Mosedale Horseshoe...the easy way up Pillar! ...and the hard way down!

What a belting day! We got to Wasdale for 10 ...and got one of the last parking spaces ....then up Mosedale towards Black Sail Pass - but rather than following the main track we followed a minor path onto the ridge just before Looking Stead. Well worth going onto Looking Stead as the views over Ennerdale and to great Gable were fabulous! Then onto Pillar itself - so nice to be on proper rocky tops! Then after Pillar (lunch out of the wind in one of the shelters) onto Black Crag and Scoat Fell....down onto Steeple and then back up onto the ridge to Red Pike. Then down to Dore Head and the descent down Dore Head screes ....which was 'interesting' ...if we'd read the book before we set off it told us not to go directly down it! We did and parts of it were really runnable, which I loved. My husband agrees to disagree!

Top left - looking back down Mosedale on the way up to Looking Stead - note the scree on the right - our descent!
Middle left - Ennerdale from Looking Stead.
Bottom - Panorama of Pillar and round through Ennerdale with Haystacks.
Top right - looking back into Mosedale.

Red pike; back across Pillar and then two pics of Gable. 

Rocky's tops! 

It doesn't get much better! 

Skiddaw over Aughertree

Following our drive over Caldbeck Common, in beautiful light Click here , I've done a lino cut - hand coloured with water colour of the view from Newlands Farm over Aughertree and Uldale towards Skiddaw and Binsey.

Great Gable from Grey Knotts....

An oil painting from the weekend Click here...Great Gable looking across Brandreth towards Great Gable.

Tarns and tops .....

A few more photos from yesterday's walk ....I just love reflections in tarns, there were lots, but the sun made very rapid appearances and disappearances, so I missed a lot of shots!

Near the summit of Fleetwith Pike - on the way to Grey Knotts.

Gable from Grey Knotts.

Gable again ....

Bog bean in Innominate tarn.

Coming down from Brandreth ...note the erratic on the horizon.

Afternoon sun on Great Gable.

The Buttermere round.

A gorgeous autumnal day so we parked up at the farm at the far end of Buttermere to begin my birthday walk. Fleetwith Pike stands looking isolated and steep at the head of the valley and we've not been up it before. With spectacular views over Buttermere and Crummock it was more than worth the climb. The path was well hidden from view a distance but easy to find - it climbed rapidly over crags and through heather - really nice little bits that were scrambly too.

The views from as we went up Fleetwith Pike....with some spectacular hail showers! 

Views of Buttermere and Crummock Water and Rocky on the summit of Fleetwith Pike.

After Fleetwith Pike we crossed over through the top of the Honister slate mines and strode out onto Grey Knotts - a lovely ridge with more spectacular views over Borrowdale and round to Great Gable. 

Pictures below - Grey Knotts; Rocky on the summit and looking across to Brandreth and Great Gable.

After Grey Knotts we walked onto Brandreth - Below Summit views.

....and then back down and across to Haystacks with classic views again before returning, with a steep descent off the main top of Haystacks,  to the valley base and the car. A cracking walk! 

Great Gable in the afternoon sun; Rocky on Haystacks summit and the view of Fleetwith Pike from across the valley - it was steep! 

A walk through the woods along the Greta, Keswick.

Yesterday afternoon we had a quick walk along the river Greta - lots of nice fungi!

The Greta 

White spindles, amethyst deceiver, black bulgar, chanterelles and a pretty bracket! 

Horn of plenty.

Some nice fung, yellow legs, puff balls, fly agarics, orange peel fungus and hedgehogs. 

Two mating slugs with the egg sack and a slug eating a fly agaric. 

Knott Rigg and Ard Crags

A windy walk along this little ridge that runs up from Newland Hawes. Good views and the cobwebs were certainly blown away. The first day when I've worn gloves this autumn!...another two Wainwrights done for Rocky.

Looking towards Ard Crags with Derwent Water in the background.

Top left - Ard Crags; middle left -  Knott Rigg and bottom left from Ard Crags across Buttemere.
Top right - Addacomb Beck and bottom right looking down over Keskadale Beck.

Moss Force at Newlands Hause.

Great Gable across Wastwater

A smaller oil painting .....but a fabulous view!

The road to Caldbeck

While finishing today's painting I did wonder, given yesterday's gales, how accurate it now is!

The oil painting - just finished - hence the shine on it when photographed. 

Local trees......

Before the storm!

Mumbles - Bracelet Bay - Clyne Valley walk

Yesterday Tom walked to Mumbles to look for end of season Autumn ladies tresses- sadly an unsuccessful hunt, probably due to mowing/rabbits/weather. He then went to Bracelet Bay to try and see some Med Gulls so the walk wasn't wasted... unsuccessfully. On the coast however there was a large ivy bush covered in Ivy Bees. He then walked back via the Clyne Valley to look for fungi- nice to have some more unusual ones! Plus he found some jam pots and a possible tip.

Mumbles 

Top left: jellybaby (Leotia lubrica), top right: edibles (hedgehogs and chanterelles).
Bottom left: a coral fungus, bottom right: white spindles.

Ivy bees.

Miscellaneous fungi.
Top: unusual fungi yet to be identified.
 Middle right: an Amanita and bottom right: Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius)

Jam jar bases. 

Clyne Valley fungus walk.

On his first day back at Swansea uni Tom had  cracking walk up the Clyne Valley....lots of fungi!

Various crusts, brackets and polypores including rhs: giant polypore (Meripilus giganteus).

Edibles - lhs: beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica), top right: cep (Boletus edulis)
 and bottom right: wood hedgehog (Hydnum repandum). 

Two species of saddle fungi- top and rhs: white saddle (Helvella crispa) and lhs: elastic saddle (Helvella elastica).

Spindles,fingers and clubs - top left and middle left: white spindle (Clavaria fragilis).
 Bottom left: dead man’s fingers (Xylaria polymorpha) and rhs: an unknown species of yellow club.

Coral fungi- top and middle left: unknown.
 Middle right and bottom left: possible white coral (Calvulina coralloides) and bottom right: unknown.

Mixed fungi- including an ear fungus.

Fly Agaric splendour

Following my previous post, as promised.... truly splendid  - a massive patch of fly agarics!