Spring was certainly in our paws as we headed to the park yesterday for a really big walk alongside the River Eden in Carlisle.

We had heard of some new musical instruments that had appeared in Bitts Park and were eager to try them out,  but first we had to  get there.

The daffodil bulbs are growing quickly

Recent rain, and there has been a lot of it, has made many cross country paths soggy and not really good to walk on. So we had to keep to the dryish paths avoiding any puddles alongside the river.

This was not an easy challenge at times, especially around the back of the Sheepmount athletics and football pitches.

Arriving in Bitts Park we noticed that the green shoots of the daffodils were a good leg length high.

Charlie had good fun running over the leaves as they tickled his tummy. Mum wondered if they were not a few weeks early and may get nipped by any overnight frosts.

Quick, whilst mum is not looking

The weather is such a contrast to that we reported on in January 2011 when we visited Linstock near Carlisle and the ice was just melting after many weeks of cold weather.

A red bracelet

The musical instruments we were in search of have been installed near to the children’s play area behind Carlisle Castle.

To get to them we had to quickly pass the monster infested swamp and cross the troll bridge. Well that was the story mum told us as we approached the Chinese garden and the nature pond.

Charlie sees if he can make music with his nose

Floating on the pond was a large round red ring. Mum said it was a wrist bracelet left behind by one of the trolls that lived under the nearby bridge.

Sadly it was just out of reach for us to check her story, so we quickly moved away from the area just in case one of the wart infested, wrinkly blue trolls appeared.

Musical instruments

Running over the bridge and into the gardens we soon found our first musical instruments.

Built with metal frames and bolted to some very big rocks we had a lot of fun woofing at the sounds they made.

Charlie soon worked out that if mum tapped a tube or wooden block with the provided hammer, he heard a noise. He even tried to tap one of the metal tubes with his paw to see if he could make a sound.

Sadly we were running out of time and the clouds were once more gathering around us as we made our way, this time on the pavement back home.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

We start 2012 with our 201st blog post and a sighting of our first snowdrops of the season.

Mum and dad stayed out late last night, to celebrate the new year,  so today we made them pay with our demands for a long walk and no breakfast for them until they came back.

Snowdrops - first of the year

With dark clouds all around and reasonable warm temperatures of 10 deg C, a walk in the big world was the least they could do, after leaving us to fend off the firework monsters last night.

We headed for Dalston, to the west of Carlisle, where we know we can have a good walk without getting too muddy and dirty.

Many of the soil and grass paths in the county are just soaked through and have plenty of standing puddles of water. This sort of rules them out, unless we are allowed to get really mucky.

Snowdrops flower 

A sure sign of the warm winter this year is the arrival of the snowdrops.  These are the first we have seen for this season and brought a smile to the two leggers faces.

Huddled behind a wall at the side of Dalston Church quite a few clumps of the small white flowers were to be found.

Path repaired with new wall and fence

Our walk took us through the churchyard, were we were on our best behaviours, and onto the path which leads behind Caldew School and the Nestle milk factory.

This path is well used and was especially busy today with a lot of cyclists, walkers, children and friendly pooches.

Paths repaired

Way back in November 2010 we mentioned that some of the paths on this walk had started to crumble and were at risk of collapse.

Following our walk today we are please to report that it would appear that a lot of money has been spent to underpin and repair one stretch.

A slight detour, maybe?

Looking over towards the river, work seems to have been done to install cages full of rocks into the river bank to prevent further damage. A new fence and tarmac path have then been installed on top.

Well done to all of those involved as the finished path looks really good and in character with the area.

Machines take a detour

Further on towards Carlisle we spot a new, very muddy path curving off to our right. This gives a bit of an insight possibly into the work needed to repair the path earlier.

The small, narrow path appears to be too narrow for any machinery to cross so they have been forced to take a detour across a small stream and across the very soggy grassland.

We so wanted to investigate, but mum stopped us before we could get really dirty.

Until next time. Have a safe, happy 2012.

Buster and Charlie

Our onboard clocks became very confused yesterday (Saturday), like much of nature it turns out, as the temperatures soared to about 16 deg C and the sun blazed through the autumn leaves.

Buster enjoys trampling in the leaves

Although it was quite soggy underfoot after the rain overnight, we escaped to the woods for our walk and were rewarded with carpets of golden leaves and fantastic sniffs.

The weather has been most unusual given that it is the middle of November almost and we all should be shivering with cold. It is like a mid-spring day.

As we start to write this update on Sunday morning, the windows are open on the house and it is a very pleasant 12 deg C outside. No sign of the winter duvet coming out yet for the humans, or the heating going on tonight.

To the woods

Autumn colours drift across the woods

As mum and dad had loads of stuff to do at home this weekend our walk had to be quite local, so we headed to the north of the city and the woods behind the Kingstown Estate.

Quite a large number of other dogs were also taking advantage, like us, of the fantastic conditions.

Since our  last visit, many of the trees have lost their leaves and these now lay scattered on the ground.

Lichen clings to a branch bare of all leaves

Many have curled up and now act like little water reservoirs collecting the rain. These are ideal water sources for ground clambering bugs and it also helps the leaves rot away into the forest floor.

Camera testing

Dad purchased a new camera about a week ago and so the fantastic leaf colours and low dappled light gave him something to work with, as we walked around between the trees and bushes.

Catkins growing on the trees ahead of spring

It is another Canon camera, the Powershot SX150 IS , and his first impressions are quite favourable.  The long zoom lens, 12x optical, allows for some good framing and the fact it uses AA batteries allows him to use the many rechargeable ones he has around the house.

The macro facility is causing him a few problems however, if he read the manual, these are more likely operational quirks rather than a problem with the camera.

First signs of spring

Although many trees and bushes are now bare of leaves mum spotted the first signs of spring with these very new catkins forming.

A bench in a woodland glade surrounded by golden leaves

Still closed up these flowers clusters are, when open, full of pollen which drifts in the breeze in mid-spring.

Whilst we mention about spring, we spotted in the garden the first of the bulbs starting to break through the damp brown ground in the garden.

Given the size of the shoots they were possibly from some of the many hundreds of daffodil bulbs mum put in the ground last year.

If they keep on growing like they are doing, and we do not have any hard frosts, we may even have daffodils out for Christmas, in five weeks time.

Until next time

Big licks

Buster and Charlie

Autumn has officially arrived and so has the early morning fog it would seem, as we peered out through the bedroom window covered with condensation.

Damp grass and fallen leaves - a clear hint autumn is here

Our early morning walk around the streets showed clear signs of the change in season, as the paths were covered with golden brown leaves and the grass in the verges clung onto the morning dew.

One week ago the clocks went back an hour in the UK, so officially British Summer Time has ended and the long dark nights and the run in to Christmas begins.

A quick count on our paws and it is only 48 or so days to the big chew day, so not long now.

Due to the thick fog, we were unable to see very far this morning, so dad decided it was better to go for a walk near to home rather than take the car out.

A spiders web highlighted by early morning dew

I was glad of only a short walk as recently dad has been going on quite long adventures, which has caused me a bit of discomfort in my hip for a few days afterwards.

Spiders webs

Conditions overnight were ideal for covering spiders webs in a thin sheen of water. This made them stand out against the dark green leaves of bushes.

A rose remains in the garden

It was amazing to see how many of them were around and what complicated designs some spiders had created.

The overnight moisture also clung to the last few remaining flowers in the garden.

Standing proud above the garden we spotted this last remaining pink rose flower offering a lingering glimpse back to the long days of summer.

Many of the flowers have disappeared from the garden

Sadly it was not a brilliant warm dry season and, as a result, everything enters winter very damp and quite cold.

Let us hope that we do not have any severe weather such as the long cold winter of last year or we will be very miserable.

The damp weather has also stopped mum getting into the garden to dead head flowers and do general tidying. So the garden looks a bit unloved and the grass is quite full of moss.

Red berries cover the holly bush

For the last few weeks she has watched the various gardening programmes on the tv going on and on about the bright sunshine and warm conditions, only to find herself screaming at the presenters to get a reality check and think of lives outside of the south of England.

It may be warm down south but it has been quite miserable up’t north.

Bonfire night

So today is November 5th – Bonfire night, and no doubt the skies will be filled with loud bangs and bright flashes as thousands of pounds of money goes up in smoke in the form of fireworks.

Please take care tonight and do not get too scared.  

Ask your human to leave the radio and a light on if they are going out.  

Bonfire night can be quite frightening, especially if you are a young pup or like me, a bit wary of the noises.

If you do find that you are troubled to much by the ‘bang pops’ then ask your two legger to talk to the vet or your local pet store owner as they can possibly help ahead of next years bonfire night.

Various potions are available to help you ‘chill’ and also you can get training so that you don’t jump when a big bang goes off.

So stay safe tonight and be brave

Buster and Charlie

With the Northern Development Route road due to open in the very near future we thought we would take a quick look whilst it is still quiet and a pleasure to walk along.

Parking as near as we could to the Moorhouse Road roundabout we realised that the path had not been installed yet

The building of this road has been in planning for what seems hundreds of years and is designed to link the west of the city to the north and remove a lot of through traffic from the city centre.

Although much of the building work is now complete, the road is still not officially open and as such we needed to keep our ears open and our eyes wide observing for possible dangers.

A number of walkers and cyclists are taking advantage of the new river crossing to get to and from the Kingstown area of the city and with the warm sunny conditions we thought we should take a look.

Getting to the new road

Sadly the path does not link between the new road and Moorhouse Road

Parking the car as near to the new Moorhouse Road roundabout as we could we soon realised that we could not safely get to our starting position.

Currently about 500m of road needs to be walked along before you get to the new paths, which all look very impressive with the cycle and road markings all painted on.

So here starts our grand adventure and we have a good wide path to explore.

Buster inspects one of the recently planted holly trees

As the road is not open to traffic we were able to explore in reasonable safety.  In the quiet early morning we were able to hear the birds singing in the hedgerows and the sound of our own paws on the tarmac.

Sadly in a few weeks time, when the road opens, you will possibly not be able to hear anything except the thunder of traffic.

Trees planted

Stretching alongside the path was a river of black plastic stretched along the ground between green tubes.

Possible sensor to monitor bikes using the path maybe?

Overnight rain had collected in puddles on the plastic and, in the sunshine, created a river of twinkling water droplets as if flowing in a stream.

We wasted no time in going for a paddle and soon realised that we could get our paws really soggy as we ran between the natural puddles.

The new bridge is a very impressive installation

Peering down the green tubes, mum told us that they contained holly plants and a number of saplings including oak, ash and I think she said birch.

The new River Eden Bridge

As we approached the highlight of our walk, the River Eden Bridge, is sympathetically installed to get people across the river.

On the Scotland side of the bridge large ducts have been installed to clear flood waters

Peering down over the edge of the road we could see what a big operation it must have been to install this structure.

At this point we moved towards the middle of the road to stay away from the path edge.

The bridge appears not to be finished, as metal safety netting still needs to be installed to avoid things, and us, going under the lower part of the safety fencing and dropping to the water below.

Flood culverts

Giant culverts have been constructed under the northern end of the bridge to allow river water to escape in the event of flood.

One of the thousands of bolts used to hold the safety barriers in place

Without these giant pipes, water could possibly build up on the city side of the bridge and cause damage and undue pressure on the bridge and other structures upstream.

As we walked along the path we noticed that thousands of bolts had been installed on the assorted safety barriers and rails.

Closer inspection showed that many of them had all sorts of code numbers and details.

We were not sure about these ponds. Could they be overflow lagoons for the road drains?

Dad tried to work out how many bolts may have been used, but gave up once he had used up all of his fingers.

Ponds

Situated just a little off the main carriageway we spotted this recently created pond.

All full of muddy water and looking a bit lifeless we wondered what it could be used for.

A number of ideas were suggested including a reed bed to clear any pollution from the road drains to a wildlife and duck pond.

Long sweeping bends - How long before the speed cameras take root?

Maybe you know what it is for, as it did look as if quite a bit of work had gone into its construction?

Long sweeping bends

Looking down from the hill, overlooking the western end of Carlisle, we have to say that we were very impressed with the way the road has snaked its way through the countryside and not really made much impact beyond the grass verges.

Currently, streetlights have not been installed, so the road could be quite dark at night and, with the long sweeping bends vehicle speeds could become a problem.

The white lines are quite slippy and mask the actual curb edge

Another thing we noticed is the lack of controlled crossing points for pedestrians.

It will be interesting to see if you can actually cross this road, safely, when it opens.

Sadly the peace and quite we have experienced on our walk will soon disappear. However, it may make the streets of the inner city a little more quiet and in turn safer.

In summary, we have been amazed with how quickly this road has been built, but have grave concerns about many safety aspects, which should have been built out at the design stages, still exist, especially as it is a new road on a green field site.

No doubt some wise sage will say it is all down to money!

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Our adventure yesterday could be best described as a visit to two villages with very different feelings.

Heading west from the city we arrived in the small village of Ireby before we travelled on to nearby Torpenhow.

A very old looking market cross in Ireby

Ireby is one of those places you have heard about but never visit and, we have to say, we seemed to pack everything in one visit.

Sadly, for the small former market village situated between Wigton and Bassenthwaite it seems stuck in a bit of a timewarp, unsure of what it has and where it can go.

If the village was in the south of England it would be worth millions however ‘in’t north’ it feels as if it is slowly dying.

We parked the car just off the main street in front of a very imposing building which was the former Moot Hall.  Mum had to be careful when she opened the car door not to hit the old looking drinking fountain embedded into the wall to our left.

Standing for a moment and looking around we had no sense of focus, so we just headed off to see what we could find.

Around the back of the Moot Hall we came across a very old looking market cross.  The steps leading up to the centre column were all braced with metal staples. It was at this point we sort of worked out that, unlike many places we have visited, Ireby did not feature any information boards explaining landmarks or village highlights.

Wesleyan Chapel - Ireby

Only when we returned home and searched on the interweb did we discover that the plinth is possibly from the 17th Century with the central column restored at some point in the 19th Century. It is known as the Butter Cross.

The monument, is made of red sandstone and commemorates the granting of a market charter to William de Ireby in 1237 by King Henry III.

Looking up the hill past the school on our right we could not see anything of interest except a few houses and a bit of a steep road, so we headed back to the main street where we came upon a former Wesleyan Chapel, which appears to be a private house.

St James' Church Ireby

The next few hundred metres were quite interesting as a number of properties were either very well maintained and highly desirable or quite shabby and in need of quite a bit of money spent on them.  One positive example was the former Sun public house which has been turned into a five bedroomed house. It has a sale price of over £630,000.

St. James’ Church 

At the edge of the town we came across the local church, St James’. Sat on a raised bit of land it dominates the surrounding area and is quite sizeable given the current apparent size of the village.

Ireby fingerpost roadsign

Unfortunately it was not open  so dad could not go inside, but we did manage to take a good look around outside.   In front is the war memorial and to the right is the older cemetery.   To the rear, and across a small path is the more modern cemetery.

Only when we returned home did we find out that Ireby is the location for a music festival, held in June and that St James’ church is the ‘new’ church in the village.

The old church it seems is situated slightly outside the village

Off to Torpenhow

With Ireby done, and with time still available for our expeditions, we headed off in the car to Torpenhow.

We have to say that, although it was only two miles away, the road was extremely narrow and at times the grass was growing in the middle of the road.

You could say it was a very unclassified road and dad was worried in case he met anything or anyone coming the other way. Suffice it to say that it would have been difficult at times to overtake a pedestrian.

Something more smelly than Charlie

Arriving in Torpenhow, pronounced Trup-en- ah by the locals, we were greeted by the eau de rural life, or muck as it is also known.

Hot and steamy, the ‘natural fertiliser’ was being loaded into a spreader by a local farmer for distribution on a field nearby.

This village, in contrast to Ireby, instantly felt more open and had pride in itself.

Country Towns Mission Hall - Torpenhow

We parked at the entrance to St Michael’s and all Angels Church and headed away from the farm and along the main street.

After a short while we spotted a house with a plaque and sundial on the outside, indicating it was a former Country Towns Mission Hall. We had never heard of this organisation so would be interested if you have any more details about it.

Opposite was a large village hall complete with stage and all modern facilities.

A little further down the street we said hello to a couple of builders renovating a really old building with a very old timber roof.

Thank you for the fresh drink

Mum notices that where the oak beams join together the original carpenters made marks on either side of the joint to help them assemble it.

We return back to the church and find a tap full of fresh cool water before we take a look around the churchyard whilst dad takes a peek inside.

It turned out that the church dates back to 1120 and has a Jacobean ceiling which may have come from London in the 1600s.

Photographs taken and sniffers full of new smells we head back home and for once we have not been covered in mud or dirt.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Friday dawned bright and sunny, so mum decided we were going to Talkin Tarn.

We have been there many times, but today promised to be special as mum picked up the phone to our friend to see if she wanted to meet us there.

Towels gathered and bottles of water at the ready, we took up our places in the car and off we went.  On the way we had to stop and give the car a

drink…”Oh come on mum” said Charlie…”it’s in our heads now and we are eager to get there!”

The sniffs on the way to Brampton were very familiar and it was great to see our friend again.

We set off round the tarn with Charlie desperate to get into the water, but mum said no because it was full of nasty green algae and I have to say, it did smell a bit rural.  The Blue Green Algaecan kill doggies, so we had to make do with the path.

Our new friend, Joe

Then my friend said we were going to meet up with someone else who was taking his mum for a walk too.  Sure enough, as we approached the trees, a black and white Border Collie appeared.  He was very friendly and said his name was Joe.

Off we went, along the path and while the two leggers talked about lots of things, we decided to show Joe our bird spotting hide, overlooking the water.

Mum and our friend stopped to talk to some fishermen who said they had been catching Pike, but we couldn’t see it because they had just put it back in the water.  He was busy untangling lots of slimy pond weed from his net.

The two leggers decided to go to the little cafe for some hot chocolate.  Good job mummy brought our large water bottle because unusually, there was no doggy water bowl outside.  We shared our water with Joe and then did our best to sneak pieces of biscuit from our friend when mummy wasn’t looking.

Our new friend Joe, has a Facebook page which we will link to soon.

What a great day!….so, time for some dinner and sleep before daddy comes home and we can tell him all about our adventure.

During the week dad promised that this weekend was going to be our weekend and he did not disappoint.

New signs show visitors to Ennerdale where the car parks are

Yesterday, Saturday, we headed west to a lovely part of Cumbria known as Ennerdale where we had loads of paddles and a fantastic walk up onto the fells.

Ennerdale is one of those areas hidden away from the tourist and off the usual honeypot trail.  This leaves it calm, quiet and relaxing for the locals and dedicated outdoor visitor to enjoy.

Over the past few years, quite a bit of money has been spent returning the area to silence and tranquility.  Evidence of some of this investment could be seen in the new signboards erected as we approached the area.

Remote

You could say Ennerdale is remote. It is not served directly by public transport and the nearest rail station is almost 10 miles away.  You will also not find any public toilets in the valley.

The weir at the end of Ennerdale water

We last visited Ennerdale in 2009 and we parked in the Bowness Knott area.  This time we thought we would try the Bleach Green starting point, NY 085154.

Leading away from the car park was a well drained flat path, ideal for assisted wheelchairs and buggies. With the sound of running water filling the air we knew today was going to be fun and as we entered into the open space of the valley, after about 5 minutes walk we were not disappointed, just look at that view.

Just a quick note at this point – This is about as far as a wheelchair can go, but the view is worth it. We would suggest that all-terrain child buggies could turn left at this point and follow the path over the bridge. A circular walk is not possible for a buggy but you can go quite a few miles before you will need to retrace your steps back to the car park.

Buster and Charlie wonder if they could swim the full length

Our path headed off to the right and straight for the water.

Cool clear water

The cool water was soon lapping around our tummies cooling us off as we looked towards the mountains at the other end of the big pond.

Research done on the web before we left for the day indicated that we could walk all the way around Ennerdale Water, so this was going to be our challenge.

With the water to our left we started to follow the path through the gate, past the National Trust Anglers Crag sign and onwards up the valley.

Charlie takes a moment to look at the view

To our right, the tall stony outcrops of the fells made the walk very dramatic.

The grey stone, punctuated by the occasional purple flower of the heather, helped add to the rugged setting of our walk.

Starting off level to the waters edge our path gently rose upwards over the space of about half a mile until we were confronted by Anglers Crag.

Sadly it was at this point we realised that we could go no further without risk to my dodgy hip.

I am fine on the flat but the increasing gradient and loose path just made the risk a bit too high and I just sat down not wishing to go any further.

Charlie went ahead a little and took a moment to look at the view before we returned back down the crag and a welcome rest.

More path this way…

We are now faced with a bit of a problem. Should we just go back to the car and find somewhere else or head back to the weir and across the bridge to see what the other path would be like.

As it was still quite early in the day, and the rain was holding off, we decided we should continue our adventure and do a bit of research around the big puddle in a clockwise direction.

Trees wrap around a metal pole

This path was a lot wider and more level than the previous one. Bright yellow flowering gorse bushes lined the path and in places it looked like it had been strimmed back using quite a powerful machine. As a result we needed to take care that thorns and prickles did not get into our paws or stuck to our tummies.

Ennerdale Water is 2.5 miles long and is owned by United Utilities.  It is a nutrient poor water but it is home to the rare Arctic Charr fish. According to the Wild Ennerdale website the water is some of the cleanest in the country, no wonder it tasted good.

Looking over the water

With the water now to our right the path curved around the lower end of Ennerdale Water and seemed, at times a little uninteresting for the humans. Maybe they were getting a bit tired as they seemed to stop at every seat for a rest.

The clockwise path is much wider than the other hillside path

For us the sniffs were fantastic. We could spot where other paws had scurried across the path and down to the water, possibly for a drink or maybe to do some fishing. Above us, the unusual v-shaped formations of geese flew high above squawking their little beaks off and making such a din.

After about 45 minutes we stood opposite the Anglers Crag, the place where we turned around earlier.  We could clearly see where the path went up and over then back down to almost water level.

Research done, we headed back towards the car and a welcome rest. maybe next time we would head this way first and see what more we could explore further along this path. But we did feel disappointed that we could not go all the way around as you seem to achieve more, and feel better after a circular path.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Following our visit to Brampton earlier this week, we have been told of another monument not officially on the tourist trail and only really known by locals.

Earl of Carlisle monument overlooking Brampton

Perched high on a hill, on the other side of the town to the CaponTree monument, is a rather ornate sculpture to the 7th Earl of Carlisle, George William Fredrick Howard.

Our walk begins at the edge of an area known as The Sands.  This is on the eastern approach to the town of Brampton and is sort of a triangular area of grass with a road on each side.

Parking the car in front of the Brampton Fairtrade flower bed we headed up the hill following the public footpath sign direction.

The path was constructed out of worn out tarmac and loads of little stones, some were quite sharp and stuck in our paws.

After around 500m we came upon a few houses and a choice of path. To our right and in front of the houses a very sandy path led past a crab apple tree and away out of sight.

Set on one of the highest points in the town is the Earl of Carlisle monument

To our left was a woodland area, with quite a well worn path and what looked like a better adventure.

Decision easily made, we headed into the forest to find out what we could see and sniff.

Fallen leaves littered our path and after the recent rain we were very surprised as to the condition of the paths being well drained, with just the occasional patch of splodgy mud.

Our path curved and twisted for a few hundred metres, until we came upon a clearing to our right where, perched high on a sandstone pedestal was our quarry, The 7th Earl of Carlisle.

Surrounding the monument was well mown grass which made the whole area feel a little strange.  Here was a monument hidden by the surrounding trees, set in a clearing with manicured grass.

Drinks from a fountain flowing fresh water

The sculpture was made by John Foley, an Irish sculpture based in London at the time of the commission.

Pictures taken and information recorded, as mum will need to write all about it over on gravestonepix, we follow the path down a zig-zag path and the open sky.

To our right, Charlie hears water and makes straight for a drinking fountain with fresh clean water cascading from it.

Given the size and arrangement we can only assume it was put here to water horses and possibly hounds. It had a big basin above with a small channel below, ideal for us to have a good drink.

Must be the oldest public footpath sign in the county

Nearby was the first interpretation board we had spotted and it told the humans a little bit about the area and what it may have looked like in the good old days.

The area through which we had just walked is called the Mote. It is thought that an old castle stood on the top of the hill.

On the subject of signs we discovered this old green sign later in our walk and wondered how old it actually was, do you know?

Heading down the path and into the edge of Brampton, we decide to keep away from the main roads and head up many of the side lanes.

Dad has a very good on board compass and he had sort of worked out that if we followed a road to our right then right again we may meet up with the path where we entered into the wood earlier.

Looking out across the fields and towards Scotland

Travelling up Union Lane, then past the school on Sawmill Lane, we exited on to a grass path which, after the climb up the hill brought us out at the top of the sandy path we saw earlier.

Thankfully a bench awaited us at the top of the hill so we could have a rest and take in the view.

In front of us in the far distance was Scotland, just ahead was Brampton and off to about 2 o’clock the small village of Walton.

Just around the corner to our right and about 2 miles away is Lanercost and the Priory.

Yipee we had not got lost and we had stayed very clean as we headed back down the hill and the car.

Walks complete and heads full of sniffs we settled down for the ride back home and shepherds pie for tea.  A perfect day.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Every so often whilst dad  is furtling around on the interweb he spots something unusual or of note that he did not know about in our local area.

Today was one of those occasions and, as a result, we ended up going to Brampton about 10 miles from the city, in search of the Capontree monument.

Capontree memorial - Brampton

Our destination came about in a strange way following a search for walks around the reservoir at nearby Castle Carrock.

To cut a long story short, the web search brought back a walk that featured the monument. A monument dad did not know about or even where it was.

Travelling out of the city and past the airport we turned off the A69  and headed towards Brampton and the usual road we take towards Talkin Tarn.

Around half a mile up this road is a side road to our right Capon Tree Road.

Driving down past the half million pound houses we parked the car right in front of the memorial situated at the end of the lane.

With the constant buzz of traffic hauling up the A69 on the other side of the hedge we left the car and started to explore.

Capontree monument

The history of this well weathered monument dates back to 1904 when it was erected by public subscription.

It is not clear why it was erected in 1904.

The monument is in memory of the hanging of six of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s men in 1746.

The condemned men, it is recorded, were dragged through the streets of Brampton on a hurdle, a wooden frame, to the Capon tree, where they were hanged, drawn and quartered on 21 October 1746.

A typical English field full of golden crops

During the 1745 Jacobite Uprising, Bonnie Prince Charlie made Brampton his headquarters.

Carved into the front of the Capontree monument is the following text: This stone is placed to mark the site of the ancient capon tree under whose shade the judges of assize rested and upon whose branches were executed October XXIMDCCXLVI for adherence to the cause of the Royal line of Stewart.

Colonel James Innes – Forfarshire Regiment

Captain Patrick Lindesay – Kilmarnock Regiment

Ronald Macdonald – Clanranald Regiment

Thomas Parr – Manchester Regiment

Peter Taylor – Manchester Regiment

Michael Dellard – Manchester Regiment

On the reverse is the following carved text : Erected by subscription 1904. Hugh Jackson, Chairman Brampton Parish Council Henry Penfold Hon Sec and Treas.

A new metal or slate plaque has been screwed to the base of the monument erected by the 1745 Association in 2004. Following footpaths

Tall grass surrounds Buster as he walks on an overgrown path

Spotting a footpath sign to our right, we leave the Capontree memorial behind us and we follow the path up and over a small hill which exits onto a road.

Thinking on his feet, dad decides that we go left with the aim of heading towards the town of Brampton.

Always on the lookout for new sniffs, we follow a new path after a few hundred metres that leads into a field full of golden crops.

We both asked to be picked up so we could see our surroundings.

The grass was higher than us and it tickled our tummies as we walked through it. It was great fun as we found all sort of new sniffs heading to and from the adjacent hedge and into the field.

As if we can read!

As the sun dried the crop, and you listened carefully over the top of the nearby road you could hear the crackle of the drying seeds almost ready for harvest.

It is really sad that many dog owners do not clean up after their animals.

When we see signs like this one on the right it really makes us wonder what has driven the two legger to install such a notice.

We always ensure mum has a handful of biodegradable nappy bags in her pocket and some tissue wipe every time she leaves the house ahead of a walk with us.

An unusual building and vent stack in Brampton, Cumbria

Having a few plastic bags has also helped out when she has spotted some berries in the hedgerow or as a temporary bowl filled with water from a tap or public loo sink.

Unusual building

Sadly our path along the edge of the field came out at the busy A69 and with not a break in the traffic we decided to return back towards the village.

Coming upon this unusual building we stopped for a few moments and tried to work out what it may have been for.

A leaf falls behind Charlie making him jump

Eight small wooden doors opened into a stone built building with a very ornate vent stack at one end.

The doors were about 1m tall so not really human size, so could they possibly be a storage door, maybe for coal.

Do you know what this building is or was? let us know via the comments area below please.

Mum, being the age she is, said they were Hobbit houses, but we could see no Bagginses or Tooks!

At last we find Brampton

Our walk seemed to have gone on for ever as we travelled up and down loads of paths and lanes on our tour of Brampton.

Murray Croft - Remembrance Gardens

Passing the old brewery, we noticed that many leaves had started to fall onto the paths, a sure sign the autumn winds and the cold winter is on the way. Thinks! Did it ever leave?

Our walks, are often quite random as we try and experience as much as possible whilst we are out of the house. Between the town and the old brewery is the telephone exchange.

A standard white building with a flat roof and the compulsory engineers vans parked outside.

Nothing strange in this apart from a sign indicating that behind this building, tucked away from sight is a remembrance garden operated by the Co-op.

Situated at the end of the lane and in a lovely quiet setting is the Murray Croft Remembrance Gardens.

We stay with dad whilst mum takes a look around the well kept gardens.

Sprouts

We end on a very positive note as we have found a new source of sprouts. Missing from our diet for quite a number of months we spotted some, actually Charlie just stopped and looked up to the tray, in the display outside the fruit and veg store in Brampton.

Refreshed with water and sprouts in our tummies, we started back up the hill towards the car in our circular walk around Brampton.

Until next time Buster and Charlie