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

To the woods near Carlisle today for our big walk of the week.

The Kingmoor Nature Reserve to the north of the City was to be our destination as dad didn’t fancy going to far with rain clouds circling overhead.  He thought that at least the trees would provide a bit of cover if it did start to rain.

Kingmoor Reserve sign

Parking in the car park just off Kingmoor Road, once dad had negotiated the tight entrance with the car, we put on our leads and started getting aquainted with our surroundings.

The 33 hectares that make up one of the oldest nature reserves in the country has recently been awarded Green Flag status.

This area has been enjoyed by the public for nearly 700 years, only becoming a nature reserve or is reported on some websites a bird sanctuary in 1913.

Bridges, dry paths make for a good walk

King Edward III gifted the original moorland to the citizens of Carlisle in 1352.  Granting grazing rights and allowing peat cutting for fuel.

Following a quick glimpse at the notice boards at the entrance to the woods, our adventures started along a well made and dry track forming part of a circular 800m route suitable for buggies and wheelchairs.

Wooden Sculptures

We decided however, after a few yards  to follow our noses along some side pathways and off into the woods.

Scattered all over the woodlands are sculptures, seats and things to see.

Tall marker posts indicate what trees can be found nearby, so a visit would keep children interested.

Oak Tree Trail

One of the oldest suviving horse racing prizes used to be contested on these moors. A tradition which dates back to 1599.

The Carlisle Bells are still fought over every year at the racecourse at Blackwell towards the end of June and can be seen at the local Guildhall.

Many little signs.

What do these signs indicate and where do we find out more information, as yet again on a walk we come across new signs?

Cows come to say hello ...

Mum finds it very frustrating when she can not find out about routes, paths or the history of why someone has taken the trouble to waymark a route.  Here are two examples of trails we followed in part today but even searching the web we can not find out about them.  Can you help?

Our path takes us into an area known as Kingmoor Coppice and a woodland planted between 1992 and 1995.

Here we meet up with these bullocks who are very friendly and say hello through the bars of the gate.  We keep our distance so as not to scare the young things.

A very naughty Charlie

Charlie is being kept on a very short lead today,  as mum is not happy with the way he is behaving. Constantly pulling on his lead he is always out in front but mum has had enough, and his wings, so to speak, are being clipped.

For a dog that has had lots of hours training spent on him, he has just lost his head today.

He even got right out at the full length of his lead only to take a right into the dirtiest, muddiest trickle of a stream before mum could reign him in.

Buster enjoys his walk

It could be because of the millions of new smells or maybe it is a ‘moon thing’ that is making him have a ‘trying day’.

Either way, he is in the naughty books and mum is not pleased.

The walk for me however, is great.  The soft woodland floor is great for my dodgy hip and the dry paths keep us both clean and reasonably tidy. The overhanging branches kept out the heat of the sunshine and help keep us cool.

Cuckoo carving

We did miss a bit of a paddle and a slurp of water from a flowing stream as they had all dried to a claggy mess.  So we were glad when our path swung around and we headed back to the carpark for a well earned drink.

It was here that we spotted this gigantic woodpecker. We missed him when we first arrived possibly due to our excitement but he is is carved into an old tree.

See if you can spot him when you go for a walk in the woods.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.