Lake District January 2003

This trip was disappointing; I went up to Borrowdale when I saw the sunshine, hoping to enjoy the last of the snow. I was peeved because my recent trip about 2 weeks previously had included a photographic disaster. Probably the best walk I have ever done - Dale Head in the snow - does not have a photographic record because the film was not winding on in my camera. I'm still peeved; some of those photos were spectacular.

Anyway, I resolved to repeat the walk if possible, and arrived at about 2 pm at a gloriously sunny Borrowdale, with plenty of snow on the peaks. The afternoon was pleasant, beginning with photographs around Derwentwater and then a romp on the hills above Seatoller, over to the Castle Crag area. Unfortunately, the weather on the following day - and the next - was apalling. I spent the time in cafes, wandering around Keswick, and discovered that the local library has 'net connected computers.

These pictures come from the first afternoon; there was nothing else to photograph after these.

And finally, this picture was one I thought I'd got on the Dale Head trip but missed, because of aforesaid disaster. It's off the road going down to Borrowdale, from a field looking over to Blencathra and Skiddaw. Valleys are nice too:

Derwentwater is a particularly beautiful lake which I still enjoy, despite being familiar with it more than any other. I've walked around it, been above it on all sides except from Skiddaw, driven along the parallel roads on both sides, sunbathed on its shores, enjoyed the evening view across it from the park area in Keswick, enjoyed the Keswick Launch, and sat down next to its shore at night, when the water was black. I used to think too much familiarity with the Lake District would detract from its pleasures. It's true that the first discovery of a new peak, a new viewpoint, is indeed the best kind of experience. But it's also true that you can return to a place you know well and enjoy the feeling of prior associations. I do with two areas: the Ullswater valley, and Keswick and Borrowdale. With walking too, there are advantages to previous experience, namely that the slight anxiety that goes with a new route is no longer there. It's more relaxing, because you are not concerned about finding your way outward or returning to your car.