going the wrong way, as the signpost pointed away from the main road, but the route turned back on itself  and took an unexpected turn through the field and alongside a lovely little stream where we sat for a while on a bench.

I had booked our visit the previous week, so we had an allotted time slot and on reaching Hill Top we were welcomed by a friendly guide and given a brief run down of the distancing measures. The garden was one way only but we could go round several times if we liked. This little white gate, which is the entrance to the garden, can be found in The Tale of Tom Kitten book.

This pretty little pathway leads up to the front door of the farmhouse. This also features in The Tale of Tom Kitten and in The Tale of Pigling Bland.

To the other side of the fence is another pathway, then behind that is a small orchard.

It was so quiet. I imagine we would not usually have the garden to ourselves, so it felt rather special.

In the walled vegetable garden we searched behind the flower pots but still couldn't find Peter Rabbit.

I would like to go back again when we can have a look around the house but for now  I am more than happy to have been able to wander around the garden.

J. X