Eriba Man

This is night No 38/2018 staying in my caravan. My 4th and final night in Coniston Coppice C&MC Site near Coniston in the Lake District. Yet again, woke to stunning weather around 0600. Took the dogs for a quick walk round the top of the site on a lovely sunny morning. I had my mind on another nearby Wainwright, but unlike yesterdays hills (oops, fells), this one isn't such a honeypot. Quite a low 1040', but a hill with a lot of character according to my guidebook. Left the site around 0830. It was already 16C and clear blue skies. I used my reciprocal benefits of the NTS membership and parked at the NT Carpark at St Marys Glen. The walk takes you round the stunning Yew Tree Tarn, a man made reservoir and now a NT property. The walk makes it way through a lovely waterside wood. Lot's of scented plants. Incidentally, this was a dog's off lead stretch and it was great to let them have a blast. I didn't meet anyone else on the way up, ...

This is night No 37/2018 staying in my caravan. This is my 3rd night at Coniston Coppice C&MC Site near Coniston. Got up around 0600, and took the dogs along towards Torver on a short path which runs towards Torver. A good chance to let them off the lead for at least a wee while. This day was fantastic from the outset. This post will be a bit 'heavy' on the pictures, but it's worth it. The weather was great from when I got up, and having got my first Wainwright Guide, I was determined to get into the hills and give them a go. I left the site around 0715 and headed up an incredibly steep road out of Coniston to what's known as Walna Scar Road. A rough car park, and already a few cars there. It's a very popular walking spot for tourists (like me). I was heading for the Old Man of Coniston. Followed the (non tourist) route heading north on the Quarry Route detailed in my guidebook. A steady gradient until it starts heading up through old quarries towa...

Night No 36/2018 staying in my caravan. This is night 2 at the Coniston Coppice C&MC Site near Coniston in Cumbria. Got up around 0600 and took the dogs down through the wooded part of the site. It was early, and with nobody around, I let them have a sneaky 5 mins off the lead! I'm discovering that Consiton is not the best area for dogs if your dogs are not used to all walking on leads. The town itself is fine, dogs are welcome in pubs and shops, but the sheep are all over the place here. After breakfast, wanted to head to a forest to let the dogs run wild for a while. The nearby Grizedale Forest Park would fit the bill. It's only around 8 miles, but the twisting roads make it a 25min journey! Worth it though. The little village of Hawkshead. Nice little place, but the road out towards Grizedale was extremely narrow and tight. Once at Grizedale, walked a nice riverside route. The bluebells were out in full bloom. This pair absolutely loved it. ...