A Week in Coniston

At the end of June we had a holiday up in the Lake District staying in one of the Coppermines Cottages formerly occupied by the miners who worked the various mines in the region 100 years ago. See the website at http://www.coppermines.co.uk/

The first set of pictures are of the cottage and the surrounding scenery.

Al fresco dining - and what a view down the valley.

The nearby YHA Youth Hostel.

The nearby rocks show the amount of copper in them.

The sheep grazing near the cottage were all very tame.

The nearby streams.

The view down the valley.

On Tuesday afternoon we called down at Hawkeshead where Wordsworth went to school. The next two pictures whow the exterior and interior of the Methodist Chapel in the village.

After visiting Hawkeshead we then went up to Tarn Hows where we had a good walk all around the tarn with some great views of Wetherlam and the Langdale Pikes towards the end of the walk. Upon completion we headed for the Ice Cream van where Steve, one of the Wainwright Society members was working so we had a good long chat before departing back to the cottage.

Tree stump full of coins.

To the rear of the cottage were a number of remains of the old mine workings.

In the evening there were rabbits playing on the bank at the rear of the cottage.

On Wednesday we had a walk up the Coppermines Valley to some very impressive waterfalls.

Later in the afternoon we went down to Coniston for provisions and had an hour or so down by Coniston Water watching the boats, yachts etc., plus also a family of ducks with their ducklings.

Coniston Main Street with the Coop on the left.

On Thursday I spent the morning walking up in the hills, going up to Levers Water and then over High Crag to Wetherlam before returning back down to the cottage for lunchtime. As I was leaving the "Fix the Fells" helicopter was heading up the valley to the summit of Coniston Old Man where it was undertaking footpath repairs and several of the pictures of the Old Man will feature the helicopter buzzing around the summit.

One of the old mine workings on Wetherlam.

Mine shaft chimney.

And back to the cottage.

After lunch we went down to Little Langdale and had a walk round Blea Tarn where there were some stunning views of the Langdale Pikes and Lingmoor.

An excellent view of The Band leading to the summit of Bowfell with the Scafell Range in the background.

Down at the Old Dudgeon Ghyll Hotel in Great Langdale another of the "Fix the Fells" helicopters was taking stones up onto Bowfell & Esk Pike to help with footpath repairs.

On the way back to Coniston after having had tea in Ambleside we stopped at Yew Tree Farm which had been used as the farmhouse setting for the "Miss Potter" film in 2007 featuring Renee Zelwegger as Beatrix Potter.

On the way back up to the cottage we were halted on the track by a Fire Engine, Ambulance and Mountain Rescue Team landrover. They had been rescuing someone who had fallen down the ravine on the picture below. We couldn't progress further until the Air Ambulance had taken off from further up the track to the cottage.

Friday morning we departed for home with a last fond look back up the Coppermines Valley.

Otley Carnival

Saturday 20th June was Carnival Day in Otley. Below are some pictures from the procession through the town taken partway down Bridge Street on the way to the Carnival field. Sub-titles have been added where appropriate.



The Town Crier, Paddy Steval and his deputy.

The Pipe Band.

The Town Mayor, Councillor Gerard Francis and his consort.

The retiring Carnival Queen and Deputy.

The Carnival Chairman's Car.

The 2009 Carnival Queen, Helen Winpenny, and her deputies.

The Whartons Junior School Dragon.

All Saint's Junior School - Cowboys and Indians.

Visiting Carnival Queens from the Leeds & Bradford areas.

St. Joseph's Junior School - Cavemen & Women.

Steel Band.

The Dancing School with the maypole.

Hospital Staff - "The Sound of Music".

Westgate Junior School - "Busy Bees".

Otley Brass Band.

Ashfield Junior School - "Hollywood to Bollywood".

Otley Methodist Rainbows - "Pirates".

Marching Band.

Otley Methodist Cubs - "Surfing".

"The Vikings".

The Majorettes.

Jake Wright's Traction Engine.

The Marching Band.

Crowds crossing the bridge on their way to the Carnival Field.

On Saturday 30th May, we joined with twenty or so friends and acquaintances from the Otley & Aireborough Methodist Circuit to take part in the annual "Missions Walk". Usually in the past this has been round the Washburn Valley area north of Otley but this year instead we went up to Cullingworth above Bingley for an 8 mile walk. The walk took us up through Cullingworth Fields to Cow House Farm, across to Goitstock Wood and up by the side of Harden Beck and its spectacualr waterfalls to Harecroft where we had lunch. From there it was across Hewenden Viaduct following the line of the old railway and back into Cullingworth to finish. The pictures are accompanied by sub titles where appropriate.


The group ready for the off at the start of the walk.

Up through Cullingworth Fields.

The old railway line continuing up the valley to Queensbury.

Crossing the fields to Cow House Farm.

The old Lead Mill chimney at Rough Plantation on the approach to Goit Stock Cottages.

Crossing the bridge over Harden Beck.

Meg, one of the dogs, cooling off in the stream.

Roger watching Meg's antics.

The waterfalls in Goitstock Wood.

A very picturesque garden at the end of the wood.

Footpath sign to Hewenden, but we turned left instead up to Harecroft.

As the signs on the post shows, we were following part of the Millennium Way.

First view of Hewenden Viaduct which we were to cross after lunch.

Further views of the viaduct.

Lunch stop at Harecroft Methodist Church Hall.

The interior of the Chapel.

Scale Model of the Chapel.

The old miner's cottage opposite the Chapel where our friend Joyce lived as a girl.

Mimosa round the door on a neighbouring cottage.

Sheep grazing in the fields.

View back up to Harecroft and Bents Head Farm where Joyce was born.

Approaching the viaduct.

Onto the viaduct itself.

Hewenden Reservoir from the Viaduct.

View down to Hallas Bridge and Goit Stock Cottages

The reservoir from the Cullingworth end of the Viaduct.

Details of the Hewenden Viaduct. These show that the Viaduct is 376 yards long and stands 124 feet above the valley.

Bench erected by the Bradford Council Countryside Department with the reservoir in the background.

Leaving the viaduct and continuing along the old railway track towards Cullingworth.

The road bridge over the old railway.

Joyce & Pauline coming under the bridge.

Lilac time!

At the end of the trail crossing under the archway where the first photo was taken.

Peter's dog, Tyrone, resting with a well earned drink at the end of the walk.

An excellent walk, some beautiful countryside, and fabulous weather and views throughout the day.

The Lakeland 214 Challenge - Whinlatter

Just before the Lakeland 214 Challenge week was about to commence, Pete Hardy, the event organiser, advised me that there were one or two fells that hadn't been allocated. One of these was Whinlatter above the Whinlatter Pass and I therefore offered to climb this fell as well. From Honister where the walk to Haystacks commenced, it was necessary to drive down past Buttermere and Crummock Water to Loweswater. It is in this most picturesque Lake District village that the Wainwright Society Patron and author Hunter Davies lives. I called at his house to see him but unfortunatley he was down in London at the time. The first three pictures are at Loweswater and then the rest on the walk.


Hunter's house at Loweswater.

The view across to Grasmoor.

Mellbreak across the fields.

The red squirrel carving at the start of the trails in the Whinlatter Forest.

The stile where the walk leaves the forest to go out onto the moorland.

Looking across to the East Peak of Whinlatter.

The climb towards the main summit.

The wind shelter on the main summit.

Myself on the summit.

The windshelter and views down to Lorton.

View back to the East Summit.

Squirrel feeding box in the forest on the return.

At the end of the Challenge, a cheque for £4,000 was presented to the representatives from SARDA (Lakes) and SARDA (England) in the Keswick Lodge Hotel from monies raised by walkers over the week. The picture shows l-r. Les Telford (SARDA - Lakes), Peter Linney (Wainwright Society Secretary), Sir Chris Bonington, Lindsay Shaw (Society member who suggested SARDA to be our chosen charity for 2009) and Ian Thompson (SARDA - England).

Remembering AW - A Walk up Haystacks

For the Lakeland 214 Challenge, taking place between 9th & 17th May, organised by The Wainwright Society, I had offered to climb Haystacks, the fell above Buttermere and Honister where AW requested that his ashes be scattered after he died in 1991. Originally Derry Brabbs the photographer who worked with Wainwright on seven of his table-top books was going to come on this walk as well but unfortunately a knee injury meant he had to drop out a couple of weeks before. The pictures below are of the walk with sub-titles where appropriate.


Footpath sign to Gable & Haystacks.

Herwick sheep on the mine road.

Dale Head Crags on the opposite side of the valley.

More Herdwicks.

The official mine plaque showing the opening by HRH Duke of Edinburgh.

Views back down to the slate mine with Seathwaite Fell in the background.

A Herdwick Lamb.

A precarious rock above the path on the right.

Summit of Grey Knotts.

First view of Haystacks with Pillar behind.

The ruins of the Old Drum House with a newly renovated Dubs Hut building behind which is going to become an executive camping barn.

Dubs Bottom and the track leading up towards Haystacks.

First view of Buttermere.

The track up to Haystacks.

The Buttermere Valley.

Blackbeck Tarn.

The Buttermere Valley from Green Crag.

Caroline, Society Walks organiser, on the summit.

Myself on the summit.

High Crag from the summit.

The summit tarn.

View to Buttermere & Crummock Water from the summit.

Another view of the summit tarn.

The track down to Innominate Tarn.

Innominate Tarn where AW's ashes were scattered by his widow Betty and Percy Duff his assistant for many years at the Kendal Borough Treasurer's office. Here we paused with other walkers to pay our respects to both AW and Betty who sadly passed away last summer.

'All I ask for, at the end, is a last long resting place by the side of Innominate Tarn on Haystacks, where the water gently laps the gravelly shore and the heather blooms and Pillar and Gable keep unfailing watch. A quiet, place, a lonely place. I shall go to it for the last time, and be carried: someone who knew me in life will take me there and empty me out of a little box and leave me there alone. And if you, dear reader, should get a bit of grit in your boots as you are crossing Haystacks in years to come, please treat it with respect. It might be me'.

The gully down to Warnscale.

The north ridge of Fleetwith Pike.

Fleetwith Pike.

Warnscale and the old quarry road.

Buttermere and Gatescarth.

Dubs Hut in the process of renovation.

Final view across Dubs Bottom back to Haystacks.

Haystacks & High Crag.

Piles of slate at the Drum House.

The final descent to the Honister Quarry and Youth Hostel where the cars were parked.

The weather had not been brilliant but at least we got some views! In fact, a very similar day to the last time AW had been up to Haystacks with Eric Robson using this route.

Bridlington & Sledmere

On Monday 11th May I was in Bridlington on business where I took the first few pictures below and then stopped at Sledmere for lunch where the remainder were taken. I have included some details below the pictures where applicable.


Looking north to the Flamborough peninsular.

Breakwaters on the beach.

The harbour entrance

The cross by the roadside at Rudston.

One of Sledmere's fine follys.

The trees full of blossom.

The War Memorial.

The ornamental spire.

Ilkley Moor Walk - 3rd May

On the Sunday of the May Bank Holiday weekend we had an afternoon walk over part of Ilkley Moor. We started and finished by the Ilkley College buildings. The pictures below show the walk with subtitles where appropriate.

Stone carvings in the park next to the College.

View over the moor up to White Wells.

The bridge at the start of the walk.

Heading up towards the tarn.

Spring flowers encountered on this first part of the walk.

The shelter with seats (but too early for a rest at this stage).

View to the east.

And to the west.

The track leading to the tarn.

Ilkley Tarn.

Onwards and upwards.

View down to Ilkley.

Gully leading up to the summit of the moor.

Orienteering post.

Viv striding out through the bracken.

View across to the Cow & Calf rocks.

Rest stop by the beautiful gorse (Ulex europaeus) and Forget me nots (Myosotis scorpioides). Of course you will probably know that Alan Titchmarsh was born and brought up in Ilkley.

View back across to the college.

And back across the bridge to the car.