Lakeland winter

Like most of the UK we’ve been having a sudden, severe cold snap here in Cumbria. Overnight temperatures have plummeted (it was minus 10c the night before last, which is cold enough to freeze moving water!) and even during the day it’s barely got above freezing for almost a week now.

The downsides are icy pavements and a house that seems to need re-heating every five minutes – not to mention numb fingers when I come to type! The upside in an area like this, though, is that when we do get out the views are incredible.

On Tuesday we’d arranged to have lunch with some good friends of ours at the Windermere Jetty museum cafe. It’s a good standby at the best of times as it has a large car park (free if you visit the museum) and the food is lovely. That was very much the case on Tuesday (I had arrancini which were delicious) and the added bonus was spectacular views across a very wintry Windermere.

The little boating lake had frozen over but there was no sign of ice on the lake itself, just frost, pale winter skies and snow on the distant fells. It looked quite magical, and was worth risking frostbite in my fingers to get a photograph. Someone’s addition of a cute snowman was just the, er, frosting on the cake!

The cold snap is due to end over the weekend but not before another dollop of snow is forecast, right when we’re supposed to be travelling to a Christmas party. Hey ho, better luck next year…

Two go to Friar’s Crag

Saturday brought another sunny but bitterly cold morning. For the first time in ages we drove to Keswick for a walk down to Derwent Water and along the shore path as far as the well-known viewpoint of Friar’s Crag.

The ‘Crag’ is a small rocky promontory overlooking the lake which was acquired by the National Trust in the 1920s and has been a popular destination as a viewpoint ever since. It’s not far from the town – about a fifteen to twenty minute stroll past the Theatre by the Lake and the boat landing strips, and makes a pleasant stroll whatever the weather.

Everything looked absolutely stunning with beautiful views across the lake to mountains still dusted with snow, and spring flowers bursting out everywhere. I’m still a bit short of useable legs so I couldn’t manage my usual mooch round the market and shops, which was annoying as Keswick has particularly good shops! But we’ll save that for when the post-Covid exhaustion has finally disappeared. And in the meantime, there was still plenty to enjoy.

The photo above shows Causey Pike (the one with the knobbly bit on top) across Derwent Water, with higher and snowier fells in the distance.

Happy/ier 2021

We had snow overnight last night, which has given the frogs on the birdbath little snowy hats, but it’s bitterly cold out and to add to our woes, Cumbria has been placed in Tier 4 of the Covid regulations which means no more trips out, anywhere, for the foreseeable future.

All I can do is wish everyone a ‘happy’ new year, and hope that it really is healthier, safer and more convivial than this one has been, for all of us. Cheers!

The beast from the east

Cumbria – or at least the western half of the county – seems to have escaped the worst of the wintry weather that Siberia has kindly sent our way. However, it’s still been bitterly cold (the maximum temperature so far today has been minus 1c) and with three inches of snow lying on the ground, plus a strong-to-gale-force easterly wind, it feels absolutely perishing.

Top marks, then, to our local bus company, who this afternoon were running not just any old bus service, but open topped buses! I’m not sure if that’s northern grit, sheer blazing optimism, or a shortage of usable road stock, but it certainly made me blink. Needless to say, there were no takers for the top deck on the one I saw trundling past…

In spite of the chill, the scenery has been wonderful. Here’s a couple of snowy shots of the garden, including some interesting patterns on the garden gate.

Snow!

Storm Caroline passed us by without too much incident, but in its wake we’ve got bitterly cold winds and the first proper snow of the winter.

At town level it only dusted the rooftops, but the fells looked really dramatic seen from Longlands Road when I took a camera for a walk this afternoon…

Autumn colours – and snow!

I got cabin fever this afternoon so set off for a walk round the local streets – and because we’d had the first proper snowfall of the winter overnight, I took my camera with me.

It wasn’t sunny, but there were odd brighter gleams amongst the dark clouds, just enough to light up some of the last remaining autumn colours, and the snowy fells.

Here’s a couple of photos to show you the general effect.  Both are in/around Windermere, though neither show our house!