CYHA News

2007 is proving to be a fascinating year. With all the contradictions seen in climate theory about whether or not the world is getting artificially warmer, Spring has decided to bring things on a good three weeks early. Mother Nature trying to give us a hint about the impact of our collective carbon footprint, perhaps?

Usually at Easter we are admiring the freshly bloomed daffs, but this year they were nearly over by the time we got there. The woods, however, were playing host to an early display of bluebells, not usually seen until May at the earliest. As if to underline this we saw a swallow on our walk in the Langdale Valleys, traditionally the first sign of Summer.

The Met office is predicting that this Summer is likely to be warmer than average, but then as they point out, we haven’t had an average summer in over 10 years.

In this modern world of fast travel and poor public transport, sometimes it’s hard to do our bit. But what can we do? Install those energy efficient lightbulbs; get the loft lagged; buy the carrots from Lincolnshire, not the beans from Timbuktu; oh, and when you go on holiday, liftshare with friends and bunk up in a cosy little hostel… actually that last one sounds like a lot of fun!

          Ali

Wordsworth Turns in his Grave!

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of wizened daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Dry, spent and blown in the breeze.

 

Once bright as the stars that shine

Their day is over, it is done,

Before they danced in never-ending line

But Spring is here and they are gone.                                

No golden trumpets are they forming,

Sad victims, perhaps, of global warming.

 

Their usual scene in April’s light

Sees bluebells growing in their place.

Swallows seen in darting flight,

Appear to finally make the case:

Early change to season’s clime

Sees flowers gone, birds out of time.

Ali

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Lake District Diary

 

Thursday: Summer comes Early

We arrived at the St.Andrew’s Centre in Coniston in brilliant sunshine.  Jim was waiting for us, and we set out for a stroll along the lake shore, stopping for ice creams at Coniston Hall, and returning to find the others gathering in the pub, and Mike and Cress preparing a tasty curry. Good start!

Friday: Assault on the Old Man

We all set off together on the Walna Scar Road to climb the Old Man of Coniston via Dow Crag.  The weather was lovely and the views splendid. We soon split in to a number of parties, some bagging a few more hills, including Swirl How and Wetherlam, and some heading straight down to the Coppermines valley, but all were reunited outside the Black Bull Inn (home of the Coniston Brewing Co.), enjoying a few pints of their Bluebird bitter.

Saturday: Hard Men for Hardknott

Those still fit and energetic after the epic day on the Old Man headed for Hardknott and Harter Fell. The rest of us took a more leisurely walk from Coniston to Tarn Hows, also taking in the picturesque Yew Tree Tarn and stopping for tea and scones at Yew Tree Farm. The Farm was saved from the threat of developers when in 1930 Beatrix Potter purchased it as part of the large Monk Coniston Estate. She helped her tenants setting up a small tea room in the dining room of the house, furnishing it with antique furniture she bought locally. It recently came to fame as a location for the film “Miss Potter”.

Sunday: The Pikes

Most of us headed into Great Langdale for a classic walk over the Pikes. Stickle Tarn to Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle and Pike O’Stickle. The more adventurous ascended via the scramble up Jack’s Rake, and we met at the top to eat our cream eggs supplied, as always, by Easter-bunny Lorna. Unfortunately Charles had to return with a painful knee, heroically assisted by John. Another day of magnificent views, rounded off, of course, with a pint or two at the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

Monday: The Langdales

Lower cloud today, so we took a lower-level walk through Great and Little Langdale, via scenic Blea Tarn. Meanwhile Tom lead a party up Caw, being the only hill in the area he’d not climbed before.

Many of the group headed home, missing out on Ali’s huge shepherd’s pie and giant sherry trifle

Tuesday: The Ruskin Experience

Following splendid effort by everyone clearing out the centre, we caught up with a few tourist sites, visiting Ruskin’s grave in the churchyard adjacent to our accommodation.  We then headed to the Ruskin Museum in Coniston, while Mike & Cress visited Ruskin’s former home at Brantwood on the other side of the lake. (And for those who are still not quite sure who he was: John Ruskin, 1819–1900, best known as an art critic and social critic, also remembered as an author, poet and artist. Ruskin's essays on art and architecture were extremely influential in the Victorian and Edwardian eras).

As well as much about Ruskin, the museum includes a display about Donald Campbell’s water speed records on Coniston Water, including the tailfin of the Bluebird which sank in 1967 during his fatal 300mph record attempt.

To complete our cultural tour we had tea and cakes in the Bluebird café at the lake shore, watched the Steam Yacht Gondola come in, and then visited Beatrix Potter’s home “Hill Top” on the way home.

Altogether, a very enjoyable Easter.

Dave P