Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: lakedistrict

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Tarn Hows

Tarn Hows, which is a man made lake, was developed from three smaller tarns - which were known as High Tarn, Low Tarn and Middle Tarn. The stream, which joined these tarns, was dammed during the 19th century to create the present lake. In 1929 Beatrix Potter bought the Monk Coniston Estate which included this tarn and she sold half the tarn to the National Trust and bequeathed the other half to them in her will.

The circuit of the tarn is one of the most popular walks in The Lakes so an early arrival is essential to get a car parking space. For more adventurous walkers, at the top end of the tan, a footpath leads up to the summit of Black Crag. The extension is worth it for the views to The Scafells alone.

I just stayed on the top path which leads from a small disabled car park to a National Trust Property called Rose Cottage and possibly gives better views than the lower tourist path. It certainly give a better view of the surrounding hills. The path after that deteriorates and is quite muddy but if you do carry on it, it will eventually lead you downhill to join the main path around the tarn.

Refreshments were had in Coniston where there are numerous cafes and pubs, I settled for a coffee in Herdwicks Cafe which is next to The Ruskin Museum which covers the history of the town since 1901. I think it may be a new cafe as I don't recall seeing it the last time I visited.

A lovely walk which was well worth the journey.

Rose Cottage Path

Tarn Hows from Rose Cottage path

Wetherlam

Tarn Hows from Rose Cottage path

Rose Cottage Path

Wetherlam

Tarn Hows from Rose Cottage path

Rose Cottage Path

Little Langdale and Hodge Close

Pretty it is not but there is so much to see and explore. Hodge Close and the Tilberthwaite quarries are really joined at the hip so you could park in either area and explore both. The Coniston mines are just a few more miles down the road. Add Cathedral Cave in to your day and you have a magical insight in to the history of mining and quarrying in the Lake District. There are other areas like Honister, Greenside Mines in Glenridding and the Back of Skiddaw which have their fair share of workings but none on this scale.

The quarries have been mostly idle for decades and nature has pretty much reclaimed them; blanketing them in deciduous woodland. The actual quarries are of most interest to rock climbers and divers, however there is a legacy of tracks and bridleway associated with them that connect with the main valleys of Yewdale and Little Langdale, so there are walks aplenty.

It is likely that slate has been worked and used in Cumbria since man first appeared here in prehistoric times. It certainly has a long history. There is evidence of its use from the time of the Romans at their fort at Hardknott above Eskdale.

Slate was originally won by hand, with gunpowder introduced from 1800 and compressed air drills from 1910. Diamond tipped saws replaced the cutting of blocks by hammer and chisel from the 1930’s. Various methods of moving the rock around were developed including inclines – both external as at Yew Crag, and internal as at Honister – and aerial ropeways, as at Hodge Close and Coniston Old Man.

In their working arrangements the quarries were primitive in the extreme, with no provision for the comfort of the quarrymen and very little for their safety. Until later times it was a labour-intensive industry. The large pieces thrown down by a blast were themselves bored and blasted until reduced to manageable proportions after which further hard work, with the aid of sledgehammers and wedges, was required to produce pieces which could be carried away to the riving shed. Here the river split the stone into thin sheets, and the dresser shaped them into slates with a special heavy knife. It was a dangerous occupation, even for someone at the end of the process. The industry today is only a fraction of its size at the turn of the century but still active with a number of smaller operations on both sides of the Tilberthwaite Valley.

Yew Tree Tarn

Hodge Close

Holme Fell

Derwentwater Flooding

These photos taken at towards the end of February and are of a very full Derwentwater. Lots of the lakeside path was under water to at least Ashness Landing Stage and, I should imagine, so was the vast majority of the rest of the path around the lake.

There were also terrible floods in 2005, 2015 and 2017.

In 2005 The Eden Valley and Carlisle took the brunt of the rainfall and flooding.

In 2009 over a foot (314.4mm) of rain fell in Seathwaite in 24 hours and was a new record at the time for England.

In 2015 The Storm Desmond floods were caused because rainfall fell on already saturated ground following three previous storms during November. These resulted in more than twice the monthly average rainfall for that month. Most of The Lake District was under water, as was Carlisle, Workington and Whitehaven. Many bridges were destroyed and at one point Workington was completely cut off from the rest of Cumbria due to flooding and a major road bridge collapsing. The water levels were even higher than in 2009.

In 2017 there was further flooding but this was mainly in the Borrowdale Valley and at Eamont Bridge near Penrith. I do recall Glenridding Beck bursting its banks and extensively flooding the surrounding shops both in 2015 and 2017. The unfortunate Glenridding Hotel was flooded on both occasions as well.

Carlisle and surrounding areas were also hit by flash floods in August 2019.

Ashness Jetty

Barrow Bay

Keswick Landings

Path to Friars Crag

Strandshag Bay

Derwent Isle

Just doing what we love doing.

Sometimes days can be over planned. We had intended to drive down to Coniston and either go for a walk in to Coppermines Valley or walk up to Tarn Hows from Monk Coniston. As it turned out, we ended up driving a few miles down the road to Threlkeld, had a coffee and slice of cake in the excellent Village Hall Team Room and then walked up to Blease Gill, one of the many becks coming off of Blencathra.

The gill contains many cascades and waterfalls and is one of Wainwright's more direct routes up to Blencathra's summit. That wasn't to be our aim so we took the footpath following the intake wall to the Blencathra Centre and then followed the lane back to the village. Not a long walk but you get lovely views down St John's In The Vale to the Helvellyn range and also westwards across to the distant North Western Fells.

Later in the day, Sal got her Tern out and cycled from the caravan site to The Milll Inn in Mungrisdale where I met her for a pint.

A most enjoyable day.