Remembrance Sunday on Great Gable 10th Nov 2013

One of the best days last year was the first time i climbed up Great Gable with friends from the lake district for the Sunday Memorial service on Great Gable .
so as the time came around again i just had to make the trip up to the lakes again.
Tanya,Andy and a few others where meeting at Honister slate mine to walk up from there at 8.30 am.     the weather forecast was looking superb with sun and blue sky, which would make it all the better since a covering of snow capped the highest peaks a few days earlier.   
I actually managed to get up on time, but somehow , well i blame Mollster  i was late!    in fact it was 8.58 am  when i left the car park at Honister, half hour late which meant i only had a maximum 2 hours to reach the summit!
the car parks where almost full and a steady stream of people where climbing up the various tracks that lead to Green Gable firstly then through windy gap up to Great Gable.

Making my way up with Mollster on a lead pulling me, there was ice on the rocks and as i got higher hail and then snow covered the ground,  the views are spectacular :)  not sure if that is ice on Buttermere but it is below freezing up here but with the climb and sun it is really pleasant.

There is a constant stream of people and dogs , we are at the tail end of the procession and will need to make good time to reach the summit before 11 am.    stopping to take images like this give me a breather as i got home late last night and not had much sleep.   ie  I'm knackered already!

I can see Haystacks ,High crag and High stile centre of image and snow capped Pillar with cloud top left of centre.

Getting higher i can now see Ennerdale water over to the left with Buttermere and Crummock to the right

ahead of me i can now see Green gable and the summit of Great Gable, unfortunately both covered in low cloud , i do hope it clears by the time we get there.

The track is quite slippery and have to be very careful where i step, don't want to slip and fall up here. like last year..............  HERE

   Looking down Ennerdale valley and in the opposite direction where all the earlier blue sky has gone Seathwaite , Base Brown and Glanamara    i think.

Looking ahead of us is a snake of people heading up to Green Gable in the now very low cloud.  what an amazing experience to see so many people up on one small mountain range.

                Upon reaching Green Gable summit, i can see zero!   virtually  , a few different paths meet here coming up from different starting points and it is very busy !  the shelters are full of people taking a rest before the strenuous climb/scramble up to Great Gable.

 No time to stop any how, the steep path down into windy gap is ahead and already there is a queue .  it is very damp and slippery and Mollster is really pulling on her lead, but with so many people it is a slow progress down and now we are waiting in turn to climb up to and make our way up the scramble section up towards Great Gable summit , the rocks are icy making it very tricky, especially as there is no single easy way up.
Eventually i make it up to near the crowded summit , it is 10.54   made it just in time, but it has killed me!    im am knackered, almost straight away i spot Tanya,Ray,Stuart and Jimmy soon appears.  there must be hundreds of people here, quite amazing to see on the summit of a near 3000ft mountain in the snow, all here to pay respect .

Just before 11 am a member from the rock climbing club said a few words , during which i drop my Kitkat and Mollster woofs it down  ooops.   and then the two minute silence which is very moving and then an applaud from the crowd rang around the mountain top like thunder.    shortly afterwards the cloud started thinning and the magical views shone through. blue sky appeared through the cloud with perfect timing.   its not often you get clear views from here!

                    Wow!    What a view.    after about 10 minutes this is what we could see, love to see the patchwork of stone walls down in the valley floor with Wastwater taking centre stage .
 

    people everywhere are taking photos after the majority have started making their way back down.

                                            Mollster decides to pose for a picture :)

                       time to start making the long journey back to Honister now.

after making our way slowly and very carefully down the icy scramble section.........
Here is the view looking down at Windy Gap and Green Gable that we couldn't see on the way up, the red slippery path with a steady stream of people making their way back home.

                             And looking down to Styhead Tarn and the Langdales behind .

                                     climbing up that path Mollster decides to pose , such a good girl :)

                                                 more amazing views on the way down to the car park.

It has been a truly superb day , i am really struggling to get back down but worth the pain to be part of such a memorable day.

Holywell Beach Cornwall holiday 7th july 2013

Sunday morning is our first full day in Cornwall , it is clear blue sky and going to be a scorcher   yay!
 after a lie in and a quick run on the caravan field for the dogs, and having already made a list of places to visit in the week, Jan suggested spending the day on a beach , the north beaches around Newquay are only about 20 mins away so we decided that Holywell would be a good start. Having loaded up the car with food and both dogs off we set, it is after 11 when we get near to the beach, following the car park signs i notice a pub car park with a sign saying £3 all day and it was almost empty!   on a hot sunny Sunday morning .. amazing.
walking through sandy dunes towards the beach we have come to a stream and are having to wade across, the water is freezing!  there are large sand dunes  over to the right and the stream winds its way to the left out into the bay which is the route we are following.

         Having walked around to the left of the dunes we get our first view of the beach,   WOW!

Its hot already, and the tide is on its way in, perfect :)     Molly and Chester run off across the sand , Chester is after the ball but Mollster is preferring the Frisbee

                              here is Mollster digging the Frisbee out of the sand.   lol

                                                Chester is having fun in the sea now :)

                                But,   Molly isn't!  she is keeping out of the surf so far, as expected!
She is however quite wet,as someone keeps throwing the Frisbee into all the shallow water :)

 Jan is throwing the ball for  Chester and he is having a great time fetching it from the sea, meanwhile Molly is playing with the Frisbee still, but i am rubbish at throwing it .

its lunch time so we make our way back across the top of the sand dunes as its a quicker route and back to the car, as we reach the stream i throw the ball into a deep pool , Chester jumps straight in and submerges!  so funny :)   it is deeper than i thought and he is actually swimming ,but gets out quickly and is now stamping his front paws in the sand in disgust, or shock  HAHA.
Back at the car we put the dogs back in the cages while we eat, Mol is drooling . she is still not too good in the car, but getting very much better :)

After lunch  we are back on the beach , the tide has come a long way up now and its time to see if Molly will go in further to build up her confidence . we have left our bags at the top of the beach and brought a bodyboard , but will Chester stand on it?

the dogs are having a great time on this superb beach, the air temperature is now over 26 dgrees now.
Mollster still wont go in the surf though!

Oooops!   The Frisbee has disappeared,i cant see it anywhere.think it has got sucked under the sand and gone forever.                           sorry Mol . 

She has now decided the ball is better to chase than nothing , and they are both having a good run up and down the beach.

Awwwwww   look at Chester, he has gone back to the top of the beach and is shattered!    hehe

While we have a rest ourselves , Molly poses as the tide comes right up and the waves get bigger all the time .

While Molly was having her photo taken, Unbeknown to me Chester ran around to the right and jumped over someone sunbathing !    a guy has just shouted nasty words to Jan!   Tosser!  should have gone to a dog banned beach if they dont like them!  good job i didnt hear him, i would have shouted back!  lol




                                              Now ................... Chester decides to pose also :)

                                            Here is a short video of the dogs playing :) 

                                                 looking into the sun at the "sharks teeth"  

   
                       and Mol wondering whose Pawprints are ruining her posing shot :)

    Look at Chester, trying the bodyboard :)   he is not too sure, especially when a wave flipped it from under him and he got drenched   lol

          
       Its nearly high tide now, some big waves out there considering there is virtually no wind and there have been plenty of surfers at the opposite end of the beach .  the dogs are fetching the ball and Chester is going out into the surf to fetch it.    Molly is just paddling  :)    running away from the waves !

                                                  a short video of this amazing beach :)

                                                                  Time for a drink :D

         Two tired dogs, posing together for a change. its been a superb day, but Jan has noticed my legs and feet are VERY red and sun burnt!  i don't feel anything so far but will later!

its now nearly 7 pm and we must get get a move on to go back to the caravan and some dinner,  followed by a 11pm shop in Asda for some aftersun creme for me!      the skin is tightening and I'm am going to be in allot of pain for the next few days :(   but at least it hasn't blistered!
tomorrow we are going to the "Lost Gardens of Heligan"    think its going to be a painful day for me with all that walking, in what is forecast to be another hot day 30 dgrees .

Cornwall Holiday pt 2 Charlestown july 6th

We have spent 2 days in Burnham -on-sea as a stop over on the way down to Cornwall HERE  , it is early Saturday morning and we are on our way down to the camp site near St Austell. its been a trouble free journey all the way and have arrived at the Tremarne site early afternoon.  the weather is getting very warm , forecast hot all week and is already 24 dgrees with clear blue skies.  after setting up the caravan and awnings we decide to go to Charlestown harbour this evening which is not too far away.

Arriving at the small harbour the beautiful tall ship  looks amazing against the clear blue sky, its still very warm and a lovely evening to go for our first walk in Cornwall.

walking onto the harbour wall Mollster and Chester want to go on the small shingle beach, but a sign says "no dogs"    try explaining that to them after they have spent hours in the car all day!   and can see the sea!

Its a stunning harbour, a few kids are jumping off the wall into the sea right next to a warning sign saying "NO JUMPING INTO HARBOUR"  Haha   pity I didn't get a pic!

We have made our way around to the far side of the harbour and are taking the coastal path heading towards Carylon bay.  the dogs are on long leads and are way ahead of us.

      Once we are up on the main path the views are superb, think I am going to like Cornwall :D
this is a lovely path, loads of unusual palm type trees and shrubs and some stunning houses overlooking the sea :)

  Mollster is posing for me , I think she has just spotted a rabbit actually, there are quite a few I have seen already lying in the warm evening sun.  must be careful as quite a few dogs fall of the cliffs around Devon and Cornwall every year chasing Rabbits!

      I have just taken the panorama with my new HTC ONE phone which I got last week, not too bad

                                                A Mollster portrait in the evening sun.

 

 

The sun is setting now so we are making our way back now, Carlyon bay is not dog friendly and was a hundred odd steps to get down to the beach so not worth the effort!  lol

 

One last shot of the ship in the harbour

 on the way back .

 

 

So our holiday starts properly tomorrow, and its forecast to be 28 dgrees   Yay!

a day on the beach with the dogs hopefully learning to swim, and overcome Molly's fear of water!

 

 

images taken with canon 5d mk2 17-40L & HTC one mobi