#LakeDistrictBid Advent Calendar Day 9 - Because it's beautiful

Right, back to my #LakeDistrictBid advent calendar - which is also now doubling up as a reminder to everyone as to why they shouldn't cancel their holidays up here just because of the recent flooding incident.  We still want you to come so tell your friends (hell, you an even bring your friends if you like them enough!) that we are open for business - and if they need persuading, show them the photos below - just a random selection of some of my favourite pics that Steve has taken.

Please click HERE to visit the Lake District National Park Authority website where you can learn more about the whole process and register your support for our bid to achieve World Heritage Site Status.

Click HERE to go back & start the advent calendar from to Day 1.

Red Screes Inversion

Alcock Tarn

Snowy Fells from Kirkstone Pass

Red Screes Inversion

From Loughrigg

Flanks of Helvellyn

View from Sca Fell

Herdy!

Pillar from Ennerdale

Dorothy Farrers Spring Wood (Kentmere)

Photographer - Stony Cove Pike.  :-)

5 Fabulous Autumn Walks in Cumbria

Dontcha just hate it when you're following a guided walk and the blurb tells you "this is a riot of colour and wild flowers in the summer months" when you're there in October?  Drives me mad anyway, so I've decided to try something I've not done before on the blog - at the start of each season I shall post 5 fantastic places to visit in Cumbria that tie in perfectly with the season.  (Of course there are far more than 5 places you could be visiting each season, these are just my favourites.)

I don't have any sort of licence to reproduce OS Maps so I'll just direct you to the starting point and you can take the rest from there.

1.  The Langdale Valley.

There are a number of fabulous family walks along the Langdale Valley and the best part is that they start an end at a rather lovely pub.  Park up in the National Trust car park next to the Sticklebarn and head off on a lovely looped walk along the valley floor.  The route is broad and easy to follow with only about 20 metres of road walking in total.

The woodlands and bracken create a riot of autumnal colours and you can enjoy a big bowl of homemade soup in the pub when you're done.

2. Grange and Hampsfell

This is a great one to do on an autumn afternoon.  There a number of free (or very cheap) local walking guides in the Tourist Information Centre so if you want something more detailed nip in there and grab one of those.  Take a route up through Eggerslack Woods and on to the Hospice at the top.  From there the panoramic views stretch from Skiddaw in the north to Blackpool Tower in the south.  Tread carefully as you wander the woods and you might just spot a deer.

Head back down into the village, nip into the chippy for a freshly cooked fish supper (wrapped in newspaper!) and take it down to the prom.  There you will find plenty of benches where you can sit and watch the migrating birds coming and going along the estuary as the sun goes down.  It's worth checking the tide times too - if you can time the whole lot to coincide with on of our high tides you could even try a paddle.

3.  Red Screes

If you wake up and it looks like a dull, grotty, foggy old day, leap into the car with a hot flask of coffee and a bag of sarnies and take off for Red Screes - one of the very best places to see an inversion.  

Wind your way up Kirkstone Pass and park in the car park opposite the Kirkstone Pass Inn (handy for a good meal afterwards).  From there take the signposted footpath at the far end of the car park and follow it all the way up onto the summit (it's very clear the whole way up with stone steps for much of the way, but still be sure to go properly clothed and equipped).  By now you should have popped out of the top of the inversion and can enjoy a day of brilliant sunshine and magnificent views.

4.  Burns Beck Moss

This is one that most people never see - it's a tiny little tucked away Cumbria Wildlife Trust nature reserve around 5 miles east of Kendal (just south of Killington Reservoir if you're trying to find it on a map or you could just click here,)  There's a very short waymarked route around the site which won't take you long at all, but in the autumn it's good old mish mash of coloured grasses and golden waterlillies and I can pretty much guarantee you'll have the whole place to yourselves. Unless we're there...

5. Wansfell

I absolutely love Wansfell in the autumn - there's just something about the colours there that makes the place special.  Plus the route from Town End is such a clear, broad track that you can enjoy the sunset from High Skelghyll (a most perfect picnic spot too) and still make it safely back to the car (assuming you've taken a torch).  There are also an assortment of routes leading directly out of Ambleside to the summit - which means they also lead directly back into Ambleside and the many pubs and restaurants there should you require some post hike sustenance.  Not that I'm obsessed with food and drink or anything...

2014 A Year of Adventures - Part 1

Seriously - December again, already?!!  Must be my age but time seems to be going quicker and quicker these days.  Someone suggested time goes faster because it takes us longer to do things as we get older which I'm quite inclined to believe.  Or it could be that time flies because we've been busy tearing around having loads of adventures again - and you're certainly never too old to do that!  So where has 2014 taken us?

January

The New Year saw us taking my mum to Hawes - she's 79 and loves waterfalls but god didn't put many of them next to nice easy viewpoints - however in Hawes you can get fab views and a lovely cuppa too.

January was also a month of storms, high tides, beach cleaning at Walney Island and stunning sunsets on the way home.

Extra high tide at Levens

Beach clean at Walney

An hours work...

Nice treat for all our hard work.

February

February saw the last of the storms.  We got off a lot more lightly than Devon, but for Grange-over-Sands this was pretty impressive!

Next up was our first jolly out in Delores for the season - a week in Derbyshire.  We cycled, we walked, we explored many, many caves and we ate a LOT of Bakewell puddings. :-)

Cycling calories...

Central Bakewell

Heights of Abraham

Monsal Head

Speedwell Cavern

March

The first thing we did in March was go to Glasgow so I could audition for a role in the Commonwealth Games.  We'd never been to the city before and had a fabulous time exploring.  Who knew then where it would all lead..?

Howgills looking lovely from the train.

The amazing Waterside Museum

Clyde by night

And then there was one of the most spectacular inversions.  Just me, him and a couple of skylarks above the clouds in the sunshine on Red Screes for the whole day.  Bliss!

Then after a quick pause to enjoy a Windermere Cruise (half price for local residents, very nice!) I did my bit for Cancer Research.  While the rest of the world was taking #barefacedselfies I decided to don full make-up and a tiara and climb Hampsfell.  Looked bonkers but raised over £100.

My usual look...

Hampsfell in Heels

April

Started off fairly sanely in the Langdales with a friend, and ended with us in Kielder. climbing stuff and cycling lots.

Ever get the feeling you're being watched..?

Kielder dawn

Next stop, the Eiger

Art around Kielder

Then, before we'd barely had chance to draw breath, we were off again - to Land's End - for hiking and surfing and and inordinate number of cream teas - oh and we took a zipwire right over the Eden Project.

Knightshayes - the best NT property we've been to yet.

May

First there was Ingleborough, then there was Malham and the amazing Goredale Scar and then there was the tree top trek at Brockhole with the nephews. 

Just love the views from Ingleborough

First time to Malham. Won't be the last.

Goredale Scar took my breath away completely.

Yeah, I wasn't scared at all...

Then it was off to a Camping and Caravanning Club event in Scarborough and a chance to interview the lovely Julia Bradbury before heading off on a walk along the glorious Yorkshire coast.  We finished off with a visit to Bempton Cliffs to catch up on our seabirds.

Julia is the very good looking one on the left...

One of my favourite walks to date.

Gannets.  Lots and lots of Gannets...

June

June started with an interview on the BBC Breakfast sofa all about volunteering.  Not sure what was scariest - the TV cameras or having to wear make up.

June is my birthday month and this year I'd set my heart on seeing the puffins and the terns on the Farne Islands - I wasn't disappointed!

Incoming!

The puffins were MUCH better behaved - and even bought lunch!

Then I stormed Bamburgh Castle - then we got locked in - honest!

On the way home we stopped to explore Corbridge Roman town - utterly stunning!

And then spent a wonderful weekend at Greystoke with me learning to paint while Steve made a longbow.

Da di da di da da daaaa, da di da di daaa da  (Archers - geddit?  :-)  )

Not bad for six months eh?  If you want to see some truly SUPERB pics of our adventures then check out Steve's blog here - and he said he'd given me all his good shots...

I'll do part 2 next week - still loads of adventures and a few surprises to go!

(Here you go - Part 2!)