On Vacation: Tewet Tarn, The Lake District

Tewet Tarn occupies a commanding position on the northern slopes of the diminutive Low Rigg.  At a height of 680ft/207m and on its own little plateau the ground slopes away on the other 3 sides giving unrestricted views across St Johns in the Vale to the east and across both the Northern and North Western Fells.  

A footpath runs along its eastern side giving two points of access from the north or the south.  I chose the one from the north on the minor road linking Keswick with St Johns in the Vale.  It is shorter and more direct and there is room to park a car just off the road a few hundred metres north of the path. I did my homework for Tewet Tarn the previous day after finishing at Castlerigg Stone Circle just over a mile to its west. The nearest town is Keswick a few miles to the west and the village of Threlkeld is a few miles to the north east. 

The weather forecast the previous evening for sunrise was one of doom and gloom – persistent low cloud, mist and a 70% chance of drizzle to last most of Sunday – how wrong they were.  I'm glad I made the effort to go up, staying in Keswick a few miles west helped.   Thanks also to a contact on Flickr, Brian Kerr, whose photos from Tewet Tarn gave me the inspiration.

It turned out to be a stunning sunrise.  With about 15 minutes to go the sky had a pink tinge to it and this became orange/red just before the sun rose.  This contrasted well with the cooler blues of the banks of mist and heavy cloud moving north along St Johns in the Vale.

The weather did deteriorate rapidly during the morning until well into the afternoon with low cloud, mist and drizzle/rain affecting much of north western Lakeland.  I can live with that :-) 

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Map of the local area around Tewet Tarn is shown below.  Keswick is the nearest town and needs no introduction for the facilities it offers.  The Horse & Farrier Inn at Threlkeld serves great food and Jennings ales.  

On vacation: Castlerigg Stone Circle

Castlerigg Stone Circle is one of the most famous stone circles and one of the most visually impressive prehistoric monuments in Britain.  It is situated on a small plateau a few miles east of Keswick in the heart of the Lake District National Park.  The plateau forms the raised centre of a natural amphitheatre created by the surrounding fells and from within the circle it is possible to see some of the highest mountains in England including Helvellyn (3117ft), Skiddaw (3054ft), Blencathra (2848ft) and Grasmoor (2795ft).

The site is well signposted from Keswick on the minor road which leads to St John's in the Vale.  Free parking for cars is provided in large lay-bys on the road adjacent to the site.  It is very popular with tourists especially on weekends and during holiday periods.  The best time of day to photograph the monument is at sunrise or sunset when the lighting is dramatic although the fells provide a magnificent backdrop at all times but especially in the autumn.  

It was forecast for strong winds, dark clouds and perhaps some rain at sunrise on 5th January but as I was staying in Keswick I made my way out to the Stone Circle hoping for the best.  I arrived before dawn and found the circle by colliding with one of the stones which wasn't the best start.  The sky started to lighten from the east and there was indeed heavy black cloud at low levels accompanied by strong winds.  The only chunk of colour in the sky happened before sunrise above Clough Head.  Once the sun had risen the light was dramatic for about an hour as the sky was full of heavy cloud giving lots of deep shadows on the fells.  Luckily it didn't rain.  I had the circle to myself for about 2 hours which allowed me time to wander around without disturbing others.  It was only as I reached my car that the days first tourists were arriving but by this time the best of the light had gone. 

Map of the local area around Castlerigg Stone Circle is shown below.  Keswick is the nearest town and needs no introduction for the facilities it offers.  The Horse & Farrier Inn at Threlkeld serves great food and Jennings ales.