I was surprised to see how low the water levels in the Lakes were, especially as the area had flooded in December. Many bridges had been washed away, forcing us to take the long route around rivers and brooks. Even aged stepping stones had been swept away.
We were even able to walk into this cave, normally the water is three foot deep.
I finally saw the bluebells this time around, although they were beginning to go over.
I don’t think I’m destined to see them in their full glory……sighs….
I did see lots of red deer though.
We had the usual mix of sunshine and showers, and I managed lots of five hour hikes, although I did an awful lot of hobbling, due to my dodgy hip. Oh, it was simply heavenly falling into a chair each evening, in front of the blazing log burner, with a glass of wine in hand!
That’s not a dead sheep, by the way….just Annie having a good old roll.
You just can’t beat the sight of a happy collie!
I just loved watching the clouds bleed into the mountains, so atmospheric.
I always expect a faerie or two to appear in these forests.
Goslings were simply everywhere. I was watching two pairs of geese with about twenty chicks between them. They decided to take their offspring into the lake.
The majority swam after one set of parents…
leaving an irate father wondering where the rest of his children had gone!
And Finally…
I don’t like this ferry, Dad, it’s noisy and small…..
Sam, Sam, come on Sam lad, you’re perfectly safe, trust me….
OK Dad, I’ll man-up! Keep tight hold of me though.
Oh I agree! The weather is downright crazy, we’ll all have to adjust to totally unpredictable. This spring has been so cold for so long, hardly any seeds germinated and those that did are well behind. I do pity those in Paris….thanks Janet.xxx
What beautiful images of the Lake District…I need to get back there again..it’s been a while. Amazing to see the flood damage. There’s no question that the weather is going berserk all of the place. Just returned from a very wet Paris!
Sam looks so well and happy:) Thank you..Janet. xxx
Wow, that picture of the tree is amazing! And that cave is neat too! Loved your commentary of what your doggy was saying in the ferry. Made me smile.
Thanks Susanne. Good to know Sam had you smiling.xxx
Glad you all had a good time. Great photos of scenery, nature and on the water. Like the one in the cave which you wouldn’t normally go in and even if the bluebells were going over they still look wonderful on those hills and in the woods. Thanks for leaving a comment one of my recent posts letting me know about some technical problems with those on Blogger and sorry I’m late in replying back to you. Hope you had a good weekend.
Thanks Linda, it was interesting to see the cave, I was surprised at the lack of water though, especially given the floods in December. I hope all the Blogger issues are resolved soon.xxx
The Lakes in May, oh you lucky girl. It is my favourite time of the year there. The Pianist is always complaining that we don’ t go often enough but it is quite a trek from here and it is such a busy month in the garden.
In my old life I used to have Canada geese on my lake and I noticed that child rearing seemed to be a family affair. They all seem to share it. I have even seen parents kidnapping the babies from other geese and keeping them with their own offspring.
I think May is the best time to visit the Lakes too, but it is a bad time to leave the garden as everything bursts into life then! I’m weeding furiously now….it’ll take me a while to get the garden back into shape!
I saw plenty of goslingnapps too….as you say, it seems to be a communal thing. There were hundreds of goslings this year, the fields were filled with them. Lovely to watch though. Thanks Chloris.xxx
Lovely post to look at and read.
Now … every forest has a fairy dell, doesn’t it. I love ‘looking for fairies’ when I’m out with the grandchildren … such fun.
We will be spending time in the lakes later in the year, a most beautiful place to visit.
Take care with your ‘dodgy hip’ – but I can well imagine – “Oh, it was simply heavenly falling into a chair each evening, in front of the blazing log burner, with a glass of wine in hand!”
… and lovely photo’s of both Annie and Sam, especially that last one!
All the best Jan
PS Many thanks for your comment on the low carb diabetic blog. I think blogger seems to change every now and again and emails/comments don’t seem to work properly. I find it’s just best to go on favourite blogs and use the links …
PPS Have a great weekend
Jan
Thanks Jan, how lovely that you get to go fairy hunting with your grandchildren. I do hope you have a lovely time when you go to the Lakes….and enjoy a glass of something after long walks! I do hope all the blog issues get sorted soon…xxx
Wonderful photos of the Lake district, especially the hillside covered in bluebells. You seem to have had a wonderful time with your dogs, we used to take ours with us too when we went away and they had a super time, just like yours!
The Lakes has to be dog heaven….thanks Pauling.xxx
Never mind dogs and goslings, what about those too-adorable black sheep at the top of your page??? Or have I missed something?
Okay. I can concentrate on the rest of your post now. Your images are so enchanting, Dina. You make me want to see that happy Annie up close and personal. Though… perhaps not as close as Sam when he’s a bit nervous!
Oh….there were lots of lovely black lambs wandering about, many fences were down so they were often on the roads. I had to stop traffic at one point to allow a mother and lamb to cross back to safety, I do hope you get to see the dogs up close and personal one fine Thanks Anne.xxx
Five hour hikes – that’s pretty good for someone with a tricky hip. What a beautiful region for a visit.
Thanks Jason. I was surprised my hip held up as well as it did!xxx
Another great post and images.
Thanks Peter.xxx
Great pics, I love those goslings! Glad you had a good time.
Thanks Jess. There were hundreds of goslings, they seemed to be everywhere.xxx
The photo of the hillside with bluebells, the stone wall, and the path meandering at a slightly different route alongside is exquisite. Although I’ve read about the Lake District in novels for years, I didn’t have a good concept as to what it actually looked like. Now I know. Its more mountainous and wooded than I expected… and gorgeous. Thank you for taking us along.
And your dogs! Annie looked to be in heaven–such doggy bliss–and Sam melted my heart. Sweet boy.
Thanks Brenda, I’m glad you have a better idea of what the place looks like, it really is stunningly beautiful, and ever changing. xxx
I love the sweep of the bluebells on the side of the hill; what a glorious sight. The forest does look enchanted, too – how beautiful. It’s wonderful to see the dogs so enjoying being out in the open countryside, except poor Sam on the boat. He is a lovely boy. There are lots of goslings around here, too – they’re so sweet. And take care with that hip – how frustrating that it wouldn’t let you walk as freely as you wanted to.
Thanks Wendy, there are some beautiful sights around Rydal, that’s what pulls me back each year. Ahh….I did feel sorry for Sam, I’m glad he recovered and eventually enjoyed the ride. My hip is irritating! I think I’ll have to have that operation sooner rather than later!xxx
Pingback:YE OLDE WORLDE SCOTS WETHYRE | RANDOM IDEAS AND THOUGHTS
This is all such a revelation to me — that’s truly glorious country. I know we have bluebells here in Texas, but I’ve never seen them, and I’m not even sure they’re the same species. In any event, the countryside must be so beautiful when they’re in full bloom.
I love the cave. I’d like exploring that (with the water out, of course.) And you have my sympathy, re: the hip. My hips are fine, but I discovered this weekend that a long walk wearing heavy boots can be a bit of a challenge. Falling into a chair at the end of the day was welcome here, too!
The Lakes are a beautiful part of England, they have everything, mountains, forests, lakes,rivers and they are so atmospheric, with the weather changing by the hour. I hope you find your bluebells!
Oh….aching anything can be a right pain! Thanks Linda.xxx
What a beautiful country!! I might have been rolling in the grass, too. I love that you take your dogs on vacation with you. Annie has a look of pure bliss on her face. Poor Sam! He’s more of a landlubber!
Hahahaha….seeing dogs rolling has the same effect on me, I must give it a go sometime…. When Annie is happy she sure shows it! Thanks Casa.xxx
Some really great scenic pictures.
Dog quite the show stealer.
You appear to have caught quite a lot of the bluebell show, their clusters did remind me of woodland walks I took as a child.
It is surprising how far the water has receded; I noticed similar patterns in areas that had been badly flooded in Scotland just a few short months ago, when I passed through them recently. xxx
Thanks Menhir, oh, you just can’t beat a bluebell wood! How odd re the receding flood waters in the Lakes and Scotland, that’s more than a co-incidence! xxx
I wonder what has happened to all that water.
It certainly is strange seeing the water levels so low, I’ve never seen the Lakes so dry….xxx
I know what you mean about bluebells … how come everyone else sees them in all their glory but we just miss it???!
Daughter and her fiance went canoeing on one of the lakes with fiance’s dog. She couldn’t believe her luck. Kept leaping into the water and then climbing back into the kayak and shaking herself all over them … then swimming to the shore, having a little run then swimming back to the kayak … hope Sam recovered fast!
Lovely pictures as always but that one of the trees is utterly fabulous.
Lol, the hunt for bluebells in their prime seems to be my life’s mission! Daughter and fiance’s dog sounds like another water baby, it’s funny how some dogs love the water. That really is a lovely forest. Thanks Gilly.xxx
Ha! When I saw Annie rolling, I though Malarky had joined you! I love her apres-bathing glee! And sweet Sam, how he must love your dear husband!
The photos are s beautiful, Dina! I love the moody ones, the black lambs, and the forest. It sounds a perfect break and I do hope that, despite the pain, the hikes filled your heart and spirit.
They may not be peaking, but I think the bluebells look spectacular! Hope it was a lovely break for you; you deserve it. Thanks for sharing it with us. 🙂 Be well, Kitty
I think Annie and Malarky must have similar genes! Poor Sam, he can revert to being a scaredy cat at times, he loves the large ferries but wasn’t keen on that little one. Fortunately, he did place.get used to it. I did enjoy the hikes, it’s hard not to in such a beautiful place. Thanks Kitty.xxx
Oh Sam, what a wuss, just like my Archie! It looks like you’ve had a fabulous time, wonderful photos. It’s lovely to take the dogs with you and see them enjoying themselves too.
Thanks Jo, it’s good to see the dogs having a holiday too. What are boy dogs like?xxx
Excellent post…brings back memories of visits in the Lakes…..Lovely pics. Must take care of yourselves…..Hugs!
Thanks Bushka, I do love the Lakes, such a stunning place, it lingers long in the memory and is never forgotten.xxx
A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. Five hour hikes with a dodgy hip really isn’t a good idea is it! Take care. xx
Thanks Flighty. Those hikes were a little tiring at times, I did have a chat with my with my consultant re waht I should/shouldn’t be doing, his advice is do everything I usually do. Apparently the worst thing I can do is sit still.xxx
Sounds like you had a really good time, and nice to know that you didn’t lose the dogs this time. Loved the pictures of Sam – poor thing – but he looked very brave in the end. I hope you didn’t suffer too much with your hip – a walking holiday wasn’t perhaps the best idea!
Thankfully there were no incidences of missing dogs this time around! It is a beautiful spot, ever changing and atmospheric…. Sam!!! He does revert to the little scared pup he used to be at times, he now accepts small ferries are safe! It was painful walking at times, but I’m glad I did it. I may need the opp before I do it again though.Thanks Elaine.xxx
Beautiful photos – I could just imagine fairies in that forest. Poor Sam; love the picture of him burying his head in Dad’s shoulder! xx
Thanks VeggieMummy. Sam, what is he like? He loves the larger ferries but seemed a little unnerved on that smaller one.xxx