Five days in the Lakes-Day Three-Ullswater

It's Wednesday the 13th of April.
I've had a good nights sleep.I've learned how to blot out snoring fellow ramblers.I'll listen for a while to music on my Kindle,then I'll put in my new hearing aids ?
With the battery door open they now act as earplugs.Great.

Today the forecast is for rain.There are only four of us going walking today.The rest are going to explore Keswick.
We are heading for Ullswater where the Weaver has previously walked.It's been a while since I was around Ullswater.
After parking up outside Pooley Bridge we start by walking back into the village.

Despite the weather it's still quite colourful.

We stop in Pooley Bridge for our leader to buy a top befitting a leader for a rainy day.
The walk we're doing today has been featured on the local BBC Tv programme.
BBC Pooley Bridge to Howtown

We'll be doing it in reverse and catching no boat back.

We head south out of Pooley Bridge along the eastern side of Ullswater.
It's not a heavy rain,and there's little wind.

There's a lack of activity on the climbing frames today.

We headed out across a boggy area on a permissive path,but we didn't get up to anything.
Oh ! A different meaning of permissive.Sorry...

Down the southern end of Ullswater,the Helvellyn Range is obscured by mist and cloud.

We almost took a wrong turning,but a helpful farmer put us back on track.

Swarthbeck and the Beck was very colourful.

Heading through Hewthwaite.

A lunch break at the ferry terminal.We converse with a couple celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary.They were catching a boat.

It gets quite busy for a while.Passengers disembarking include an old lady we'd met climbing Haystacks yesterday.There's an adventure centre 'The Howtown Outdoor Centre",been on the go since 1964.
These kids in the boats were having a great time racing to the finish.

Lunch over and we're almost at our outward point.

I took these pictures while our young 59 year old ran back to the shelter for our walk leaders walking stick.

A footbridge takes us over Fusedale Beck and we head towards the big white house of Mellguards.
Looks a nice house.

Our route now is a fairly straight one taking us on a footpath at the bottom of various crags.
I love the traditional weathercock,there's not many of these about now.

Passing Raven Crag we reach Swarthbeck Gill.Other crags named Whinny,Auterstone and Long came next.

We're gaining a little height as we cross Aik Beck.These are the views the BBC talked of.Helvellyn's still out of sight.

Now came one of the highlights of today,a fabulous rainbow.

This is known as 'The Cockpit'.
Here's what the BBC say about it.
There are 73 stones in the circle and a standing stone 300 metres to the south-west. Although thought to date back to the Bronze Age, it acquired its name in more recent history when it was used for cock-fighting. What it was used for in prehistoric times, nobody really knows.

It's all downhill back to the cars.We've walked about nine miles today.
Despite the weather it's been very enjoyable.


A quick photo on the way back to Keswick.

Dalemain

Back in Keswick I take a look around.My fellow walkers require some retail therapy.

Another good day.