Dolly Waggon's Walks

06.05.10 - Brundholme Round

2010-05-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

We (Amanda & Tessa) and Ron set off through Fitz Park stopping to take pictures of the crab apple trees in blossom, but not before Ron had tried to steal another dog's ball (embarrasing!!). We emerged onto Brundholme Road then down Spooney Green Lane. We set off up Latrigg but then turned right through the five bar gate to walk along the edge of the woods cutting down into the fields that run alongside the A66. These fields are full of sheep and their lambs, which Ron ignores because he is terrified of sheep (they are dangerous to small dogs - at least that is what we have led him to believe). We had a rather unfortunate incident in the sheep field as we found a very sickly lamb which appeared to have been deserted by its mother and was obviously quite poorly. Being rather soft hearted, Tessa rang the vets to see if we could find out who the farmer was and if anything could be done for it. I think it is safe to say that the outlook is not good. Leaving the lamb behind we encountered a pair of magnificent Jays in the trees and stood and admired them for a few minutes, before heading out of the fields, turning right over the bridge and then left into the woods above the River Greta and heading down to the Old Forge. From there we headed onto the Railway Line and back towards Keswick and home.

02.05.2010 - Round Derwentwater

2010-05-05T06:11:00.000-07:00

The three of us (Amanda, Tessa, & Bruce) plus Ron the dog, caught the 2pm clockwise ferry from the jetty and disembarked at Ashness Bridge. We then walked along the lake shore as far as Kettlewell car park just before Mary Mount Hotel (great for coffee and scones) before crossing the road into the woods and walking behind the Lodore Hotel to take a look at the Lodore Falls. There was a reasonable amount of water in the Falls but they must have looked spectacular during the floods. We then went back to the road and onto the fields around the end of the lake heading for the Chinese bridge. The bridge has recently been rebuilt and was very impressive. It is now wide enough to take wheelchair users and the gates at either end are easily negotiable for wheelchairs - much easier then the old bridge. The river was low, which meant that no-one was jumping off the bridge into the water today, although that may have had more to do with the weather because the wind was icy. The board walks over the marshy ground have also been replaced fairly recently, using recycled material. It is weathering down quite nicely. They caused a great deal of controversy when first replaced and were even referred to as 'the black snake of Borrowdale' as they were thought to be so unsightly. I think they are great. Certainly wider then the wooden ones and they even have passing places. Ron ran up and down them like a mad thing - we think he liked the sound of his nails clacking along the surface!! The marshy ground was fairly dry though, so even if you had fallen off the boardwalk you would have stayed dry and peat free. Once off the main boardwalk we were at the far end of the lake and we could see how low the water is at the moment. Unbelievable after the amount of wet weather we had earlier in the year. We carried on our walk at the far side, meeting up with some off duty Mountain Rescue dogs. This caused Ron great excitement as he sometimes goes walking with Ginny and Mist, they, being far superior quailty dogs, ignored him. Walking on Ron managed to be stalked by a dog a quarter of his size and then took a dislike to another dog twice his size and so we moved on swiftly, this had more to do with wind chill than the embarrasment of being in the company of an unruly border terrier. By the time we got to Hawes end we were thinking of taking sustenance (or at least a bar of chocolate) at Nichol End Marine and it wasn't long before we reached the cafe there, bought tickets for the ferry and ate chocolate whilst waiting for the ferry to come in. Once back on dry land at the jetty we decided that a drink and some potato wedges would go down a treat and so headed for Sweeney's and a glass of wine (for me).

04.04.2010 - Latrigg Easter Cafe

2010-04-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

For the second year running, the Bassenthwaite Rotary Club ran an Easter Felltop Cafe on the top of Latrigg. We all decided to go up for a lunch of hot dogs and bacon butties. Sam, being the self-proclaimed idiot that he is, decided to drag a 19 kilogram mountain bike up the steep side. Nevertheless, we made it, only to find that there was a considerable amount of wind on the summit. We found the Hilltop Cafe tent, and found out that they had only had 8 bread rolls left. However, we did manage to snaffle 3 of them. There was still quite a bit of snow on the top. After a short hot dog break, we set back off down the other side, leaving Sam to go down on his bike with his friends, Jordan and Jake. On the way down the sun decided to come out, giving us some nice pictures of the surrounding fells.

19.03.2010 - You, Your Guests and the Environment Workshop

2010-03-24T04:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday the 19th of March Amanda and I attended a 'You, Your Guests and the Environment' workshop, organised by North Lakes Accommodation Providers, Keswick Tourist Information and the 'Love Your Lakes' Campaign, as part of the Bassenthwaite Reflections, hosted by Glaramara Outdoor Centre.

We were picked up outside the Skiddaw Hotel in Keswick, by one of the Glaramara buses, and arrived at the Centre at 1030. The talks started at about 1100, and the first to speak was Ruth Kirk from the 'Love your Lakes' campaign. Ruth explained how too much phosphate - which is in things such as dishwasher products and washing powders - can lead to blue-green algae, which in turn can lead to lake closures. She explained how we can cut down on how much phosphate we use by doing simple things like using phosphate-free products. More information can be found at: http://www.loveyourlakes.org/.

After Ruth had finished, Richard Fox, the leader of the 'Fix the Fells' initiative, told us all about the work they were doing towards the upkeep of the local upland landscape. Hundreds of 'Fix the Fells' volunteers work tirelessly to keep the landscape in its most natural form, using mainly materials provided by nature. Obviously, in some cases, synthetic materials can't be helped, but from the before and after pictures Richard showed us, they really are making a difference. Their current project is being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, but at the end of the project they will be relying on donations. To donate towards the 'Fix the Fells' initiative or to find out more information, please visit: http://www.fixthefells.co.uk/. Dolly Waggon's charity of choice is 'Fix the Fells'.

Next to speak was Christina Turtle, the people engagement officer from the RSPB, who is part of the Lake District Osprey Project. Christina told us all about how ospreys were extinct in the UK in the 1800s, and they have recently returned. The Lake District Osprey Project observe the pair of nesting Ospreys that have nested beside Bassenthwaite Lake in 2001. The project are currently raising money to put tracking devices on some of the young Ospreys. To see live footage of the Osprey nest, find out more about the project or donate towards the project, visit: http://www.ospreywatch.co.uk/.

After Christina's talk, we had lunch. We had some lovely tomato soup and sandwiches, provided by Glaramara. This gave us time to talk and have a look at some of the stalls.

After lunch, we sat back down to listen to a talk about energy saving, by David Harris-Jones from Cumbria Business Environment Network (CBEN). For more information about CBEN and what they can offer you and/or your business, please visit their website: http://www.cumbriaben.com/.

Next up was Dolly Waggon's own Amanda McDonald, who was incredibly nervous by this point. Amanda gave a talk on the Dolly Waggon, and what we have done to become 'green' and get our silver and bronze CBEN awards. To find out about the awards that we have won and how other businesses can get involved, see our website: http://dollywaggon.co.uk/.

The last talk of the day was by Steve Johnson, an environment officer from the Environment Agency. He told us all about sewage and septic tanks pollution prevention. I have to point out that he was intentionally asked to speak AFTER we'd all eaten. He told us more about phosphates, and what we can do to keep our environment clean. For more information on what the Environment Agency can do for you, visit: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/.

Once all of the talks were over, all of the day's speakers had group photos taken, and then we were taken back to Keswick on the Glaramara mini-bus.

10.03.2010 - Great Wood

2010-03-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Great Wood is a really nice walk to do for new walkers. There is a good range of uphill, flat and downhill. The uphill parts are nothing too strenuous, but you still get really good views of Keswick and Derwentwater. We went through Great Wood today with the dog, just to get out of the house really. It takes around an hour and a half to two hours, depending on how fast you walk, and towards the end you have the choice of going back down the road, or round by Calf Close Bay and along the lakeside. And either way you choose, there is always an easy way to get to the Tea Gardens, the cafe by the lake, at the end.

09.03.2010 - Latrigg

2010-03-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

The weather was lovely today, so we decided we would go up Latrigg, as it wasn't too challenging, and the last time we went up the paths were covered in ice, so it took us hours. We started off up Spooney Green Lane, at the back of the Swimming Pool. This takes you across the bridge over the road and into the ascent. Half way up we cut across to the flat path, and up the wooden steps. We went through the wood, which was very, very dark, and then across to where we had all fallen over last time we went up, because of the ice. There were ALOT of sheep on the top, which Ron didn't chase, because he's been trained not to. The views on top were amazing (see the photos). We sat on the bench at the top to eat some bananas and drink some hot chocolate. We came down the zig-zag path then back through Fitz Park.

01.03.2010 - Walla Crag

2010-03-02T02:52:00.000-08:00

Today we walked up Walla Crag with a group of walkers, the leader of which is a regular volunteer for 'Fix the Fells', a Lake District charity.

We started at Springs Road, past Springs Farm and up the steep ascent of Walla Crag. The views were fabulous, it was just a shame that a telephone mast has been built in the field next to the path.
On the way up our dog, Ron, got into a fight with Dawn's dog, Raven. None of us were sure who started it, but Ron definitely carried it on.
We carried on up the side of Walla, when we reached the gate leading to the summit. We all started that way, but Amanda, Susie and Jenny decided they didn't like the dangerous combination of ice and heights, and they decided to go round the other way. After battling our over fallen trees and slippy ice, we reached the top. It was freezing, but the view was amazing. Frm the summit of Walla Crag you can see Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite, and all the way across to Scotland. You can even see the wind farm in Bothel. After a few minutes at the summit we were re-joined by Amanda, Susie and Jenny. We set off down the other side, stopping at some rocks to have lunch. Greggs sandwiches, bananas and hot chocolate; lovely. Even better when you have two big dogs slobbering on you. (Not our dogs, I hasten to add)
It was very boggy on the way down, and I wasn't wearing particularly sensible shoes. After we came off Walla we walked past Ashness Bridge, where there was a herd of 'bandaged' cows. John, the leader, told us about the work he was doing with the volunteers at 'Fix the Fells'. He told us about a rock that a man named Colin had given himself his first of 3 hernias over. (Incidentally, we named the rock 'Colin's hernia').
After we'd past Ashness Bridge we walked through Great Wood, round Calf Close Bay, past Friar's Crag (which has some of the best views in Keswick) and through town to the Dog and Gun for a pint.