Author: Fhithich
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Buckbarrow
The very prominent line of crags overlooking Nether Wasdale. Not a true summit but merely the hacked rocky end of the south ridge of Seatallan. Long Crag, Pike Crag and Bull Crag are the names. I read there is an interesting Grade 2** scramble but alas no sign of the recommended path, bracken rules. Open…
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Poplar Hawk Moth
A distinct lack of sleep last night. Bat surveys at sunset and sunrise followed by an inspection of a moth box left on all night. This little beauty was the king of the box, Poplar Hawk Moth. I guess a 3-inch wingspan. But there are not many poplar trees in Bransdale. Open Space Web-Map builder…
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In the cool of the evening …
… a wander on Great Ayton Moor to watch the sunset. The midges were lively though. Open Space Web-Map builder Code
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Sharp Edge
Perhaps the most notorious ridge in the Lake District, a Grade 1 scramble. Between 1947 and 2016 there have been 11 fatalities. I last climbed it on a misty, wet New Year’s Eve, 2007. The day before, although I didn’t know it at the time, someone had slipped and fell 100′. He was airlifted off…
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Striding Edge and Red Tarn
Overnight worries evaporated after a visit by the 4th emergency service for another glorious day on the fells. A welcoming breeze climbing Helvellyn along Striding Edge. Interestingly on this day in 1996 weather scientists predicted that global warming would have the effect of moving Britain 100 miles south in the next 25 years, bringing summer…
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Chapel Stile, Great Langdale
A scorching day in the Lakes. Folks at Langdale Gala swelter below. A very slight breeze up high. Another hot day awaits. A good time for the car to konk out. Open Space Web-Map builder Code
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Dead Men’s Bells
Have you ever heard of a more absurd name? Foxgloves, gloves for foxes! Foxes don’t have fingers so if anything it should be fox mittens. There are as many folk names for foxgloves as there are counties. Few refer to gloves and fewer to foxes. Bunny rabbit’s mouths, witches thimble, fairies petticoats, elf-caps, clothes pegs,…
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Haggaback Farm
This must be one of the highest farms on the moors. Haggaback Farm stands almost 800 feet above sea level on Commondale Moor. A bleak and exposed spot. Most farms are usually sited in the middle of their network of fields, to minimise distances travelled. Haggaback is strangely at the edge of the high moorland,…
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Sundew
On the poor, acidic soils of the moors, such as at Bridestones, some plants need an edge to survive. This small Tolkienesque plant, “the dew of the sun”, supplements its diet by catching small insects. Sticky hairs project from a rosette of red round leaves trapping insects, slowly turning them into a nutritious soup to…
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Middlesbrough Sunset
It’s been a while since I posted a sunset. A refreshingly cool dog walk provided the opportunity. Very hazy, probably the sea fret that’s been hugging the northeast coast, I thought the sun would fizzle out but with just a pinprick of sun left, I think it turned out alright. Open Space Web-Map builder Code