With the ground frozen after cold overnight temperatures, it was decided that we could return to Rickerby Park in Carlisle and not get too muddy.  This was good news as we were keen to investigate the new stone circle.

The willow is growing up really tall on the riverbank

The park makes up part of the Carlisle flood plain and as such can be very soft under our paws.  For this reason we avoid the area during much of the winter.

It would appear that many other people thought just like us yesterday, as the park was very busy.

The late morning sunshine combined with the near cloudless sky, to produce some very long shadows. As we walked along we often saw our shadows creep out in front of us making us jump.

Just beyond the metal bridge to the golf club, the Willow trees planted into the crumbling River Eden riverbank are growing fast.  Some must stand 4m or so tall.

We saw these as little saplings back in June 2009 and reported on them in this post

The thin wooden wands spear into the sky, almost invisible against the glare from the bright sunshine.

Sand Martins

Concerns are being raised about the local sand martin colonies who reportedly nest within the riverbanks in this area.

The Friends of Rickerby Park, who oversee the park, are to see if the sand martins are being affected by the new trees and what can be done to limit the impact of the willow tree growth.

The new stone circle in Carlisle

According to the RSPB these small birds have Amber Status, indicating that their numbers are in decline or that the species is of concern to conservation organisations.

Eden river rock

With Charlie constantly pulling to our right, as he wanted a paddle in the River Eden, it was a relief when we finally we arrived at the Linstock end of the park and the new stone circle.

Set about 40m from the river bank and not far from the much improved car park at this end of the site the six upright stones make a bold, hard statement in contrast to the soft living trees nearby.

Looking at the muddy ring around the flattened stone at the centre of the circle, it would appear that the site is well visited.

Each rock can be found in the catchment area of the River Eden.

Kirkstone Slate, Penrith Red Sandstone, Millstone Grit, two different types of Shap Granite and two pieces of Shap Fell Limestone make up the artwork.

Each of the pieces of stone has a history of its geology engraved into it.

The diameter of the circle is about 7m.

The idea behind the stone information henge came from a study done in 2004 by the Eden Rivers Trust. They found that more needed to be done to explain the local heritage and environment.

Photographs taken and sniffs investigated we continued on our walk around the park and back towards the car.  You can see some of out images in the gallery below.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Carlisle Stone circle Gallery – click a picture for a larger image

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

What started off as a simple walk in the sunshine on the Silloth prom turned out to be quite exciting, as we came upon a big emergency services exercise.

After the dismal cold and wet day of yesterday, it was fantastic to wake up this morning with the birds singing and the sun pouring in between the curtains.

We were not going to stay in the house today and we soon made sure the two leggers were going to take us somewhere.

Small red fishing vessel - Silloth

Pulling into the car park, next to the lifeboat station, it seemed a little busy but we just thought that maybe a number of other dogs and their owners had thought like us and needed to get some sea air.

We then started our usual walk along the prom, up and down the sea steps and through all the puddles we could find.

To our left a small red and white boat chugged its way along the deep water channel towards us, billowing out the occasional puff of light black smoke.

With the sun beating down on our backs and the fresh salty air in our lungs, we reached the white wooden lighthouse, our usual turning around point, after about 40 minutes of gentle walking and much sniffing.

Taking a rest

By this point I was starting to feel a bit puffed so we all found a step to sit on and took a few minutes for a rest in the shade of the sea defences.

Buster takes a moment to look around

Charlie had a good root around in the seaweed and other debris to see what he could find, whilst mum picked up a few nice shells and unusual stones.

Fully rested we started back towards the car, this time on the grass as it is softer on my old paws. After all the recent rain the grass was quite dry and great to walk on.

The bushes that occasionally punctuated the landscape, provided  some very interesting sniffs, possibly of something mum calls a bunny rabbit.

I wonder if we caught one, would it taste of chicken?

Off to our right dad spots a very large bird, wings outstretched sunning itself. It had positioned itself way out on one of the fences that jut out from the beach and into the sea.

Possibly a cormorant sunning by the sea ?

Mum thought it could be a Cormorant however was not sure. Do you know what it is? It seemed to have a long yellow beak and a wingspan over a metre wide.

RAF helicopter and RNLI rescue awaiting orders

Big black feathers glistened in the the sunlight and he seemed totally relaxed and chilled as seagulls and people passed by.

Emergency exercise

As we came closer to the car and the lifeboat station we were buzzed by a gigantic yellow wasp as it flew along the edge of the sea and the prom.

It was an enormous bug with a screeching whirly thing above and a strong smell.

Mum explained that it was a rescue helicopter and the smell was from the fuel that it burns to keep it in the air.

Perched on a sandbank the helicopter loads up a casualty

Looking across to the grassed area near to the lifeboat station, a smoke flare had been lit to show the wind direction and where it was going to land.

Quite a crowd of people had started to gather and they all held on to their hats and children as it touched down.

We took up position on the grass to see what would happen next.  After about 10 minutes it took to the skies only to fly out into the Solway.

Mum took out the binoculars and said that it appeared to park on a sandbank, whilst the crew got out and did some rescuing.

RNLI Silloth lifeboats take part in the exercise

Whilst this bit of excitement was going on, the two RNLI boats were travelling this way and that, just in front of us.

The larger Silloth Atlantic 85, Elaine and Don Wilkinson vessel was quite impressive as it darted across the sea .

The big yellow helicopter returned back to shore after about 5 minutes.

Given the lack of vehicle sirens and urgency from some people we could see on the ground, it appeared that this was a big training exercise involving many of the emergency services.

The long walk with a rescue dummy back up the slipway

This was unofficially confirmed when, lifted from one of the lifeboats, was a rescue doll, filled with straw.

This was carried back up the slipway and dumped to dry off in the late morning sunshine.

Checking later, before we started to write up about todays adventure, our suspicions were confirmed and indeed it was a training exercise.

The BBC reports that the exercise was a simulated air crash and involved all of the emergency services.

ITV Border had an interview with a fire officer who said the activities were part of “Exercise Sandside”.

One interesting thing we noticed whilst trying to find out more about the exercise ahead was that a similar training exercise, also involving a mock plane crash, was carried out in 2007 when 25 ‘casualties’ were rescued.

Video

Come back soon for some video from our day out

What a topsy turvy weekend that has been due to the weather.  Both Saturday and Sunday mornings it rained, so we had to wait until the weekend was almost over to get out for an expedition.

Kingmoor Nature Reserve is a Green Flag award winning green space

The bright green flag was flying over the car park  as we arrived in the late afternoon sunshine at Kingmoor nature reserve in the north of Carlisle.

Looking as if it still had the original packing creases visible, the flag is in recognition of the high standard of the free to enter green space.

It is the sixth time that the Kingmore Nature Reserve has achieved the national title.

The other eight sites in the city to win include: Bitts Park; Chance’s Park; Carlisle Cemetery grounds; Hammond’s Pond; Rickerby Park; Talkin Tarn Country Park and Stanwix Churchyard.

Red berries and other fruits fill the hedgerows and path edges

The scheme was set up in 1996.

Leaving the car park behind we headed into the forest in search of sniffs and  beasties.

Although the centre of the wood is quite dark, and the ground a little moist in places, the sunshine occasionally manages to get through.

The light reflected off many red berries high in the trees illuminating them as if they were jewels.  Mum wondered if the old tale may be true that says –  if the summer trees are laden with fruit then it is going to be a bad winter.

Looking our from the forest is this carved face

Only time will tell if mum was correct or not.

Moving our sniffers back down to ground level, we were surprised to meet the wooden character in this picture to the right.

Standing only a metre or so from the ground, the face sort of made us jump a little. He seemed all alone in a clearing alongside a few other carvings of woodland beasties.

This has to be the wolds largest dragonfly - about 10cm long. Click image for larger view

We felt a little sad but started to wonder if he came alive at night to protect the wood from nasty things.

Large beastie

As we exited the dark wood near to the superstores and industrial units, we were buzzed by a number of very large ‘dragonflies’.

Measuring about 10cm, 5 inches, long they were the biggest insects we had ever seen.

Fresh plums ripen in the late afternoon sunshine

Their bodies were green and brown and almost disappeared against the  shrubbery due to their camouflage.

They kept themselves to themselves and flitted between sunlit branches as we passed by.

Fresh plums

It is that time of year when our walks start to get punctuated by regular stops for berry picking.

Charlie has a good time and gets covered in grass seeds

Apples, brambles, elderberries and sloes have, over the years, all been gathered and squirrelled away for the winter by mum and dad.

Today the plastic bags were taken out of the pockets to take advantage of a tree laden down with red and yellow plums.

We took a moment to cool down in the plum trees shadow whilst they picked a few kilos of fruit. Just enough they said for a fresh fruit crumble for tea.

Bags filled, this sort of ended our walk for the day to avoid damage to the fruit or risk to the thin handles snapping on the bags.

Heading back the way we had come, Charlie just couldn’t miss out on the chance to get dirty as he headed straight into a bush of sticky seeds.  They stuck all over his ears and paws.

Oh well, another bath and brush awaited us when we got home.

Until next time, licks and sniffs

Buster and Charlie

Greystoke near Penrith was our destination today as we left the city behind and headed for the green fields of the countryside.

Watching the world go by

Our journey took us past many famers busy in their fields with combine harvesters and grass bailers.  They are possibly trying to get ahead of the wet weather promised for tomorrow.

Greystoke is built like the centre of a wheel with many roads leading away from the middle.  Parking in the big village car park, we  started our explorations up each lane in turn.

Whilst we concentrated on the many new sniffs, mum and dad kept spotting houses that they would love to move into. The humans call it ‘goal planning’, at my age, more like ‘wishful thinking’.

It did seem that quite a number were up for sale and, given the current problems with the stuff the humans call money, it was interesting to see the number of new properties being built.

Stone slab bridge with wooden barriers

One thing we did notice, was that the sniffs were much better than in the town and the grass seemed to taste fresher and looked greener.

Greystoke church

Walking up and down the lanes that surround Greystoke we came across this quite unusual bridge.

Constructed it seems from a single slab of rock, it spanned the banks of a little stream to the rear of the church.

Greystoke church

The wooden railings were affixed to the rock edge with, what can only be described as, giant netting staples.  These clamped around the rock and held the fence in place.

No visit to a village is complete for the two leggers without a visit to a local church to gather stuff for one of their websites gravestonepix.com.

On this particular occasion, it was St. Andrew’s.  Whilst we stayed with mum near to the entrance to the churchyard, dad went off to see what he could find in the graveyard and for a look inside the church.

Lickers at the ready!

He returned after about 20 minutes clutching a church leaflet. Another one for mums collection !

Rich and creamy

No visit to the big world can be complete without some party food, especially if we can share.

After our long walk up and down the tracks of Greystoke we took up a seat on the village green just around lunchtime.

Whilst we watched the many bikes going past on the C2C cross country cycle trail, we sent mum off to the shop.

For a small hamlet the village post office and general store was very well stocked with eatables and other essentials for rural living, reported mum as she returned a few minutes later, food in hand.

Starters was a breakfast sandwich full of egg and sausage and for pudding we got final licks on a pot of ice cream.

A perfect way to end a trip in the sunshine to a lovely part of Cumbria.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Wet Sleddale lived up to it’s name today as the paths were full of paddling opportunities, and yes, we came home filthy.

Wet Sleddale Reservoir stretches across the valley

Made famous in the film ‘Withnail and I‘ this area is positioned about 5 miles from  Jnct 39 on the M6 motorway and west of the village of Shap in Cumbria.

Just before we entered the village of Shap from the south, we turn left down a single track road.

After about 3 miles and passing a farm and a compound holding all sorts of weather monitoring devices, we arrive at the car park alongside the Wet Sleddale reservoir dam wall.

The top of the Wet Sleddale Reservoir is locked by a gate

Space is available for about a dozen cars and at this time of year, we had no problem finding a space.

Coats, boots and rucksacks sorted we head off, firstly to explore the path towards the top of the dam wall.

Wet Sleddale Reservoir

Stretching out around 600m ahead of us and lined by concrete sides the top of the dam wall was about 2m wide.  Safety notices and padlocked gates restricted access, so we take a good look and return to the path.

Frog or toad spawn? Spotted in one of the many puddles on route

As dam walls go, this is quite small, only about 21m high but it does hold back 2,300 million litres of water. This is used as a top up service for the nearby Haweswater Reservoir.

Being so close to a reservoir and with ‘Wet’ in the name gives the visitor some clue as to conditions on this walk.

Wellies or proper walking boots are the order of the day for humans whilst no doubt a bath will await us upon our return home.

Puddles and marshland line our path and you just can not help getting your paws wet.

The famous Sleddale Hall, from the film Withnail and I

Many of the puddles that filled up the craters in the gravel road had frog or toad spawn in them.  Mum didn’t know which, but suggested that it possibly could be toad spawn.

Sadly as the puddles dry out and farming vehicles access the area, much of this new life will be squished, but hopefully some will survive.

Sleddale Hall – Withnail and I

As we reached the narrow top part of the reservoir, up to our right could be seen the now famous Sleddale Hall.

Since its appearance in the 1986 film ‘Withnail and I’  it has become one of those places to visit for film buffs.

Starring Richard E Grant (Richard Grant Esterhuysen) and Paul McGann the film tells the story of two out of work actors in the 1960s who venture to the Lakes to escape London only to find themselves ill-equipped for the conditions.

Packhorse bridge at the top end of the Wet Sleddale reservoir

The hall was originally acquired by the Manchester Corporation in the 1920s, which became part of North West Water and now United Utilities.

Before we can rise up the hillside towards Sleddale Hall we must first cross over the very picturesque pack horse bridge.

We stood on the bridge as we crossed and imagined a small pony all laid down with provisions keeping to the centre of the bridge to avoid damage to the precious cargo.

We then looked back at mum and thought – ‘what a recreation’ as she crossed over the bridge complete with backpack full of our provisions.

Local residents on guard outside Sleddale Hall

White arrows, nailed to wooden posts, indicated which way to follow up the gravel path worn down by thousands of visitors over the years.

Sheep guard Sleddale Hall

Our approach to the now derelict buildings that form Sleddale Hall was being closely watched by the guardians of the fells, the local sheep.

Looking out from their vantage point, our every move was being observed like a defending army protecting a hill fort.

United Utilities placed the property up for sale in 2009 with a guide price of £145,000.

Built from stone and Lake District slate, Sleddale Hall and its associated outbuildings were probably built in the mid 18th century.

No entry signs and caution asbestos keep us away from Sleddale Hall

It  has been unoccupied for many years, and is accessible only via a dirt track or across the fells on foot.

Asbestos risk

Surrounding this side of the property is a wire and post fence. Blue and white United Utilities signs indicate that entering the area will put you at risk from asbestos.

Wooden boards cover where doors and windows once were, in the hope of stopping visitors entering the possibly unsafe buildings.

It is almost two miles from the nearest public road and a mile from the nearest inhabited house.

Not wishing to upset the local sheep, as many are possibly expecting lambs shortly, we keep our distance from the buildings and do not venture any closer.

Just look at the view back to the car park

Two attempts were made to sell Sleddale Hall in 2009.  The first sale fell through, however in the second a conservation architect called Tim Ellis purchased the property for an undisclosed sum.

After a quick sit down on a well positioned dry rock and a few crumbs of flapjack from dad, we head back towards the car and the prospect of a hot bath when we get home.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

More information

Wet Sleddale and I – The jottings of Alen McFadzean on his visit to the area

Overlooking the upper reaches of the Solway Firth is the Royal Burgh of Annan with it’s wide main street and imposing buildings.

After leaving Carlisle we take the M74 north, then just after the Greta turn off, we exit left and onto A75 towards Dumfries.  Annan is almost hidden to the casual driver en-route west apart from a few signs indicating the town.  Indeed it was not to be our original destination today except that the extra cup of tea that dad had for breakfast was, shall we say, wishing to make it’s escape.

Charlie has a bandage

Upon entering the town we followed the blue ‘P’ symbols to a wide open car park just behind the main street. Unusually for a town these days parking was free and so we set off for our walk.

Charlie wears a bandage

Today was the first day that Charlie has really been in the big world, since he had a bit of an incident with a prickle stick.

Just over a week ago Charlie went for his routine injections and all seemed well until around three days later when he developed a temperature and a big lump on the back of his neck.

Mum rushed him to the very nice vet person and in exchange for some biscuits, he was allowed to investigate the problem.

It turns out that Charlie had a nasty infection and needed a bit of an operation to clean out loads of gunk from the back of his neck.

He returned a few hours later smelling horrid and with a bit of gauze threaded between two holes between his shoulders. Dad said he looked like a pyjama case ready to be hung on a bedroom door.  I don’t think this really helped!

Fresh Scottish grass...

Loads of pills and chews later he seems to be a lot better and he no longer needs his bandages.  With his wounds healing and Charlie returning to full strength, it was felt that he could have an adventure today to make him feel a little happier.

To the park

Keeping to the right hand side of Annan High Street, which turned into Fish Cross and Church Street without us even realising it, we spotted an old blue sign indicating that  Seaforth Park could be found up a side street known as Solway Street.

Any sign that indicates flower gardens always gets mums attention and this one was no exception.

After about ten minutes walk all seemed lost as we just could not see any gardens.  We did however, spot a big field adjacent to Annan Academy and we were able to have a good trample around and stretch our legs.

It is well documented that dad always finds an adventure and with spirits a bit low, we all decided to press on up the hill away from the main town.

Do you know directions?

What is the one un-written rule that says you will always be asked for directions in a town you are visitors to?

A well earned drink fresh from the tap.

Today mum and dad were stopped three times by people asking where a car boot sale was being held and for a place they had never heard about.

It became a bit of a joke when a car would pull up and the window was wound down.  Sadly the third people to do this were laughed at which didn’t really help.

Berries and roses

Following the path up the hill, dad spotted a well trimmed path leading away from the road and he decided we should investigate.

A small smouldering fire was sending drifts of wood smoke down the lane adding to the mystery of the adventure.

High, well managed hedges lined our route whilst two track marks below our feet indicated the path was used by the occasional vehicle.

Ahead of us was a dark area of thick trees which, if we were here in the dark, would make the whole experience very scary.

Sniffing out our route, Charlie spotted an opening in the hedge to our right with a well maintained path, complete with kerb stone edging.  The path opened out to a collection of allotments arranged around a central woodland area.

Annan Town Hall

Close cut grass paths and wide open spaces made this an ideal place for allotments according to mum.  Birds and insects could live in the protected woodlands and undergrowth whilst helping the gardeners keep pests and nasties away.

Charlie even found a tap with fresh running water and at an ideal height to get a long drink from.  Thank you to the gardeners for thinking of us.

Back towards Annan

Dad spotted a white iron bridge as we entered the allotment area and this was to be the next part of our Annan adventure.

It turns out that the bridge goes over the railway line and that it has a few wobbly planks.

Annan High Street

Our onboard compasses soon worked out a path back to the town and before long we were looking at the town hall.

Built in 1878 the impressive town hall features a 2m high statue, erected in January 2010 of Robert the Bruce.

In front of the town hall is a war memorial set in the middle of a very wide main street with shops on either side.

Many of the older buildings feature crests and ornate stone decoration.

What is in the brown bag mum?

Around half way along the high street as it starts to narrow we spotted a number of humans leaving a shop with brown paper bags.

Mum was dispatched to investigate, as a sign on the door said we were not allowed in.

She returned a short while later clutching a brown paper bag and a big smile.

Around ten seconds passed then the cogs started to locate in our minds and mum was rumbled. The unmistakable smell of a hot sausage and chips.

We made ourselves comfortable on a nearby park bench and shared the freshly cooked goodies just purchased from the Cafe Royal.

With some hot food in our tummies it was the perfect time to leave Annan.  We enjoyed our brief visit and will return when Charlie is fully recovered.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Dad seems to be going further today in the car than we have done on recent walks but in the air is a familiar scent that seems to be getting stronger as we approach a place called Whitehaven.

Looking through the window in the back of the car we see the sea to our right but dad drives straight past. Eventually we turn towards it and a new place called St Bees.

For many, St Bees marks either the start or the end of the Wainwright Coast to Coast walk.  Around 190 miles long the trek takes you from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay on the east coast of England.

Our walk would hopefully only last a few hours and not the 14 days of the Coast to Coast.

Looking out across the sands at St Bees

Winding our way along some narrow roads, we park in the big car park on the sea-front near to the pale yellow coloured RNLI lifeboat station.  Built in 1995 the boathouse contains an Atlantic 75 boat.  This is the same kind of boat we saw launched last August up the coast at Silloth.

To our right are the many static caravans of the Hoseasons Seacote holiday Park. Between us and the beach is a wide strip of grass, some pebbles and then all that lovely sand just waiting for us to run over it.

So what do you find in a rock pool?

Rock pools

Mum and dad have their splodging boots on so we know we are in for some fun and a great long walk.

Although the beach looked very flat and boring, we soon found that it was littered with big deep puddles which we just had to inspect.

Slimy green stuff, mum called seaweed, clung to the rocks which made them a bit slippy and smelly.

Coastal erosion at St Bees

We have come to expect the water at the seaside to taste funny so it was a good job dad had the bottle of fresh water on hand for when we wanted a drink.

Erosion

Many dogs had brought their humans to the beach to take advantage of the dry, reasonably warm weather for the time of year.

Stop, Look and Listen as we cross the tracks

Our walk went right to the far end of the beach where we came upon what appears to be damage to the embankment and the remains of some sea defences.

Climbing up off the beach, we find a gap in the fence with a footpath sign nearby pointing us back towards the town.

To our left are the manicured lawns of the St Bees Golf Club to our right the coastal railway line.

Daffodils are open in St Bees

Daffodils

Using the small bridge to cross Pow beck, we climb the steps up to the railway line where we stop, look and listen as the big sign says, before we cross over the long metal snakes that dad calls tracks.

Facing us is quite a steep climb up a path lined with daffodils  and other assorted plants.  Many of the bright golden trumpets were heralding the arrival of spring,  in contrast to many areas of the county where the daffodils have so far failed to open.

Turning left at the top of the hill we past one house that had a very unusual front garden.

Miniature house in St Bees

Hillside Cottage has many small houses made from stones, no doubt collected from the beach, placed around a pond.

Next to one of the buildings we spotted a caravan and sat outside another are a pair of dogs.

The Pinfold at St Bees

It must have taken hours of work to put these buildings together.

Pinfold

Somehow dad always seems to be able to find interesting things and right on cue he turns right up an alley and comes across a round enclosure built of stones with a wooden gate.

Alongside the gate is a small plaque that says that a Pinfold is where stray animals were impounded and only released to their owners upon payment of a fine to the Pinder, who was an officer of the Lord of the Manor.

The St Bees Rimming Stone

Dad suggests that he leaves us here and collect us later in the day.  Mum thinks about it but suggests otherwise.

Rimming stone

Our walk has now entered the town proper as we head towards St Bees Railway Station but not before we investigate the St Bees Rimming Stone.

Nearby a large black cold lump of metal called an anvil gives a hint that the rimming stone is connected in some way to metal bashing.

On the wall above the anvil is a silver plaque that explains that the rimming stone was used in the construction and repair of wooden cartwheels.

A welcome drink of fresh water

The cartwheel was laid on the rimming stone, with the wheel hub in the centre. A red hot metal band was then forced around the edge of the wheel.  As the band contracted it shrank to fit with a little encouragement of a big hammer blow or two.

Thirsty

By now we were getting a little thirsty, so it was with perfect timing that we spotted this small stone drinking bowl.

St Bega statue in St Bees

No doubt it had some special local significance, however it had some cool water and that is exactly what we needed as we approached the railway station.

Erected in 2000 and designed by Colin Telfer the statue of St Bega can be seen in a small park area just beyond the railway tracks.

Sleeping child garden, St Bees Priory Church

St Bega has close connections with this area, as it is thought that she landed here after fleeing across the Irish sea.

Josefina de Vasconcellos

Our walk now seemed to take on a bit of an artistic flair as we approached the area around St Bees School.

In the gardens of St Bees Priory and in the grounds of the school are to be found sculptures by the renowned artist Josefina de Vasconcellos.

St Bees Priory Church

The Sleeping Child Garden alone features three of her works donated shortly before she died in 2005.

With our paws starting to ache a little dad decides it is time to start back towards the car and we head further up the hill away from the Priory.

All our beach has gone, hidden under the sea

Our walk took around two hours and we still have loads to see if we come back in the summer, including the cliff top walk to see the lighthouse and the assorted birds on the cliffs.

Vanishing sands

Arriving back at the car park  we noticed that the sand we had walked over only a few hours earlier was now covered with white foaming sea.

It was a good job we walked along the beach first.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

PS. As with all our walks we gather more content than we can put in this one update. So please keep an eye on some of Mums other websites for other stories and details. Links to these sites can be found to the right of this page.

Further information

St Bees local website -  Some great information if you are thinking of visiting the area.

Celebrations are the order of the day as we clock up one hundred posts on this version of our blog.

Long term readers will know that actually the number of posts we have published is a lot higher than this but the clock was reset when we moved to this software called WordPress.

Did you know you can follow us on Twitter?  Our username is ablogfrommydog

Looking back over the last 100 posts we have done quite an amazing amount of stuff and explored some fantastic places.

Cranes of Richard Rose Academy

Today we have been on a walk taking full advantage of the overnight frosts hardening the ground and in turn making them un-muddy.

Our circular walk started at the Stoneyholme golf course car park just off Victoria Place in Carlisle. Here is a link for  Google maps.

Cranes

Leaving the car park and golf course buildings behind us we crossed over the bridge  and entered into Rickerby Park.

The River Eden was still flowing quite quickly and had the colour of whipped hot chocolate.

Two cranes dominate the skyline as they keep watch over the new Richard Rose Central Academy on Lismore Place.

Flood debris in Rickerby Park

Costing about £30m to build it is hoped the new school complex will be complete by  January 2011.

The cranes – a Potain and a Liebherr – were supplied by Kier Plant and are 34m and 24m high with a 55m radius.

Debris

Following the edge of the River Eden towards the town we pass this debris covered wire fence.

Flood damage near Sands Centre, Carlisle

Many tonnes of grasses, twigs and litter have become lodged against one side of the wire.  It is not hard to work out that the river flows past this location from right to left.

Log balanced on Eden Bridge

Looking across the river and towards TheSands sports complex some damage looks to have been caused to these railings.

Ahead of us and balanced on one of the Eden Bridge supports is this very big log.

Maybe this former tree was carried down stream during the last flood and became stuck here.  Let’s see how long it lasts?

Restored

Our path now leaves the river edge and after climbing the bank we take a look at Eden Bridge Gardens.

You may remember that earlier this year a programme of restoration and renovation was undertaken on the gardens which are locally known as the Chinese Gardens.  You can find out more about the work done here over at heritageandhistory.com

Flood defences in Sands Centre area, Carlisle

We leave the park via the steps and exit onto Stanwix Bank crossing over the River Eden via Eden Bridge and onto the path by the side of The Sands.

Flood defences

A new sign has appeared around the town recently marking the 2005 floods in the city. Bright red with an outline of the River Eden in blue the sign simply says ‘Flood January 2005′.

Five years have almost past since the horrid floods of 2005 when all of this area was underwater. The new flood defences will hopefully make this a thing of the past.

Keeping The Sands  Centre to our right we make our way down a few steps and onto a path by the side of yet another golf course called The Swifts.

Eden Riverside trail sign

Golf

This facility  was one of the first official PGA Golf Starter Centre’s and features a tight par 3 course, 16 bay driving range, grass hitting area, practice bunker and a chipping facility. Whatever that means:-)

Hidden in debris on this side of the river dad notices this post marking the Eden Riverside trail.

Not exactly a modern sign, we wondered how long it had been in place and doing it’s duty.

Golf club in tree

Also lurking amongst the branches mum spotted this golf club.

Resting high up in a tree we puzzled for a while how it would become in such a position.

Given it would not float easily we concluded that it must have been placed here by a frustrated golfer who had lost his grip and thrown his golf stick high into the air.

Four years growth of bushes

Maybe it is waiting for next autumn to get down from the tree along with the elephants.

Four years

What a memory my dad has for images, maybe he is an elephant?

As we rounded a bend in the river dad spotted a row of bushes and commented that he had a photograph in the archive, which currently contains over 60,000 images, of when these bushes were planted.

Canoe or Kayak on River Eden

Sure enough he was right and here is the proof.  Interestingly the image was taken almost exactly fours years ago to the date (27 Dec 2005).

The large image is from 2005 and the inset is now.

Kyack

Floating down the River Eden to our  left was this man in a kyack. Had he travelled far and what had he seen on his travels. Given the high water he possibly had travelled for many miles.

If you were this person then please get in touch so we can find out about your journey and what you had seen?

Our journey now ended where we began.  It had taken about an hour but had been great fun. Thankfully we would not need a bath as we had kept very clean if not a little damp from the damp grass.

Until next time and post 101

Buster and Charlie

Saturday turned out to be a better day than anyone could have predicted with warm sunshine, a great walk and loads of paddling.

The brief was to go in search of autumn colours and all the guides hinted that Ennerdale was the place to visit.

Welcome to Ennerdale

Mum had written about a number of places around the county to visit in her article over on Naturearoundme all about the autumn gold rush.  So we thought we should visit at least one of them for on the job research.

Bowness Knott was to be our destination, situated in a place called Ennerdale near to West Cumbria. OS Grid Reference: NY109153

We have not visited this area before so all the sniffs are new and we were eager to go exploring.

Leading from the car park area was a firm, well drained forest track.  So the area would be ideal for pushchairs and wheelchairs with a helper.

Look at the view - Ennerdale

To our right were high tall cliffs below which was a great lake of clear fresh water.  On our left was woodland mainly pine but also many other trees including oak.

Vehicles are not allowed on this track except for the occasional deliveries to the Youth Hostel.  So it is worth keeping a look out for these rare occasions.

Ennerdale Water was just too tempting and after about ten minutes the path came to the waters edge and we were straight in.

Cool, clear fresh lakeland water up to our tummies and great for a drink.  Stones and shingle made for a gentle slope from the path in to the water so we could paddle quite a way with our feet on the bottom.

Golden leaves - Ennerdale

Dad says that we should take care as it does get very deep, up to 40m,  in the middle.

Ennerdale Water is over 4km long and supplies drinking water to much of west Cumbria.

With a clear blue sky overhead, the autumn colours of the trees lined our path.  Rich golds were mixed with brown, dark green and every shade in-between as the trees get ready to rest for the winter.

Interestingly very few leaves were falling on to the road.  Must be some weird science going on.

With our lickers fully refreshed we continued down the path.  Being wet, some of the dusty road surface was starting to stick to our fur so, at every chance to go for a paddle, we just dived in.

Bones in Ennerdale

Mum started to get a little fed up of this and we turned off the low road and climbed up to our left following another forest trail.

This path was a little bit steeper and zig zagged first to our right then to our left where Charlie once more put his nose to the air and detected water.

Off to our left and sounding quite spectacular was gushing water.  However, we could not see it, as it was hidden behind trees and undergrowth.

A leg bone in Ennerdale

As we climbed the noise became louder until eventually a clearing and in the distance, we saw the source.

Trickling through the rocks and making a noise out of scale with the amount of water,  was a stream cascading between rocks.  Quite a disappointment as we were expecting at least a mini Niagara Falls:-)

No paddling to be had here as the stream was out of reach so we turned back down the hill towards our original path.

Towards the bottom of the hill mum spotted something white in the undergrowth at the side of the path.  She got all excited  as it turned out to be a bone.  For mum this sighting was like finding treasure .

Skull found in Ennerdale

At home she spends hours watching satellite tv and programmes about Egyptian Mummies and bodies.

What followed was just like a scene from a C.S.I. programme where they try and work out what happened.  If only mum had some yellow numbered cards and a torch the tableau would have been complete.

Charlie and I helped as we tracked down various bones amongst the leaf litter.

Eventually we found a skull situated a little way from the leg bones. Alongside it was a vertebrae.

Given that all the bones were clean, it would appear they had been in the forest for some while.  We kept our distance from the bones in case they had nasties on them.

Jaw bone found in Ennerdale

Given the size of the leg bone, about 20cm,  the dead animal was quite short.

First indications pointed towards possibly a sheep or possibly a small roe deer.

Part of the  lower jaw bone was also found.  This confused the ‘crime scene’ as it looked quite angular. The teeth were not worn,  so the beastie may have been quite young.

Given that we had not seen sheep on our walk and that it was a woodland area, it would appear this may have been a small deer.  But not being experts we can only guess.  Can you identify the bones?  Let us know via the comments.

Please help Coniston Mountain Rescue

Leaving this part of the forest as we found it we returned to the original path and another quick paddle.

It is thirsty work searching out bones and new sniffs.

Dad decided that we had now walked far enough away from the car and we should start our return.

We returned to the car along our original path.

A circular path is available for walkers wishing to go over the tops and having the correct outdoor gear including a map and basic safety equipment.

Ennerdale Valley

Entering the car park we were made aware of the risks of venturing onto the fell tops as we past a collecting box for Coniston Mountain Rescue.

It is hard to believe but it looked as if many attempts had been made to break into the stone sided container.

It is worth noting that the car park is free and that toilets are not available in the area.

Further information

Learn all about autumn at the Woodlands Trust

All about why leaves change colour

Wainwright Pictorial Guides to the Lake District