A little walk to see Yanwath pele tower and back via Rheged on a hot day before I caught the late afternoon bus to Kirkby Stephen.
With front and back windows open to keep air circulating, I can hear traffic at the front and swifts at the back.
I’m back in Penrith: always a pleasure, never a chore.
A walk I’ve done before from Penrith station, but this time I was leading a small group. We took in Penrith Castle, a war memorial from the Boer War, two Neolithic earthworks, Brougham Hall, the site of a Roman fort, Brougham Castle – and still they were up for looking at an Edward VIII postbox at the end. I put it down to the fine weather, which encouraged dawdling.
I have finally got round to cycling from Keswick to Penrith on the Brompton. It’s only taken me two years.
I caught the bus to Rheged (and, as I got off four minutes later, wondered why I’d bothered) and walked to Dalemain House. A pele tower and Georgian house in one, so it was interesting to pass from one era to another on the guided tour of the house. (But, my goodness, it was cold inside!) We moved backwards in time, from Chinese rooms and symmetry to a Tudor plasterwork ceiling, and finally the hall with an enormous fireplace. The last buyer of the house was Edward Hasell in 1679; he was a former steward to the ubiquitous Lady Anne Clifford.
I walked back – snubbing the bus – past Rheged, once the quarry that had supplied some of the stone for Dalemain.
A short walk in beautiful sunshine.
I walked along the Eamont Way again – this time from Pooley to Penrith. It’s a pleasant enough walk, but I can see why I didn’t meet anyone else on it. Why walk to/from Pooley Bridge without even a glimpse of Ullswater?
As darkness fell, I hung around on the platform bridge hoping for a glimpse of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. It was the best view of the western horizon I was likely to get. No, nothing.
Old Shoe Box 