Hopegill Head and Whiteside round walk.

Another stunning day on the tops - walked up Hope Gill and onto Hopegill Head and then onto Whiteside before descending down a remarkably gentle path down to Hope Gill again. Stunning panoramic views and enjoyed Hopegill Head's rocky but secure summit.

Top: view as we set off along towards Crummock Water and then looking up Hope Gill to Hopegill Head.
Bottom:  view over the Solway from Whiteside.

Views from the tops. 

Bowness on Solway

A walk in the sun, around Cumbria Wildlife Trust's nature reserve, surrounded by lots of butterflies.

Sandwich terns.

We were surprised to see a flock of over 120 sandwich terns on West Beach at Silloth this afternoon - a fabulous noise and spectacular fly-pasts.

Mawbray to Allonby

The weather wasn't anything special today, so down the beach to walk from Mawbray to Allonby and have chips before returning along the coast at high tide.

Ireby - hand-coloured print.

..and here is the first trial coloured print....

Ireby lino cut!

Following on from Portnahaven - I thought I'd do a linocut of Ireby -my local village. The trouble is it's a square - so getting it to fit onto a single sheet with sensible perspective - well this is what I ended up with - waiting now for the in to dry so I can hand-colour.

The sketch, the plan and the lino ...

The print ...awaiting colouring...

Portnahaven lino cut

I spent the afternoon hand-colouring these lino prints (oil-based inks). 

Robinson and Hindscarth.

Well I can't believe it - another perfect warm and sunny day and another good walk with big and very purple (heather) views. Parked at Littletown, past Newlands church and onto Robinson and round and down Hindscarth.

Newlands Church.

Superb views...

Heathery views ...

Rocky...

Bilberry bumble bee; ceps on Hindscarth and alpine club moss. 

Great Gable from Honister Mines

A cracking day and walk. It was hot - so up and out early. Central Lakes have turned purple with heather over the last couple of weeks and the views were stunning. There was a lovely gentle breeze constantly blowing which made it particularly pleasant!

Great Gable - a favourite!

Superb views!

Flotsam and jetsam at Mawbray

A simple 'playing exercise' - just gluing the finds from the walk into place and photographing them in situ. ........and a small copper.

Mawbray banks - of heather.

 Well the sun never came out, but there were lots of birds on the tideline and the heather was spectacular - fragrant and buzzing. 

Autumn is coming!

A wet walk in Central Lakes today ...lots of fungi ...there's a touch of autumn in the air!

Solway print cards ....

More printed cards - this time varying the colours a bit and given I don't like sunsets ....I quite like these!

A dog's life!

Well it was only 2 days, but it felt like a holiday and someone as always had a fabulous time - happy as always when camping and walking!

Waiting for chips; surveying the camp site; paddling in Grasmere; asleep on Whitbarrow; on top of Whitbarrow and asleep on the way home - a dog's life! 

A lovely evening at Latterbarrow nature reserve, Witherslack.

A quick field sketch.

Hampsfell and the Hampsfell Hospice.

A walk up behind the old house in Grange-over-Sands

Cartmel Priory, South Cumbria

A lovely evening light to look around the priory.

Whitbarrow ....a rather blustery walk!

A variable day and a dramatic walk up Whitbarrow to the Hervey Memorial Cairn. One very tatty high brown fritillary was blown past at high speed and graylings fluttered to hide in grassy hollows. The harebells and broad leaved helleborines were lovely and the skies at time heavy.

Whitbarrow escarpment

Heavy skies over the Hervey memorial cairn.

Beautiful helleborines

Whitbarrow. 

Smardale field sketch

A quick sketch from yesterday - can't believe it's 24 hours later and it's blowing a gale and lashing it down!

Scotch Argus butterfly at Smardale.

A lovely circular walk along either side of Scandal Beck crossing at the packhorse bridge. Thirteen species of butterfly: small tortoiseshell; peacock; red admiral; large white; small skipper; common blue; small heath; comma; speckled wood; dark green fritillary; green-veined white; meadow brown and lots and lots of Scotch argus.

And now for something a bit different - sea pinks at Dubmill.

I enjoyed the challenge! Acrylic and oil pastel.

Young C Art Cumbria

Well - rather a tight deadline to get Tom's artwork to Carlisle College of Art for display ( because he's off to the Netherlands with Scouts) in the C Art exhibition, but delighted that he is in the top 35 artists - so far.

A rapid mounting session ! 

Tom's posters. 

Lakeland field sketches

While we have been walking over the past few days I have been able to do a few quick sketches...

Top left: Grasmoor under cloud from Scarth gap - Buttermere
Top right : Great Gable from Innominate tarn - just below Haystacks
Bottom left: Ullock Pike from the Watches - on the way up Skiddaw
Bottom right: Great End from Bowfell summit.

Skiddaw - the pleasant way!

I know that Skiddaw is often regarded as a slog, and the last few hundred feet undeniably was, but this was a lovely route - some great ridge walking and a gentle descent - far better that reversing our route up! Starting down near Bassenthwaite village up the ridge to; Watches ( lovely big rocks); Ullock Pike - surrounded by heather; Longside; Carlside;  three Skiddaw summits; Broad End; Bakestall and Cockup before returning along a brief stretch of road to the car. We would have avoided the road bit but after an encounter with a herd of cows with calves and a bull, on the footpath and they wouldn't move, we didn't fancy any more field based footpath!

The bilberry bumblebee - adapted to higher altitudes and in decline probably due to climate change. 

Happy Rocky!

Bowscale Tarn and Fell

A shorter walk today, but thanks to some leggy heather, no less strenuous in parts then the previous few days. Up to Bowscale tarn, from Bowscale - very pleasant and Rocky loved it...then straight up the back face of the corrie and onto Bowscale Fell -lovely expansive views. Then along the side of the part of Bowscale Fell that comes down to Mungrisdale - a hard heathery slog to look at England's second highest oak wood.  We then made our way back through the heather to the head of the valley that has Bullfell Beck in it - which we followed to Mungrisdale and then back to Bowscale itself.

Enjoying Bowscale Tarn.

Back of Blencathra and Rocky.