Muckle Samuel's Crags

A lovely day out with Mum and Dad. First up to Muckle Samuel's - no bilberries - the vegetation has changed dramatically, and then on to Gowk Bank - followed by the best cup of Kelly-kettle tea ever!

Antler moth; ringlet and hoverfly: golden-ringed dragonfly: hoverfly - once the thistles had stopped blowing around! 

Rocky enjoying himself ..again!

Gowk bank - not as spectacular as we'd expected - and late in the season to be awaiting its first cut. 

Kelly-kettle and short bread - fab!

Porthclais textile cliffs

..and following on from yesterday's work; a textile piece - procion dyes and machine embroidery/sketching.

(Approx 12" x 12")

Porthclais coastline

Well as promised a few blogs back - I have, on the first really wet day of the hols, found time to paint the Pembrokeshire coast near Porthclais. I really like to paint having just visited somewhere but I have walked the coast there and sketched it many times. So first I used charcoal ...and then oil.

Charcoal and watercolour  (15"x 22")

Oil  (8"x 20")

Langdales classic

Up and off relatively early so we could get up the Langdales before it became to hot and humid!  Walking up to Stickle Tarn was distinctly hot but there was a slight breeze on the tops. Took the eastern route up Pavey Ark and then on to: Harrison Stickle: Pike of Stickle; across to Thunacar Knott; on to High Raise and then back to Sergent Man and then, given the indigo tinge to the sky, descended to Stickle Tarn and back down to Stickle Barn for refreshments. The route down from Sergeant Man to Stickle tarn is very gentle on the feet and knees...one to remember for the future. Rocky thoroughly enjoyed it all - especially the scrambling on Pike of Stickle and now scrambles up any boulder/outcrop that he can.

Towards Pavey Ark ; looking down Langdale; Rocky and Steve on Thunacar knott.

Towards Sergeant Man

Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle 

Stickle Tarn 

Langstrath

Another glorious day so walked up Langstrath Beck from Stonethwaite. Sometimes you see pictures of the Lake District with ridiculously blue skies and bright green valleys .....today was one of those days!

Langstrath Beck - the swimming pool is just below the tree- refreshing!

Keeled skimmer - a good record for the area and a golden ringed dragonfly.
We also saw common hawker and large red damselfly.

More harebells and bog pimpernel.
The pimpernel was in part of a lovely damp area with lousewort, tormentil and sundews.
We also found mountain everlasting on some of the mid river boulders. 

...and Rocky, who really didn't like us swimming nor when he fell in!

Meathop Moss

After our visit to Whitbarrow we also took the opportunity to visit Cumbria Wildlife Trust's Meathop Moss reserve. It's looking really good and had the feel ( if you ignored the sound of traffic) of some of the really big mosses we had visited in Sweden. We just caught the end of the bog asphodel flowering but failed to see large heath on the wing as the light was declining prior to a thundery downpour. We did however, see the Manchester treble bar moth, which is a bog specialist and new to us. We left Foulshaw Moss for another day.

Bog asphodel.

White-beaked sedge.

Across the moss.

Whitbarrow NNR

A lovely day down in South Cumbria on Whitbarrow Scar. First though a walk in Witherslack Woods where we saw speckled wood and comma butterflies - which we don't get in North Cumbria, as well as lots of high brown fritillaries and a couple of silver washed frits too. We also found Strangalia quadrifasciata, a rare yellow and black long horn beetle.

High brown fritillary in Witherslack Woods

Common blue, Witherslack Woods - in the middle of a thistle patch!

Detail of dark red helleborine; harebells against silver birch; carline thistles.

.......and Rocky! - who tried to chase the thunder!