It's Not All About The Summits

Please note that this blog is still incomplete at the moment.

With winter back with us once again The LakeDistrict offers a different range of walking experiences. For most of the winter the summits have at least a covering of snow and ice, often more than just a covering. While this offers a great opportunity for those who are trained and equipped for winter conditions, it also deters quite a few from venturing too far into this more challenging zone. However, there is still a fabulous array of walks to be had at lower levels. I've chosen just one area, there are several great walks of varying lengths, with fantastic views and lots of interest, from nature, to history, to literature.

Coniston is one such base that has so many different walking options. I have broken it down to five different walks, each of which is a circular walk and can be varied in distance from a half hour stroll up to a twelve mile hike. From walks around the village, into the copper mines valley, along the old railway line, a forest and lake combination, or one of my regular favourites, up to Tarn Hows.

There are many ways to reach Tarn Hows from Coniston and that is perhaps why it is a regular walk of mine, I can do a different variation each time. But perhaps my favourite version leaves the centre of the village along the access road that goes between The Black Bull (on the left) and The Co-op (on the right). Heading towards the fells, the road passes behind The Ruskin Museum. At the end of the tarmac there is a signpost on the right. The main track heads up to the coppermines, but you should turn right, through the gate and follow the direction of the signpost towards Yewdale. The path follows the fell wall behind an area known as Far End, a few houses and a YHA. About half a mile from the village the path passes through a gate and enters Yewdale Woods. In spring the woods are full of bluebells, primrose and violets, followed by foxgloves, to name but a few of the many wild flowers to be seen on this walk. In the autumn the woods are full of many, many varieties of fungi, too numerous to list. The wood is crossed by several mountain streams, most of which will be dry, or almost dry, unless there has been a recent downpour of rain (which can happen around here!). The one likely exception is White Ghyll, know locally as The White Lady. This flows under the third small wooden bridge that you will cross. if you look up to the left as you cross the bridge you will see where this cataract plunges down the mountain as it travels from it’s source on the lower slopes of Wetherlam, to eventually find it’s way into Coniston Water. If you look to the right, across the fields soon after The White Lady, you might see an old lime kiln. There is actually a narrow vein of limestone that passes around Coniston, running from west to north and it outcrops around this point. It is a brownish shade of limestone and you might see it around the path if you observe closely.
After a mile and a half the path emerges from the wood next to the Coniston to Ambleside road (A593), just where the lane to Tilberthwaite branches off to the left. Cross this lane and rejoin the path, it very soon meets the lane up to Holme Ground and Hodge Close. Briefly follow this lane to the left, over Shepherd’s Bridge, a lovely old Lakeland stone bridge and then turn immediately to the right as you leave the bridge. Passing through the gate and past the signpost, follow this track around the back of Yewtree Farm, once owned by Beatrix Potter and used in the film about her life. The track eventually brings you round to the front of the farm and out onto the A593. Look for a footpath on the opposite side of the road and slightly to the right. This footpath will take you through the field to Glen Mary carpark and avoids walking on the busy road. Pass through the carpark towards the orientation board and from there cross the small bridge and head up towards the waterfalls of Tom Ghyll. There are some beautiful cascades and waterfalls on this stream as it makes it’s way down from Tarn Hows. The footpath follows the stream all the way to the tarn and this section represents the only significant bit of uphill on the whole walk, going from around 100 metres at the carpark to just under 200 metres at the tarn.

Coniston.... The Quiet Season.

With most of the tourists gone from the village, except for the weekends, Coniston reverts to it's quiet self. These are two photographs I took last night at around 19.00, not much traffic around.

Looking for somewhere to stay in Coniston? There's lots of choice, try these links to help you find the right place for you:-
www.coppermines.co.uk For self catering cottages.
www.blackbullconiston.co.uk
www.crowninnconiston.com
www.yewdaleinn.com

A Walk Through Yewdale Valley, Return via Lake Coniston. 5Km

For anyone reading this, it is purely experimental at the moment. I am testing how feasible it would be to post accurate walking instructions, including maps, pictures and descriptions of wildflowers of the Coniston area, onto a blog page. Any suggestions or comments would be welcome.


As with all of these walks, it starts in the middle of the village. The Tourist Information Office, the main bus stop and the main car park are all grouped together in one place, so it seems like the ideal place to use as a starting point.
This walk will guide you under the steep slopes of Yewdale Crags, through a long coppice that is managed by the National Trust, crossing several bridged streams, before returning via the head of the lake and back to the village.

From the starting point head up the road past The Crown Hotel. At the road junction near the church, look over to the right for The Black Bull Hotel. Head over to The Black Bull and keeping it on your left, turn immediately left up a round between The BB and The Co-op. Follow the road up towards the fell, passing The Ruskin Museum on your right. You will become aware of Church Beck on your left as you continue up the road. This small river starts high on The Old Man, one leg comes down from Low Water and anothe from Levers Water, joining together in The Coppermines Valley to form Church Beck. Passing a small terrace of houses on your left carry on up the hill and about 150 metres after the row of houses, look out for a footpath sign that directs you to turn right through a kissing gate. Follow the path for half a mile along the 'fell wall' until another gate takes you into Yewdale Woods.

After the rain

Saturday was a clearing day. The previous day and night had been very wet and everywhere was soaking wet, but we went out for a walk as the mists lifted and the sun kept trying to shine through. I managed to take a handfull of photos that were okay, but this one was my favourite of the day. It shows the mist swirling around as it lifts from The Old Man, Low Water Beck looking full with the rain from the previous night and a watery sun breaking through the clouds.

Fireworks and fellside.

I had intended to haI got my camera set up on a tripod ready for a 17:30 start. No fireworks! what had happened? After a while I checked the Parish newsletter to find out if I had got the time wrong. The advert said that the event started at 17:30 and fireworks at 19:00. It always helps to read the details I guess. So I put my gear to one side and set up again ready for a 19:00 start. I stood and waited and waited awaited! At 19:25 I decided I had had enough of this as I had other things to do. So I put my camera and tripod away and just as I had done that there was a crackle in the nightime air and the sky lit up with the first fireworks of the night. After a while I decided to have another go and managed to capture a few images before packing up for the night, at which point came the finale with all the biggest fireworks. So, lesson learned. Preparation, be sure of the details. Maybe next year, but these are what I did get.
 

Sunset...... by way of a change!

Having really enjoyed some recent sunrises we decided to have a change of direction and aim for a sunset. The weather had changed and got substantially colder resulting is a significant snowfall. As the week progressed, the snowline headed back up into the mountains and we headed to Tarn Hows for a 16:20 sunset. We got there an hour early to take advantage of the golden hour before sunset and we weren't disappointed, we were just very, very cold!

An early shot of Tarn Hows as the sun dropped towards the horizon.

The best images were to be found in the views to the north. This is looking towards Fairfield, over Loughrig and Helm Crag.

Same angle, different light.

Looking under the clouds to Helm Crag and Blencathra in the background beyond.

Then as the sun dipped towards the horizon in the southwest, some shafts of sunlight got under the clouds to illuminate Langdale Pikes in the west.

Small patches of light traversed Crinkle Crags.

And my favourite shot of the day is the last rays of sun picking out Pike O'Stickle

It wasn't just cold, but windy too. So we were very cold by the time we left, but very happy to have had some good light to capture.

Autumn Sunrise

Having tried a few sunrises recently, we were keen to try another one. With the clocks going back an hour it meant that sunrise has got an hour earlier, so rather than travelling too far, we decided on a trip to the head of the lake and take advantage of the beautiful scenary on our doorstep in Coniston.
We arrived just before seven am to find a photographer already there. What was strange is that he left before the sun came up! But even before the sunrise there was some decent shots to be had, autumn colours were at their peak and the soft light made for some good images... I hope you agree.

This image was taken before the sun came up, in semi darkness, but those conditions can really bring out the colour.

This one was also taken just before the sun came up. The sun was heading towards the horizon to the east (over my left shoulder) as I took this, looking south, down the lake.

The two images above were taken as the rising sun shone on The Old Man.

This image was taken just twenty minutes after the previous two, but by now the temperature of the light was changing. I think it's interesting to see how the colour has changed in such a short space of time.

Forests and Fungi

We walked from our home in Coniston, along the lake shore and up through Monk Coniston Woods to High Cross. From there we walked along the forest ridge until we turned down to Lawson Park and Brantwood. After a good lunch at Brantwood, we returned, on foot along the road back to the village.  The deciduous woods or mixed areas of woodland between Boon Crag and High Cross proved good for spotting many different fungi. It was also a spectacular area for autumn colours. The ridge track through Grizedale forest proved quite difficult for a reason we hadn't foreseen. At this time of year the sun is low and our direction was a southerly one, so for a good hour or so we walked with our heads down to keep the sharp, bright sun out of our eyes. It was quite uncomfortable, but a great walk of over three hours all the same.