Wet September

[SidW]

I always thought September was Indian summer, but this year it was more like October, wind and steady rain.

And we chose to spend a week of it in Wasdale in the English Lake District in NW England.
Not far from Daveh's home territory in fact. All these pictures were taken in steady rain.


Wasdale, a long narrow valley, with the lake Wastwater, overshadowed by steep fellsides,
and closed at the far end by Great Gable with its summit in the clouds. Hidden by the cliffs
on the right is Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, pronounced Scaw Fell,
which is how it used to be written:



The crags of Great Gable overlook the head of Wasdale:



A farmhouse in the shadow of Great Gable:



The Wasdale Inn, a favourite of climbers since the 19thc. Heather on the crags above it:

[mickeyobe]

SidW,

Splendid pictures and your comments enhance them.

Thanks.

Mickey

[daveh]

Sid we went there about ten years ago in mid-May, having a meal in the Wasdale Inn on arrival on the Friday evening - most having Cumberland sausage. We, six of us, went up Scafell Pike on the Saturday and got sun, rain, sleet, hale and thunder and lightning - everything in fact other than full snow. Later on in the day the sun came out, and we had our normal Saturday night barbecue. On the Sunday we decided to walk round Wastwater, starting off when it was looking a little cloudy. Then the drizzle started, but that soon turned into heavy rain blowing right into our faces. We got about a quarter of the way round before deciding to return to base - combination of motorhome and tents. We then moved to Coniston (Old Hall campsite) for one night. Three went home on the Monday. We, the remaining three, then moved onto Brotherswater for the rest of the week.

We went up to Glenridding that November, at the end of the month. The weather was so mild we were walking in short-sleeved shirts.

Somewhere I'll have photos - they will be on film - though I did do more video.

Thanks for posting, Your photos bring back good memories of that weekend, but tinged with sadness about later events. Of the three of us who stayed the whole week, I'm the only survivor. Derek succumbed to MND (motor neurone disease) just a few years later and Dave to cancer a couple or years on from Derek.

[SidW]

Thanks Mickey and Dave.

Life's like that, Dave, I'm the only one left of my contemporaries at work.

Treasure the memories.

[daveh]

I have previously posted this photo taken in the Lake District. Helvellyn, the third highest 'peak' in England, is that flat thing in the background. It's hardly your classic Matterhorn or K2 shape.



The photo shows Dave to the left and Derek to the right, taken during that week I mentioned above.

[colray]

Don't know about a Wet September..how about November last week in Albany we had 40mm of the wet stuff in just one hour ...the average for November is only 45mm.

[SidW]

Dave, it's wild enough when you get beyond that gentle path up on the left and get onto Striding Edge beyond it. I recall struggling
across it and found the summit swarming with a Sunday School outing, grannies and prams. Nuff said, I think we've had this conversation before.

What an admirable setting for the photo of Derek and Dave, the perfect way to remember them.

[daveh]

Sid,.....Striding Edge, Helvellyn and the Lake District (and their stories) are well worth repeating. A magical place.

Colray, nice drop of rain, as we would say.