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We go in search of Bluebells …

Dad has been very busy over the last 10 days and we have been unable to get our usual walks however, today we went in search of bluebells near to Buttermere.

Mum wanted a few pictures of bluebells for an article she is writing over on oldvarieties and after a quick search on the web we came across a location where a whole valley is reportedly filled with these small flowers.

Our arrival in to the Rannerdale valley started as we passed by this sign.  The rugged mountains surrounding Crummock Water provided a great backdrop for  our walk and dad was eager to take some pictures.

Although the sun was shining the air was a little cool and mum and dad both had their coats on.  

Finding a car park a little way further along this road we parked up and set off following signs to the valley.

It didn’t take long before we came across our first local inhabitant.  

With a dark thick coat this sheep took a moment to look up as we past by, then resumed eating the lush green grass just as dad got the camera focused.  

Many sheep, found on the fellsides in Lakeland are Herdwicks.   Without our sheep recognition books we were unsure as to what breed this one was.

The herdwick is well suited to the rough scrub of the Lake District fells and is key to maintaining the grass length. It is the native breed of the central and western Lake District and live on the highest of England’s mountains. 

Charlie, out in front as usual, led the way as we followed the track towards the hills.  To our right was another of the common sight in the Lake District, the drystone wall.  

Marking boundaries, these walls are made from stone gathered locally and do not contain any mortar.  The waller uses his skill to pick out a stone and place it into the wall so it locks with adjacent rocks forming a solid structure.

We arrive at a wooden gate with a silver sign on it after about ten minutes walk.  After a brief pause, to allow mum to read the notice, we open the gate and pass into the secret valley beyond.

Mum and dad stop and try to take in what they see.  Green grass, cascading from the mountains to our left and right, had a blue tinge as it arrived into the valley bottom.  

The effect was subtle, and was brought about by thousands of  small, about 10cm high, green stems with dainty blue flowers peeping above the grass.

Native bluebells it would seem are a little way behind our common garden bluebells which already are into full bloom and like the daffodils starting to wither.

Maybe in the next few days the blue effect will be much more pronounced.

We were not short of drinks on this walk as the many streams provided ample cool refreshing water and excuses for paddles. 

Charlie drinks so much when he is in the big world,   this walk was ideal for him.

As we walked along the valley bottom we crossed over this wooden bridge.  Our soggy paws evidence that we had escaped the trolls and managed to get to the otherside.

Our walk started to climb ever so slightly as we ventured further up the valley.  It was unusual but is seemed that the bluebells were only in one small part of the lower valley as now were to be seen in this area.

Mum wondered why they were there in the first place as it is normally recorded that they prefer growing conditions with shade not in the full glare of a fellside.

Passing through a gate our path narrows to a single well worn track with the fells ahead and to our sides. 

Charlie is still out in front as if he knows where we are going. It would seem as this walk is a favourite with us dogs as many of us have reported their visits on the web.

Casper came here in 2007, and Harry, as a young pup, visited in 2004.  Maybe you have visited then let us know via the comments section below?

The path turns left after about 700m and after passing over a stile we start our decent back to the car.

Our return is punctuated by two old gate uprights, complete with hinges,either side of our path but not near any wall.  

This puzzles dad as he wonders why anyone would erect them in such a location.  Maybe the wall only appears to sheep but due to planning regulations is invisible to humans. 

Crummock Water comes into view and we take a moment to look out onto the fells and mountains.  

It is 2.5 miles long, 3/4 mile wide and 140 feet deep and is a clear, rocky bottomed lake flanked by steep fellsides of slate. Crummock Water is owned by the National Trust.

We are almost finished our walk which has taken about two hours at a leisurely pace and allowing for dad to take loads of photographs.

Mum says that you should take walking boots or strong wellies to do this walk as it is a bit soggy in places.  

It is ideal for humans who don’t fancy going high on the fells but just fancy a simple walk not too far away from the car and of low risk.

As with all good walks we ended with a picnic. In the basket on this occasion was  large french sticks stuffed full of cheese, ham and salad.

We all shared the goodies before returning home via Buttermere and Keswick.

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We go on a woodland walk near Caldbeck

Today we went in search of Montague Mouse and his woodland friends during a woodland walk at Wigton just outside of Carlisle.

Montague Mouse and his friends, Sebastian Shrew, Maudie Mole and Willie Water Vole live, along with a host of other characters, amongst the trees and shrubs of High Hall Nursery around 12 miles south-west of Carlisle just off the A595.

After parking the car, slightly in the shade to try and keep it a little cool, we were eager to go exploring.  A large noticeboard showed us what we could expect to see and a map of the trail ahead.

We started on the woodland path but after about 30m our attention was drawn to a distant voice coming from behind some of the trees.  Dad thought it was the ‘woodland folk’ and looked all around until he realised a lady was trying to get our attention.  She asked if we wanted a ‘ Find the Woodland Homes ‘ form.  

After a quick drink from a bowl of water supplied at the entrance to the forest trail we set off once again, this time armed with two pencils and a clipboard, in search of the front doors of the  woodland folk.

Recently reopened after the winter the woodland trail was in good condition and ideal for a scamper about.  The notice at the entrance to the forest walk asked if we could stay on our leads and take care to stay on the path.  

Our form had 30 empty spaces, so our challenge was going to be tough however, it wasn’t long before we spotted our first front door nestling at the base of a tree stump almost hidden by the long grass.

One down 29 to go.  Red, blue and green doors all come into sight as we get used to spotting them.  Some of them are low down others a few feet off the ground, but all are visible from the path.

Charlie becomes a bit of an expert and is soon searching for the doorways but he gets distracted as he can hear running water.  

The River Townthwaite is flowing nearby and it is a good job he is on his lead or he would be off down the hill for a paddle.

Red squirrels could occasionally be seen scampering across the path in front of us and in the trees many birds were busy singing their hearts out high in the branches bathed with early spring sunshine.

Crossing a small bridge we return to the car park with five empty spaces on our form.  There is only one thing for it, we will have to go around again.

So another quick drink and we start all over again checking off the doors as we find them.  This time the pace is a lot slower as every tree, stump and hollow is checked for doorways.

Now we are not sure if we were allowed to start the circular path again in search of the woodland folk, but it was a challenge we were going to achieve.

 I found the first of the missing doorways hidden at the bottom of a tall tree and it wasn’t long before all of the doors were found.  

Our celebrations were short lived when we came across another door not previously on our list.  This made 31 doors and only 30 slots on our form,  Oops.

Dad then recounted a phrase he learnt at school just before exams, ‘ Read the question!’

 

We had counted on our list some of the doors marked as ‘Stores’ where the woodland folk would keep provisions for the winter.  

This was incorrect according to the rules of the game, as only houses were to be listed.  

 

After the removal of a few ’stores’ we calculated that we still needed two doors to complete our list.

Esme the Earwig and Tomas Toad’s residences were soon found and our form was complete.

Our walk ended as mum filled in our names on the form and posted it in the competition letterbox  at the entrance to the plant nursery.

A small wooden bridge crossed a moat, designed to keep deer away from this area of the garden, where a small plant nursery was to be found.

Charlie was in his element sniffing all of the garden pots and curios displayed under the many tables containing plants.  

Watering cans, hanging baskets and even an old bike were arranged as if just lifted from a film set or department store window.

Dad said he could have spent hours photographing the bits and pieces especially in the early morning or evening when the light would be just right.

Mum said that many of the plants available for sale in the nursery were different to those found at the usual big garden centres, with many of them suitable for a semi shaded or woodland habitat.  She picked out a few for our garden, whilst dad sat on a small chair in the shadow of the garden shed and we lay on the warm gravel and enjoyed the sunshine.

Worth a visit.

We really enjoyed our walk and sniffs and if you are looking for a simple, easy, non complicated way to spend a couple of hours then High Hall Nursery is ideal.  

It is slightly off the beaten track, so few humans know if its existence. You will not find toilets or a cafe but  you are assured of a friendly welcome and it offers something different and unique from the run of the mill gardening hypermarkets.

We will be back hopefully later in the year to see the arrival of the autumn colours.

 

 

Entrance to the woodland walk and nursery is free (at time of posting).

The walk is just under ½ mile in length and takes you through woodland, which in Spring is full of bluebells, ramsons, and foxgloves, not to mention a variety of fungi.

Website A well written website with some great contents and many  links. You can also download audio files of birdsong and get details of membership of The Friends of the Woodland Folk.  http://www.highhallnursery.co.uk

The address is High Hall Nursery & Woodland Walk, Westward, nr Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 8NQ,

Telephone number 016973 44 308

Brochure available here

Opening Times (2009) available here

GPS data 

• Postcode: CA7 8NQ , 
• Grid Reference: NY269436 , 
• Latitude: 54:46:57N (54.7825)
• Longitude: 3:08:12W (-3.1367)

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Lambs, stiles and unique river art in Cumbria

Our Saturday walk started at Lanercost Priory outside Brampton in North Cumbria.  From the car park we climbed the steps over the wall and into a field following the sign pointing to Burtholme.

With sheep in the field we stayed on our leads and started following the small yellow arrows nailed to fence posts.

Following the edge of the field and staying away from any livestock our path brought us to a double stile.  

As we have previously mentioned these are often hard for us to negotiate as we have to be lifted over.  Although in good condition the steps were narrow and the top fence bar had barbed wire attached to it.  Mum and dad were almost ready to turn around at this point to avoid us getting into difficulty.

Around 40 sheep were busy munching grass as we made our way along an imaginary path across the deep green coloured field .

A small stream to our left bubbled and gurgled over rocks and along the field edge.  Charlie wanted to go for a paddle but the water looked a bit cloudy and muddy.

Half way across this field were the remnants of fallen giants.  Once encased in metal corsets two tree stumps were rotting a few meters from the waters edge.  

One of the trees had grown through the bars and before being cut down was seemingly trying to break free of it’s shackles.  

Just as we were about to leave the field, through a proper farm gate, dad noticed that the supporting wall of this bridge was unusual.

The far wall looks as if it has been made from cloth sacks filled with cement and then stacked to form a barrier.

We exited the field onto Burtholme Bridge.  An inscription in the middle of the right hand bridge wall indicates that the bridge was widened in 1937 by Cumberland County Council.

Turning left and past a busy collection of farm buildings we stayed on short leads along the narrow road until we came to a public footpath sign to Howgill.

Although indicating this was a proper pathway the conditions underfoot for the next 500m or so were quite bad.  The ground was pitted with holes and we kept loosing our footing as our paws slipped between the blades of grass and in to deep holes left by cattle in the previously wet mud.  

Mum also felt her ankles wobble on more than one occasion as she struggled with the conditions.

 

A muddy narrow trackway led from this field into the next.  Our only indication of where to go was a yellow spray painted arrow on a tree.

 

 So up the hill we all climbed like the characters from the childrens tv series TeleTubbies.

Another stile awaited us at the top of the field along with a couple of kissing gates before we exited onto a road towards the small village of Walton.

Just before the climb up the hill to the village we followed a dirt path down to the free flowing water of the river known as King Water.

As we approached the river we passed between some rock sentinels.  Around 20 stone columns had been created around 12 ft apart and in a perfect straight line from the bridge to the far rivers edge.  Each column was around 2ft high and made from river stones place on top of each other.

 

Mum and dad stopped and looked at this impromptu simple artwork and wondered why it was here and who had created it.  We kept our distace and ensured we didn’t knock any of the stones over.

Rejoining the road and a little way further we detoured into a filed to our right where a English Heritage sign caught dads attention.  With the heading ‘Dovecote Bridge’ it seems as if this is the site of a part of Hadrians wall built from Cumbrian red standstone.

 

To preserve it, it is covered with earth, so all you can now see is a grass mound.

 

We arrive at Walton and after a quick look around the village, the churchyard  and the village green we start on our way back towards Lanercost.

Our journey back  follows the roads as mum thinks this will be quicker and a little better for our paws.

 

Passing by fields filled with new lambs we also have an encounter with a tractor pulling a roller that makes the earth shake and mum spots a few interesting plants in the hedgerows.

As it is late, and mum wants to go to bed, we will keep these stories for another installment later in the week.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

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Time for a walk …

We are very confused this week as Mum and dad seem to be getting up in the dark and going to bed in the dark …. but we are still getting a walk and it is light.

After weeks of Dad waking up on a morning and the sunlight coming through the curtains he did something to his alarm clock at the weekend and now he wants to get up in the dark.  He tried to tell us it was something called British Summer Time but we know it as ‘DWT’ or daylight walking time.

The chew time clock changed by one hour at the weekend and this has thrown out all of our routines. Late night ‘chase me time’ is at tea time and go to bed time now seems so late.  

One advantage is that our afternoon walk now takes place in the light .  Today was no exception when we went to the park. 

It is a while since we have been, mainly due to mum doing things in her see through house in the garden.  This has involved loads of pots and soil that needs regular watering. She says she is growing seedlings but after a few weeks we can only see wet soil.

The bright yellow daffodils have taken full advantage of the recent warmer weather and are almost all displaying their bright sunny colour on the green bankings and roadsides around the city.  

They are a sure sign that the plants are waking up after the cold, dark winter months.

Spring bedding plants are also looking great in the formal gardens of Victoria Park. Red, white and yellow flowers look great in the many floral beds.  The plants are just our height so we can take a sniff of any scent given off.

All of the nearby tennis courts were busy today with loads of people, including little people, taking part in hitting a yellow ball over a net.

Sometimes we wish we could get in to play and chase the ball around.  I bet it would be great fun.

The grass has not regrown

We have mentioned on a few occasions the state of the grassed area near to where we dad parks the car when we come for a walk.

The areas where the pop concert and the bonfire display were held last year can still be clearly seen from some distance.

Lets hope that we have a good summer and the grass returns otherwise it will maybe need new grass seeds sprinkled on it.

The local newspaper is saying that a concert is not planned for this year on this site so this should help.

 

Tidy up

Take your rubbish home and do not leave it for us animals to get stuck in, caught on or killed by.  

Today we noticed that after some humans had enjoyed a bit of a party in the park they had left litter behind.

This picture was taken by the tennis blister dome.  Food wrappers and bottles had been discarded only 10m from a dustbin.

Litter, whilst it looks a mess, could kill or injure us if we tread on a broken bottle or get a bit of plastic stuck in our throats.  

So please tidy up.  

We enjoy the park as much as you do so, as we pick up our waste, so should you.  Bins are provided for all of us.

April Fools Day

With the first day of April comes the tradition of playing a practical joke on someone.  Let us know if you were caught out via the comments box below.