Day 13 - 5th April 2020A 3 mile evening walk up Hampsfell today. I lugged my inherited bulky digital zoom camera up the hill, an unpleasant walking companion banging against me in it's shoulder bag. Waste of time, as clouds to the west ruined any chance of a sunset. Tried out the camera anyway, a telephoto shot of Scafell peeping out between Dow Crag and Coniston Old Man.
Monochrome as I inadvertently had the camera set on some 'Advanced' function! D'oh.
Day 14 - 6th April 2020Up early and out the door at around 0630, the morning bright after overnight rain, again lugging the zoom camera in anticipation of some decent telephoto shots of distant hills. But as I climbed up Fell End, I realised that it was not to be - the air was really 'thick', for want of a better word, and visibility was poor, despite the clouds clearing. Well at least I had the camera under control in a rucksack this time - where it stayed, as my phone camera is much more convenient to use.
A watery sun peeps out from behind the clouds. No view of Ingleborough behind Arnside Knott today!
Tess investigating a hole beneath the Fell End cairn
Hawthorns silhouetted against the morning sun
More windswept hawthorns in the morning sunAfter climbing the last stile before the Hospice, my attention was drawn to some wind sculpted hawthorns on a limestone terrace leading around the western edge of the summit plateau, so I took a wander. I re-joined the main path skirting the limestone pavement, and had a poke around....
Limestone Pavement thrown into relief by the morning sun
The secret world of Grykes - Ferns, Ramsons and Dog's MercuryInstead of dropping off down to the east along the public bridleway, my normal route, I struck off to the north, looking for a path that is hinted at on the 1:25000 OS map. I couldn't find the path, but my wandering took me into a less frequented area, with juniper growing in the limestone pavement. But I was bought to a halt by a well built limestone wall - I looked for a stile but no joy, and I had to pick my carefully westwards over patches of limestone pavement, before dropping down to the kissing gate in the wall and the right of way heading north into Hampsfell Allotment, the northern slopes of Hampsfell. This area was like a 'Lost World', different in character to the more open land to the north. I am told that there were some conifers on these slopes, but they were cleared some years ago, and a few cows are used to keep the vegetation down a bit - they are doing so with a light touch. I climbed back eastwards over a limestone escarpment into the Lost World of pavement, juniper, holly, yew, the vegetation getting thicker the further east I went.
An orchid on the limestone slopes - I'll be back to see it in flower.
One of many juniper trees growing on the limestone pavement
The Lost World
Natural topiary - what do you think that this cow nibbled yew tree looks like?As I headed north the ground dropped away slowly, and the trees grew in height. I eventually hit the remains of an old track which took me north westwards and re-joined the public footpath that descends the north western flank of the hill. This is a worthwhile path in it's own right, following a limestone terrace and giving fine views of the Cartmel valley below. I passed through the kissing gate again, having completed a loop, and took the bridleway eastwards over the northern shoulder of Hampsfell, descending to Eggerslack Woods. Time to go home for my breakfast!
Dogs Mercury forming a green carpet in Eggerslack Woods - unfortunately the flowers have no petals.
Stitchwort in a hedgerow beside Spring Bank Road 
Blackthorn hedge in flower6 miles - an excellent start to the day, despite the lack of distant views.
Today's route Copyright opentopomap.com
