Mountains, Gandalf!

I've been having a serious craving for mountains ever since Felix told me about her planned walking holiday in Scotland and lovely as mine and Mum's Christmas day walk around Entwistle was it didn't come close to ticking the box. I therefore persuaded my parents to drive up to south lakeland on the Saturday after Christmas. We went for a lovely walk near Rydal Water and Grasmere that had just about everything.

Lakes ...



Views of mountains ...



Little rivers ...



and an excellent cave, the sort that might have almost anything lurking in it (wargs, orcs, trolls, giant spiders) ...



Enough to satisfy the most demanding hobbit.

It was a beautiful morning, very clear, very crisp, very cold. I enjoyed listening to all the different sounds my footsteps made: the crack of ice, the crunch of frozen mud, the whisper of frozen leaves, and the creak and groan of the ice swollen ground. There were some amazing ice formations.

Hoar frost like angel-hair pasta.



Ice-bubbles in the puddles.



Ice-crystals on a gate-post.




After the walk we had lunch at the Low Sizergh Farm tea room near Kendal. The tea room overlooks the milking parlour so if you arrive at the right time (as we did) you can watch the organic cows being milked whilst you eat, either through the big window or on cow cam!