Derwent Water


Another stroll along the shores of Derwent Water. This time we followed the Cumbria Way to Hawse and back. The weather was showery but thankfully these were kept to a minimum. I never knew there were so many bays and inlets in this small stretch of the lake. Good views all round and good company to boot.


Derwentwater

Brandelhow Bay

Victoria Bay

Victoria Bay

Dave and Sammy

Kitchen Bay

Kitchen Bay

Otterbeild Bay

Flooded Cumbria Way

Victoria Bay

Otterbeild Bay

Brandelhow Woods

Brandelhow Woods

Brandelhow Woods

Brandelhow Jetty

Brandelhow Bay

Abbots Bay

Abbots Bay

Cumbrian Coast


A nice weekend in The Lakes, so there is only one place to go...away from the Lakes. It is getting increasingly difficult to find parking these days whether it be paid or free, especially if you aren't an early riser like me! It's sometimes easier and more time saving to cut your losses by heading straight to the fringes or coast. If you know the right places to go, you can still have a very enjoyable day. I've always liked Whitehaven even though it does have its problems. 


A lot of the towns and villages on the Cumbrian coast have serious economic problem, probably due to the running down of the now extinct coal mining industry and High Harrington, which is on the outskirts of Workington seems to be one such places and I can't remember how I first came across it. The main street leading to the harbour needs rejuvenating but the harbour itself is very attractive and great walks can be had along its coastline. I should imagine that its a great place to be when the gales are coming in from the Atlantic and the waves are crashing over the sea defences. It was quite a calm on the day I visited but still there was some good wave action and the short stroll along the coast was quite invigorating to say the least. I know it must have its drawbacks but I really envy people who live in the vicinity of the coast. After being in the hills, it is my next most favourite place to be.

It was then on to Whitehaven for a good stroll around the harbour and marina areas. The place is seeped in history so there is always something of interest to photograph and explore. There are various memorials and displays to it's past tobacco and coal mining industries plus The Beacon museum which again has exhibitions about past industries along as ones about the areas Roman history and the history of the town and harbour itself.  


Whitehaven also has a close association with America. John Paul Jones was a Scot who had learnt his seafaring trade in Whitehaven and who would become the founding father of the American navy. After sailing to America on the "Friendship of Whitehaven", Jones grew up as an adopted American - returning to Whitehaven in the late 1770s. During this time, the wars of independence were playing out and John Paul Jones, now a commander in the Continental Navy set sail for Europe. In 1778, The Ranger was sailing up the western coast, causing havoc on British vessels. Whitehaven was the only harbour where Jones and his crew landed and, intoxicated with the local rum, ran amok in the town. Whitehaven was the only place where he actually set foot and the incident is remembered with a series of statues on the South Harbour quayside, called ‘The Whitehaven Battery’. There is also a museum in the town called The Rum Story which also deals with this.
The harbour part of the town has been redeveloped and is usually a hive of activity with no shortage of cafes and a few bars thrown in and the weather has always been quite favourable to me. I've seen atrocious weather in The Lakes yet beautiful sunshine on the coast many times. So there you have it, if you are ever stuck for something a bit different to do when you visit the Lakes, try a day out at the coast. It can be very rewarding.



High Harrington

High Harrington

High Harrington

Sea Wall, High Harrington

High Harrington

Sea Break, High Harrington

High Harrington

Shadows, Whitehaven Harbour

Whitehaven Harbour

Rusty Rivets, Whitehaven Harbour

Memorial, Whitehaven Harbour

AAAA seat, Whitehaven Harbour

The End of an Era, Whitehaven Harbour

The End of an Era, Whitehaven Harbour

 Whitehaven Harbour

West Strand, Whitehaven

Reflections, Whitehaven Marina

Reflections, Whitehaven Marina

Reflections, Whitehaven Marina

C2C

 Whitehaven Marina

The Vagabond Pub

Oh Shuggar!!

Union  Flag

Lybia B, Whitehaven Marina.

The quiet end of Derwent Water.

I love Keswick and that end of Derwent Water but sometimes the crowds just get a bit too much. There was a time when it quietened off in the mid-week but not these days. It seems busy everyday and at everytime of the year. I still go down to the landing stages but it is usually at the end of the day when people have left for home or are back in the town having their evening meals. Being sat by the shores of Derwent Water at dusk is the spot where I feel most at peace with the world. It's the place I go if I need to sort my head out. An hour sitting down there usually puts all my problems in to their true perspective. It is also a place to go for the most fabulous sunsets.

Travel about three miles though and you are transferred in to a completely different world. The differnce between the north and south ends of the lake are like chalk and cheese. You only meet a few people at the south end of the Lake, probably because there is little parking and also there aren't many fells to climb, You can get up Catbells from this end but I think most of the paths have been closed for erosion control purposes. The main path forms part of both the Cumbrian Way and The Allerdale Ramble so you would expect it to be quite busy but this doesn't seem to be the case when I've been there.

There are four bays in close proximity, the main one being Brandlehow Bay which is where the Keswick Launch stops. The National Trust, which was created in 1896 largely through the efforts of Canon Rawnsley, vicar of Crosthwaite near Keswick, now owns all of this area. In 1902 the Brandlehow estate on the shore of Derwent Water (108 acres of pasture and woodland at the foot of Catbells), came on the market. Rawnsley launched an appeal, and enough money was raised so Brandlehow became one of the National Trust’s earliest purchases, and the first purchase in this area.

The next bay is Abbott's Bay which is the home to Otter Island. I haven't personally seen any otters in the vicinity but I presume there are some there. This is then followed by Myrtle Bay and finally Great Bay which is where the River Derwent enters Derwent Water. All the bays give great views up the lake towards Skiddaw and Blencathra and, where gaps in the trees permit, the opposite way you get views towards the Jaws of Borrowdale and beyond ie. The Scafells, Glaramara and Great Gable.

I only walked as far as Great Bay because that is where the path leaves the lake shore and cuts across to the main road going down Borrowdale which gives no photo opportunities at all. So it was a case of retracing my footsteps back which was no hardship at all. The sun had broken through by then so that is when most of my photos were taken. A couple of picnic benches have been placed by the Brandlehow landing stage so I took full advantage of one of them and had ten or fifteen minutes peace and quiet before heading off back to the madding crowd!

Path to Brandlehow Bay

Abbott's Bay

Great Bay and Catbells

Great Bay

Skiddaw from Great Bay

Mansty Park woods

Myrtle Bay

Myrtle Bay

Mansty Park woods

Abbott's Bay

Otter Island

Mansty Park woods

Mansty Park woods

Brandlehow Bay

Fungi, Brandlehow Bay

Nature's Art

Balmacara and Skye

 WE had a mixed week of weather but on the whole we managed to stay dry. The only wet day was our second day when Sal stayed in the cottage ...