Woods ... and SUN!

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Having spent yesterday looking down on the Lakes, I decided that I'd spend today looking up from the Lakes. Today would be spent walking by river and dub.

A little later than planned, I left the house and headed into Rosthwaite. This is one of the wettest parts of the UK and, true to form, the drizzle started and the wet weather gear was donned. Being the Lakes, true to form, the drizzle stopped and the wet weather gear came off!

Before any deity could change its mind, I set off from the car park to begin the ascent of Puddingstone Bank.

I believe this route was once a Coffin Trail and having completed the initial climb to Resting Stone, with the footpath being relatively free of mud and water, could see little evidence of this trail ... or a resting stone!

By now, the cloud was beginning to lift and the sun beginning to shine through.

Walking the length of the trail, I arrived in Watendlath where fishermen were casting their flies into the water-lily laden water in an effort to catch trout. Me? I opted to be bitten by midges!

I then walked along Watendlath Beck which was now relatively dry underfoot, with the sun coming out and the sky becoming clear. The last time I'd walked along this footpath was end June on the day that a month's worth of rain fell in several hours. Indeed, the path then was just passable but now appeared to be on another planet!

I stopped for lunch in the sun at Moss Mire, sitting in a field of Common Spotted Pyramidal Orchids, and, once satiated, walked through Moss Mire Coppice and High Lodore, getting very muddy!

My arrival in Grange brought back memories of that previous wet day and, as an act of remembrance, I went back to the same teashop to pay my respects. This time, however, instead of sheltering inside, I sat outside, in the sun, enjoying the views.

The path beyond and down to Gowder Dub was clear of any water and mud, and the River Derwent was quite low. Some mud was encountered on the path through High Hows Wood but nothing to warrant evasive action.

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