Apart from the obvious holiday pleasurers, the beautiful mountains and lakes, Lakeland themed short bread, ice cream and crazy golf ventures we also had the pleasure of viewing a wide range of wildlife..
The village is bordered on the north side by a babbling youthful river which runs alongside steep hilly woodlands that form part of the foothills of the great Skiddaw mountain (the landowner has opened extra paths in the woods as marked only on the 1:250000 maps).
After breaking down on route and being rescued by the local RAC man we finally arrived at our usual time of sunset. We’ve chased the sun to many a location in the past and the car just didn’t want us to get there until long shadows had formed across the hills.
So as per usual my first proper view of the area was on my rising in the a.m. I stumbled towards the window eager to view my new ‘view’ and was not upset at timing my curtain twitching with the passing of a Red Squirrel (my first in many, many years) who was looking for any scraps on the outside dining areas. “Magic” I thought. “Back to bed, I can’t ask too much of one morning”.
By lunch time we were up and raring to go, the baby had been fed (she’s big now at 21 months) and we had fed ourselves while fending off her desire and cries for our food aswell.
We stomped off (forget the car) we’d chosen the place well, as it has plenty of walks straight from the door. With the babby papoosed on my back (imagine one of those blue plastic water bottles you get in the office, full and strapped to your back, it feels like that!). As it was Sunday half of Keswick was out on the old railway line footpath enjoying the sun. We soon found the quieter footpaths and headed across the river and up into the wooded hills.
Well, being a Red Squirrel novice I expected to see my mates bounding around the treetops happily chomping seed cases. But alas not a single one. I think, if it wasn’t for my gurgling Bonnie behind my head swiping at the midges and pulling my ears and the hairs out of my neck, I might have forgotten how lucky I was to be walking with my family in such a lovely place and cursed squirrel nutkins for his absence.
But as is the way with wildlife watching, you rarely see what you’re after but often are pleasantly surprised by what turns up in its place. My look was in that day as from almost beneath my feet a Woodcock appeared, paused long enough fro my brain to recognise it (thanks mate) before flying off through the woodland with no grace or style at all. The rest of the walk was lovely and I just relaxed and enjoyed the trees and rumblings of the river below.
Back at home base (a wooden chalet with a hint of the Nordic) that evening we stuffed our faces before lying back to spend the evening being walked over and generally trod on by my young one.
Just before sunset my next welcome visitors arrived. Bats, between 2 and 4 came to feed over the river picking off the insects who were flying up and down 10 to 15 metre stretches of the river between 0 and 15ft from the surface. Sharp twisting flight when picking off their mozzi prey (any ideas what species???). The mosquitos they missed sucked my blood as celebration. On all days I watched bats feeding on insects at dusk..Luvely especially as they came sometimes well before sunset giving great views.
During the rest of the week while at the chalet between bouts of ‘crazy golf’, ‘catch the child before she strangles the ducks’ and my favourite ‘a quick trip to casualty as my babby had a big lump on her head after running head first into the coffee table’…we saw and had close views of Goosander, many Dippers and a small wader that was often along the river, sometimes making a stwip twip twip call. Grey/Green upper body, pale underparts, pale legs, any idea??? Often standing in the open on bolders.
Later in the week after I did a bit of an England against France (90th minute onwards) thing and came up with a ‘blank’ after a visit to the Squirrels Pantry Tea Rooms (Cockermouth) where you can always be sure of seeing a Red Squirrel (I don’t think so!). I took some nuts home from the tea rooms (to be fare a lovely place, just squirrel free on my trip, very tame birds and butterflies landing on your head and trying to nick your chocolate cake or scones jam.) and placed them in locations around my chalet in hope of attracting mr Nutkin back for breakfast. I lolled in the chair at the crack of dawn and had very enjoyable (if slightly blurred) close up views of a Nuthatch who arrived early and snook off with all the nuts (Fare play to the bird). Though it wasn’t long before he was attempting to crack them open on the roof of the chalet (to the annoyance of my family who were raised from their beds). A Jay then arrived looking for the free breakfast and was suitably blamed by me.
On another of our local walks around the edge of our mountain foothill (which goes by the name of Latrigg) we saw 1 Roe Deer buck, magic!!!! And also a female further off.
Further down the path we entered well wooded/over grown sheep grazing land and had 2 individual sightings of Brown Hares with the best being where we spotted the hare in a adjoining meadow and it then moved towards us, eventually coming under the fence 6 feet from us before walking round us (with some suspicion that we weren’t the lifeless sculptures we were pretending to be, and sat down twitching its nose 5 feet from us). Cramp finally set in after a few minutes and the hare belted off into the woods. An amazing view, perfect.
During the week we did also venture further a field around the lakes, taking in Derwent water, Buttermere, Ullswater and the surrounding mountains. I recommend the Ullswater steamer. At one point on Tuesday getting involved in helping a Russian woman who had been waiting 3 hours in her car on a mountain pass for her husband and brother who’d gone for a short walk. They had been spotted but then got lost on the return journey. We had to leave her with the YHA as they’d been reported heading the wrong way down a valley and wouldn’t be back of the hills for a few hours, if at all that night. A cautionary tale.
On the Wednesday we visited Dodd Hill Osprey viewing point (next to Bassenthwaite lake). We arrived late after the scopes had been taken away and conservationists/helpers had gone. As it was early evening and the sun was strong, no view was possible of the very distant nest as the hazy sun had blotted it out. A morning visit with your own scope is probably best (though we weren’t to bothered as a recent visit to Rutland had fed our desire for Ospreys).
We did however, much to my pleasure spend 45 mins watching 3 Red Squirrels feeding and drinking from a water container directly below the platform. So this pleasure far outweighed the lack of Ospreys. Apparently there are only 1000 red pairs left in Cumbria. The locals love them and we saw many signs warning us to take care when driving lest we should squish a red one. Cumbria nature conservation trust are running a ‘Red Alert’ project. http://www.redsquirrel.org.uk/
While up near Ullswater we hiked alongside Aira falls. We had a lovely walk up the falls, including a pair of Grey Wagtail who currently live in the pool below the main fall. Perfect for close observation and photography. Also we watched at close quarters a pair of Pied Flycatchers hunting and feeding their young in a nest located in the hole left by a broken off branch in a tree further up the falls. Magic stuff again!!!!
Our visit reminded me how great the Lake District is for those who want the mountains, lakes and also the wildlife. We combined this with a lovely family holiday.
My last thought…on our way home we joined the M6 at junction 39 (south of Penrith) where we slowed to watch a Curlew which was sitting on a wall watching the traffic below on the motorway.
