Boardale round

  The third route of this weekend was a tour around Boardale taking in  Beda Fell and continuing round to Place Fell. It was one of those days where the weather could have gone either way but we were lucky the cloud did last most of the time but we were treated to some wonderful patches of sun later on the route. There was the possibility of heading over Rest Dodd and down to The Nab but recent wet weather meant that the ground was quite boggy and anyone who knows the route between those two fells will understand my reason for avoiding that section today.

Boardale Hause

As we headed from Brock Crags and ascended Place Fell the sun burst through the clouds and lit the dark fellsides. It gave some wonderful opportunities for stopping to take photographs despite the really strong breeze.

Fusedale

 It turned out that this short walking weekend would involve three routes in three small quiet valleys, Swindale, Fusedale and Boardale.
 Today was a couple of hours on the fells that encompass Fusedale. This small valley sits just south of Howtown so we began our route from the hause which seperates Martindale from the open land to the north. From there it was a direct ascent of Steel Knotts, round to the ruins at the top of Fusedale and then a gentle climb up to Wether Hill.

Once Wether Hill the cloud closed in and the visability dropped to a matter of yards. This wasnt really a problem as once we reached Loadpot Hill we had a straightforward descent down Dodd Gill. There was only us and a few Red Deer wandering over this pathless route. Fortunately by dropping down a couple of hundred feet we cleared the cloud and I was able to get the reference that I needed on this visit. Soon back in Fusedale we only had to skirt round the foot of Steel Knotts to return to our start.

Not an over exciting route but another day when we saw hardly a soul.

A Quiet Lakeland Valley

 With a bit of research it is still possible to find a peaceful Lake District valley for some quiet walking. OK so Swindale in the far eastern region isn't surrounded by huge crags and dramatic scenery but that doesnt mean its not worth a visit.
 Today I was after a reference or two from this dale and I planned a route which took in one fell, Selside Pike. We were fortunate with the weather with patches of bright autumn sunshine lighting up the changing colours of the landscape.

Above Swindale.

Views from near Selside Pike to the west give a fine vista of the High Street range which today had a touch of low cloud. To the north and east the scene is of the North Pennines and the Howgills.

 We had a fine half days walk and I have already pencilled in a return visit.

Of Course I'm chuffed!

 When asked to submit a high res copy of one of my recent photos to a popular walking magazine I was a bit sceptical. Sure, nice to be asked but I was thinking it would be used in a small corner of a page and hardly noticeable, how wrong I was. Spread across a full two pages of Trail Magazine December issue is the image.

Taken on a wild camping trip a few months ago the view down into the Langdale Valley from near Shelter Crags. It was a perfect morning with the low mist right down in the valley and the sun just coming up.

 Techy stuff.: I have already been emailed regarding the camera etc that I used for this shot. Unfortunately there is not much to say as the camera used was just my simple Samsung WB500 compact camera set on "scene" and mounted on a small mini tripod, no filter etc. I took several shots using the self-timer and this was the best as the others had the dogs in not such pleasing positions. Hopefully it just goes to show that you dont need to have a big DSLR all the time to get that memorable picture.

How blue?

 Whilst out on the Far Eastern Fells on a bright but chilly day yesterday we were walking over the tops of Grey Crag and Tarn Crag. The skies were bright blue with just one or two fluffy white clouds to add interest and cast shadows on the land. These summits are well down the popular list as they sit at the head of the quiet valley of Longsleddale.
 Most of the Lakeland Fells are only marked by cairns or the ocassional Trig column. Tarn crag is a bit different, close to the actual highest point stands a tall pillar, an old survey column from the days of the construction of the water supply to the industrial heartland of the north west.

Today it made for a near perfect photograph. The small pool that lies adjacent to it perfectly reflected this blue Autumn sky and the distant fells of the High street range were defined by cloud shadows.

 It only took the use of a polarising filter on the camera to give the clouds and water reflections extra punch and that was it, no need for colour enhancement in photoshop or lightroom the colours are as good as they were on the fell. I may need to look at it more closely and perhaps level it up a bit but thats about all I think. Right place, right time has come up trumps again.

It's never too late.

 After a good day out on the Northern Fells in mixed weather it was only on the way home did I perhaps catch the best light of the day. As I was driving home along the A66 I saw the glow of the sky in my car's rear view mirror. I just had to stop and try and capture the scene.

With Clough Head on the left and Blencathra on the right the setting sun was neatly framed in  the natural gap. Glad that I pulled in.

More good light

  The autumn is producing some excellent days weather. Combined with the changing colours of the vegetation the potential for good photographs is an opportunity too good to miss. My walk today was hardly a Lake District classic but a route into the Langstrath Valley to get a couple of references .

As we were quite high up in the valley we were treated to a few patches of bright sun on the landscape and  by chance we were in a prime location to capture the scene. No need for fancy treatment in lightroom or photoshop, nature has done all the work. It also goes to show that you do not need to get upo really high to see the wonderful landscape of the area.
Within a short time the sun had disappeared behind a thick cloud cover and the opportunity for any more decent shots had passed.