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Eden Valley lockdown walk

Eden Valley lockdown walk


Postby dav2930 » Sun Mar 29, 2020 11:10 pm

Date walked: 27/03/2020

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I am very fortunate to live in such a beautiful area as the Eden Valley. Never have I appreciated that fact so acutely as now, in the grip of this awful pandemic, when we are all trapped in our immediate localities. With the situation and our understanding of it changing by the day, it's difficult to keep a sense of reality. But the reality we must all try to grasp is the terrifying, herculean task faced by the NHS and all health and social care workers. Our foremost thoughts must be with them, along with the most vulnerable among us, and our actions tailored accordingly.

Equally, it's important to try to stay positive. Not so easy, perhaps, when we have little idea how long this will last, how big the death-toll will ultimately be, or when, with conscience, we'll be able to set foot on a high hill again. But we stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, which is inevitably there, even though it's distance from us is impossible to tell. How long is a piece of string? When things do eventually get back to something approaching normality, no doubt our freedom to be active in the hills will be treasured all the more; and our new experiences will be lit with an intensified sense of appreciation for the beauty and magnificence of the places from which we have been exiled.

In the meantime, one of the things that can help us to stay positive is the permission we still have to get out of our houses for some exercise, provided we observe all the regulations and guidelines. Over the past week or so these guidelines have been somewhat liberally interpreted, with people from far and wide flocking to the most popular beauty spots in their cars, making social distancing almost impossible. Perhaps they weren't to be blamed, since government advice at the time wasn't exactly clear. But it has become clearer, as it has become stricter and more strictly enforced. Our daily exercise quota may be taken only from our own doorsteps - no driving to the start of a walk. It still isn't quite clear where the legal limits are, though. The government seem to be relying on people's good sense. But one person's 'good sense' is another's wanton irresponsibility. How long should we be out for? How far should we walk or cycle? Should we cycle to the start of a walk? However unresolved these questions may be, it is clearly in our interests not to exploit such ambiguities with too much alacrity, lest we forfeit the modest liberties we still have, and which, no doubt, will become increasingly precious as the lockdown continues.

Some of these uncertainties were circulating in my mind on Friday 27th March, when I decided to go for a walk. It was one of those immaculate Spring days of warm sunshine and cloudless skies, and I was due some exercise. I packed a small daysack - which included a tube of hand sanitiser and several pairs of latex gloves - and set off from my house with a vague idea of where I wanted to go. The route, based on a local stretch of the River Eden and its tributary, the Lyvennet, was improvised as I went along and modified according to circumstances. Social distancing was very easy. It would have taken a deliberate effort to have gone within 10 metres of anyone else. Most of the time there was no one in sight. I put on a pair of latex gloves whenever a gate needed to be opened, or a stile couldn't be crossed without holding on. With hindsight the walk was probably a bit longer than it ought to have been - I didn't plot the distance beforehand. I'll try to keep future lockdown walks shorter. But all in all it felt a lot safer than going to the supermarket, and infinitely more rewarding!

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Out of the house at last, through the village of Culgaith


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Into the field


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Zoomed view west - snowy Helvellyn just visible on horizon


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Back on the road at the level-crossing


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Blencathra peeping hazily above the trees


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Crowdundle Beck


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Bridge over the Eden; start of riverside walk


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"A lone a last a loved a long the..."


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Daffodils


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Heading towards the Temple Sowerby by-pass (A66)


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'Red River' by Victoria Brailsford


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Oglebird Scar


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Nice grassy bank


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Back down to the river


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Over the footbridge


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View of the Eden (upstream) from the footbridge


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Path through the riverside pastures


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Route continues on the other side of the road


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A deer very much aware of my presence


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Sheep in a field without grass


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Roadside daffodils (near Mansgrove Farm)


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Bolton village; turn right at the crossroads


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Path from Bolton to King's Meaburn


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Cross Fell


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Crucial stile, easy to miss


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Muddy track leading to King's Meaburn


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King's Meaburn


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History of King's Meaburn


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Heading down to the Lyvennet


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At the ford; turn right here


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Footbridge over the Lyvennet


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"There are 29 sweet reasons why blossomtime's the best."


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Track past the cottage, down the river and under Jackdaw's Scar


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Path beside the Lyvennet


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small cascade


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River through the woods


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The route to Morland closed off due to flood damage


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"riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodious vicus of recirculation back to..."


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...Culgaith and environs
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dav2930
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Mon Mar 30, 2020 7:48 pm

An area I know very well - we average 3-4 visits a year to Acorn Bank and the Crowdundle Beck. The river Lyvennet and Jackdaw Scar are gorgeous too - especially this time of year. And i didn't know about the origin of "King's" and "Mauld's" Meaburn!

Tim
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby dav2930 » Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:10 pm

HalfManHalfTitanium wrote:An area I know very well - we average 3-4 visits a year to Acorn Bank and the Crowdundle Beck. The river Lyvennet and Jackdaw Scar are gorgeous too - especially this time of year. And i didn't know about the origin of "King's" and "Mauld's" Meaburn!

Tim

Thanks Tim.
I'm surprised we haven't bumped into each other before now! I'm quite partial to the tearoom and courtyard at Acorn Bank, which is just down the road from where I live. :lol:

Jackdaws' Scar is just about my nearest climbing venue - it has some nice routes. Climbing is a no-no just now, of course, but I noticed a couple of lads top-roping on it that day, tut tut. It is a gorgeous spot down there, I love it.

Yes that's an interesting story about the Meaburns, isn't it?

Dave
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby trailmasher » Tue Mar 31, 2020 8:53 pm

Nice one dav :clap: a lovely walk any day and one that myself and E have done a few times in the past :) It's certainly a relaxing walk along the Eden and have seen a kingfisher at the Bolton end a couple of times. As we live in Bolton it's but a cock stride down to the river so we are taking advantage of this period of restricted movements to re-visit it every other day and always see something different be it work in the fields or the local wildlife.

Good photos and effort on a great amble around Eden :clap:
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby Alteknacker » Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:25 pm

“I am very fortunate to live in such a beautiful area as the Eden Valley.” Indeed – as your photos illustrate so well. It’s surely a fine part of the world, and it surely lifts the spirits looking at your pics.

I think your point about being sensible and not pushing things to the limit is right, although you – and I – are lucky in that it’s straightforward to get out into the country for a decent walk right from our doorstep. I have a lot of sympathy for folk who just want to drive a couple of miles to get to somewhere they can get to some greenery. But then, why not 5 miles? Or even 10 miles? Not easy!

“With hindsight the walk was probably a bit longer than it ought to have been.” I wonder why you feel this?? As you say, there was little chance of getting even within 10 metres of anyone…

"A lone a last a loved a long the..." Did you read that??? If so, it’s a feat that in my book outstrips any mountain exploits, however arduous!!! :roll: :lol:
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby dav2930 » Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:27 pm

trailmasher wrote:Nice one dav :clap: a lovely walk any day and one that myself and E have done a few times in the past :) It's certainly a relaxing walk along the Eden and have seen a kingfisher at the Bolton end a couple of times. As we live in Bolton it's but a cock stride down to the river so we are taking advantage of this period of restricted movements to re-visit it every other day and always see something different be it work in the fields or the local wildlife.

Good photos and effort on a great amble around Eden :clap:

Thanks TM. Maybe we'll run into each other one of these days, though we wouldn't know if we did as neither of us posts pics of ourselves on the site! :lol:

Bolton is a lovely village - and how marvellous to have seen a Kingfisher on the river there. I've only seen one Kingfisher so far and that was on the Eamont near Pooley Bridge; unforgettable. :)

Alteknacker wrote:“I am very fortunate to live in such a beautiful area as the Eden Valley.” Indeed – as your photos illustrate so well. It’s surely a fine part of the world, and it surely lifts the spirits looking at your pics.

I think your point about being sensible and not pushing things to the limit is right, although you – and I – are lucky in that it’s straightforward to get out into the country for a decent walk right from our doorstep. I have a lot of sympathy for folk who just want to drive a couple of miles to get to somewhere they can get to some greenery. But then, why not 5 miles? Or even 10 miles? Not easy!

“With hindsight the walk was probably a bit longer than it ought to have been.” I wonder why you feel this?? As you say, there was little chance of getting even within 10 metres of anyone…

"A lone a last a loved a long the..." Did you read that??? If so, it’s a feat that in my book outstrips any mountain exploits, however arduous!!! :roll: :lol:

Many thanks AK. I do agree that, for folks who don't have nice walks on their doorsteps, it's mighty tempting to hop in the car and drive a few miles. I got the impression that was against the 'rules', but form what I've heard since I don't think it is. Provided people don't all flock to the same popular spots or really take the **** with distance, it's hard to see the harm in it. Cycling to the start of walks might be a good idea though!

As regards distance of walks, I felt a bit guilty doing a 15 mile walk when WH advises short walks only. But then how long is 'short'? My view on this has changed a bit just recently when I heard a medical expert giving advice on TV. There was a question about how far someone should cycle, and the advice given was, basically, provided you're not coming into contact with anyone, the further the better (because you'll be getting more exercise)! So I don't see why the same shouldn't apply to walking.

Ha ha, well that isn't really a book anyone reads, as such, is it? People study it - some spend large part of their lives studying it. Not me, I'm afraid. I just like dipping into it every now and then - and raiding it for quotes! :lol: Although maybe now is as good a time as any to start studying it in earnest? :)
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby Alteknacker » Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:19 pm

dav2930 wrote:... well that isn't really a book anyone reads, as such, is it? ...


I once met a guy (an American) who thought it was the greatest book ever written, and had read it three times!!!

That's got to be the literary equivalent of climbing Everest 10 times on consecutive days...
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby dav2930 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 12:19 pm

Alteknacker wrote:I once met a guy (an American) who thought it was the greatest book ever written, and had read it three times!!!

That's got to be the literary equivalent of climbing Everest 10 times on consecutive days...

Yes, I take my hat off to the guy, that's some achievement! I do wonder what it means to 'read' it though, when the experience is going to be largely one of incomprehension - although I suppose the more times you do 'read' it, the more you'll get out of it. He may well be right about it being the greatest book ever written - or perhaps, rather, the greatest literary feat ever accomplished?
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby Mal Grey » Thu Apr 02, 2020 12:29 pm

The river looks lovely there! Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby dav2930 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 1:55 pm

Mal Grey wrote:The river looks lovely there! Thanks for sharing.

My pleasure Mal, thanks for reading :)
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:53 pm

Well that's not a bad wander from your front door. I don't think 15 miles over this sort of terrain is too long at all. As far as I'm concerned if you stay distanced and try nothing in any way risky then I can't see the problem so long as it's within the individuals capabilities.

On the subject of Kingfishers, I've seen 3 over the years, one at a nature reserve near Bishop Auckland, one on a canal in Huddersfield and one that was wintering down the Park at Seaham which I saw twice in a week. No need for glamorous locations for wildlife :wink:
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby past my sell by date » Thu Apr 02, 2020 5:53 pm

Nice report of a nice area: i lived at Soulby for a few years and there was a a nice walk down to The Eden with a footbridge to Beckfoot. Nicest walk from the village was to the Black Swan at Rassendale either by the Smardale railway or over Rassett hill.
Trouble was not much altitude - all a bit flat , so not good for getting fit - Kate at Kendal wall called it "meadow creeping" a nice term I thought
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Re: Eden Valley lockdown walk

Postby dav2930 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 7:05 pm

johnkaysleftleg wrote:Well that's not a bad wander from your front door. I don't think 15 miles over this sort of terrain is too long at all. As far as I'm concerned if you stay distanced and try nothing in any way risky then I can't see the problem so long as it's within the individuals capabilities.

On the subject of Kingfishers, I've seen 3 over the years, one at a nature reserve near Bishop Auckland, one on a canal in Huddersfield and one that was wintering down the Park at Seaham which I saw twice in a week. No need for glamorous locations for wildlife :wink:

Hi JK, thanks. I'm glad you think that sort of distance is OK - makes me feel better! All the official advice has been so vague, sometimes you get the feeling we're barely allowed outside at all (in France they're only allowed out for an hour each day and within 1km of home :shock: ). But restricting ourselves to an unnecessarily tight degree could be counterproductive in terms of physical and mental health, especially as we haven't a clue how long this will last. It's all a complete shambles by the sound of it.

That's an impressive tally of kingfisher sightings! 8) I obviously haven't been going to the right places :lol:
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