The weather forecast wasn't great for Saturday, mostly rain and the promised low cloud was really low as we travelled along the A66. We sacked the idea of going over the Mell Fells, they couldn't be seen, they were under clag. We ended up in Keswick and did a walk along the Derwent Water shore instead.
The view from one of the jetties at the Landing Stages at Keswick
The lake was pretty high and there had been flood warnings for Keswick Campsite. I think the water had receded a bit on Saturday.
Raven Crag from The Ings
Kings How from The Ings
The rain wasn't bad really, it wasn't constant, more just mizzly stuff.
Catbells with low cloud drifting across it
The millennium stone is half covered, with Kings How and Castle Crag in the background
A Mandarin duck
We didn't know what this was and we thought its feathers were damaged at the back! I looked it up when I got home. They are "sails" and meant to be like this. What a wonderful looking bird, a male, I'm sure I've never seen one before.
Kings How and Castle Crag
Beefy and Squeaky
We stopped for some lunch just passed where Cat Gill enters the lake
We had what I think is a black-headed gull for company
The gull with the mist on the flanks of Catbells
Squeaky was watching the gull intently
Raven Crag again
We'd retraced our steps and the weather had brightened up a bit
Catbells across Derwent Water
Our route was Keswick - Keswick Campsite - Town Cass - Derwent Water shore path to Cat Gill - return to Keswick via Hope Park. 9.65km with not much ascent. It wasn't a bad walk considering we had expected a totally rubbish day. It was lovely to see the Mandarin duck