On Bedrock

A street in Appleby where things tend to be set in stone.

Red Castle

The ruined castle in Penrith

Acorn Bank

Shots from around the grounds

A gentle mix of rainstorm and daffodils

Tracks from the old water wheel on the mill wall.

The mill stream

Cross Fell

Cross Fell is the highest peak in the Pennines, and aside from the Lake District, the highest peak in England.

We could see it from the place where we were staying, so we eventually had to climb it.

The summit of Cross Fell is just out of sight behind the upper hill here.

The hike was easy until we reached the snow.

Eden Valley, with the Lake District in the background. It was quite hazy, making distance photography a bit difficult.

The snow was a foot or more deep in places. Under the snow was a big, soaking wet sponge.

A hiker descends the last climb to Cross Fell summit.

Our canine companion found the snow a bit much, so we gave her an occasional boost. She was a game hiker, going non stop the rest of the day. She would have done better if she hadn't followed us quite so faithfully. The snow beside our tracks would bear her weight, but she tended to follow exactly in our tracks. This, for a dog her size, was a chore.

The top.

It is an important tradition that the weather close in just as you arrive at the summit. It makes for nice dramatic photos. We didn't get rained on.

The stone wind shelter on the top of Cross Fell

An observatory on the next peak to the South.

Selective Logging

In a woodlot near Penrith

House at Acorn Bank

Some shots of the mansion interior at Acorn Bank.

They don't have the budget to immediately restore all of the mansion. They seemed a little shy about letting people see it in less than perfect state. We told the staff that we enjoyed it more the way it was. It has quite a bit of character in the flaws.

Before the house was turned over to the National Trust, it was used as a nursing home. Some of the larger bedrooms were divided in half to make more rooms. Fortunately the partitions were placed carefully, and very little damage was done to the original moldings.

Paint has beaded where the sun strikes it through a window.

Someone is apparently making a cutaway to show the lath and plaster construction of the walls.

My favorite find: we poked into a closed (not locked!) door and found this very cozy servant's staircase. Each step is a well worn custom cut piece of sandstone. There was light from a window on this level, but the staircase went up and down into darkness. The thing was just full of story inspiration.

Lots of wave in this old glass