Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.

A typical Borrowdale day.

Where do you go when it's wet in The Lakes? You head down Borrowdale, reputedly the wettest place in Britain, that's where you go! Actually that is a myth; parts of Snowdonia, The Highlands and even The Scafells are wetter. Having said that, Borrowdale does have more than its fair share of rain, with floods in 2007, 2009, 2011 plus a particularly bad flood in 2015 when Storm Desmond hit Britain.

One good thing about going out in weather like this is that there is always somewhere to park; even in Rosthwaite which is usually a bit of a honeypot. I didn't set out to go on any particular walk as there are so many paths and lanes in this area. This makes it very easy to "just walk" and decide where you are heading on the fly. I did a roughly circular walk which took me to Stonethwaire, then across the valley into Johnny Wood and Longthwaite before following the River Derwent back to Rosthwaite.

I called in at the lovely St Andrew’s Church in Stonethwaite. Christian settlements are known to have existed here since AD 1200, when the monks of Furness Abbey and Fountains Abbey developed farming and mining interests in the area. The Church was consecrated in 1687 and now contains the pulpit brought from Mardale Church in 1937, when the Haweswater Reservoir was built. Also the Churchyard contains the gravestones of some colourful local characters, including Sarah Youdale, who lived until she was 100 years old, and apparently never left the valley. Another belongs to Bob Graham, the famous marathon fell runner. His tombstone records his greatest run – 42 peaks, 32000 feet, 130 miles in 23 hours and 39 minutes! Some going.

As is usual when I'm in these parts, I called in the Borrowdale Youth Hostel for a cup of coffee, which also gave me an opportunity to dry out a bit. I was once told by a local that the Youth Hostel building was built in the 1940s to house children who had been evacuated from the North East during the Second World War. From what he said, it must have been quite a bit of a culture shock for both the kids and residents of the sleepy valley!

I also made a quick call in at Seathwaite at the head of the valley to take a few photos of the farm for a project I'm doing about the Herdwicks and farming in the Lakes. It was a bit grim and very muddy so I didn't stay too long but did manage to get some photos which realistically depict farming life in The Lakes.

I had a great afternoon, albeit a wet afternoon which just goes to prove that you don't need the sun out to enjoy this beautiful part of the Lakes. This is what Alfred Wainwright wrote about Borrowdale in one of his guide books "It encloses this one mile of country containing no high mountain, no lake, no famous crag, no tarn. But, in the author's humble submission it encloses the loveliest square mile in Lakeland". I can't disagree with that.

Ewes at Lomgthwaite

Sergeant's Crag

Borrowdale Ewes

River Derwent

Johnny Wood

River Derwent

Johnny Wood

Stepping stones over the River Derwent

Rosthwaite

Borrowdale Ewe

Borrowdale Tup

Borrowdale Ewes

Near Rosthwaite

Ewes at Seathwaite

Seathwaite

Seathwaite Farm

A Misty Ullswater.

A well used phrase in photography is "to work with what you are given" and today was certainly the case.

I had hoped that the mist would have been lifting by the time I got to Ullswater but it was not to be. Looking back, I suppose I was lucky in a way as the mist gave me an opportunity to photograph the lake in "typical Lake District weather" and how most visitors do actually see it!

Most shots were taken in the vicinity of Mossdale Bay which is about a mile from Glenridding and I think all convey the peace, tranquillity and mood of the area. I always feel more satisfied after a set of photos like these than a set produced in so called "postcard" conditions. Those type of shots are easy to take and can usually be dismissed from memory after a glance or two but images like these always stick in the mind and are often gone back to time after time. Plus I personally always see a little bit more every time I revisit them.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them.

Trees near Matterdale End

Cherry Holm

Mossdale Bay Reflection

Norfolk Island

Reflection Mossdale Bay

Fallen Tree, Mossdale Bay

Fallen tree, Mossdale Bay

Seaweed on Rocks

Mossdale Bay

Exoloring Swaledale

It's rare that I venture in to this neck of the woods but I arrived in Swaledale partly by chance. My original intention was to go to Wensleydale via Wharfedale and Bishopdale but part way up I realised that I may not have enough petrol to get me there and back home again. I had two choice of for petrol; Hawes or Leyburn but I wasn't too sure if there was a petrol station in Hawes. So Leyburn it was and, as it was a nice day, I wasn't too bothered about going a few miles out of my way.

There's two roads up Wensleydale from Leyburm; the main road which goes through Aysgarth and Bainbridge and then a smaller back road which goes through Askrigg. Fancying a change, I took the quieter back road. After a few miles I saw Swaledale signposted and fancied the change of scenery. The road goes over Grinton Moor which, as I was soon to discover, is used extensively by the MOD as a firing range and can be quite a bleak and disorientating place.

I got quite concerned at one stage as there just wasn't any other traffic about and I began to have doubts whether I was on the correct road or not. Stupid thoughts went through my head that I may have misjudged the turn off and I was, in fact, on the MOD firing range and was in danger of being used as target practise! Plus to make things worse there were red flags and no access signs everywhere. Fortunately though, as I neared Swaledale, a few cars appeared which eased my mind but it is certainly wild and lonely up on those moors.

The view coming down off the moors and into Swaledale is absolutely stunning; you can see for miles in all directions. I made my destination Keld which is just about as far west as the dale goes and, with not being very familiar with Swaledale, all the photos I took were basically from the roadside. There was a great clump of trees at a place called Heulaugh that caught my eye and a further along the road there was a convenient gap and pull in which gave a clear and uninterrupted view right along the dale. I think that was near a village called Long Row.

I drove through a couple more villages, firstly Gunnerside and then Muker before reaching familiar territory at Thwaite. I always find place names in the Dales and Lakes very intriguing and vow to look up their meanings once I return home but invariably I forget. I can guess that Gunnerside was named after some local geographical feature but where the hell is Muker derived from? I always look upon the Thwaite to Keld area as barn country; there must be dozens of then scattered around the meadows and again there are many handy pull-off areas which gives good opportunities for photographs.

It was then up the Angram Roag to Keld, my final destination for the day. I parked along the main road and, after such a long drive, finally got out of the car to stretch my legs. I walked down a country lane to the village and then followed The Pennine Way to East Gill Force which is set in an idyllic position where East Gill flows in to the River Swale. I didn't have my tripod but, with a bit of help from a conveniently place stone, managed to get a reasonable slow-shutter speed photo of the waterfall. I carried on The Pennine Way for a short distance but it seemed to be heading off to wilder places so I retraced my steps back to Keld. A call in to the Village Hall to see an exhibition by a local photographer whose name escapes me was followed by the long drive back.

The return route was over the Buttertubs Pass to Wensleydale. Near the top of the pass there are two or three large limestone potholes where farmers would rest there on their way to market. During hot weather they would lower the butter they had produced into the potholes to keep it cool so hence it's name. It was then up the Newby Head road to Ribblehead and on to Horton in Ribblesdale and Settle before joining the A65 back home.

I was knackered when I finally reached home but I had some great photos and many memories from a great day so it was well worth it.