White-lipped snail. A post to deal with mid-September last year. On a dull Sunday, after a walk around Jenny Brown’s Point with TBH, I went to Lambert’s Meadow and took a few photos of spiders and a lot of photos of snails. Do snails breed in September? I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in one visit. More banded snails.Cottage at Silverdale Green.Another cottage at Silverdale Green. On the following weekend, the second Morecambe Poetry festival took place at the Winter Gardens. This time TBH joined me and we went to see the headline poets on both the Friday and Saturday nights; first Brian ..read more

Ascending through the woods onto Whitbarrow. TBH recently declared herself to be ‘fed up with Whitbarrow’. I suppose we have climbed it quite a few times in recent years, but I’m struggling to imagine getting tired of that prospect. Foulshaw Moss, The River Kent and Arnside Knott from the south-western tip of Whitbarrow. On the Sunday after our TMTCH gig, we needed something reasonably local and reasonably short because the forecast suggested that things were going to get very wet later in the day. They did. A bit of a sit and a chinwag. Whitbarrow, then was ideal on both counts. Gummer How, t ..read more

Or Black Combe Again. The substantial track up Black Combe from the south. Old friends J and A, MM and F, and UF had booked a cottage in Silverdale for the weekend. Back in our Manchester days, UF and I went to a fair few gigs together. (Perhaps I should say back in my Manchester days, since UF still lives on the outskirts of Manchester). One of the bands we saw together way back then was The Men They Couldn’t Hang. We’ve seen them many times since, although none of those all that recently. But they were playing the Platform in Morecambe and hence the get-together. Black Combe I suspect that J ..read more

Evening light on the coast near Far Arnside. ‘Back to work’ a three word phrase perhaps as dispiriting as ‘replacement bus service’? (see the comments a couple of pasts back!). But all good things, including long summer teaching holidays, have to come to an end I suppose. To add insult to injury, the weather in the first week of September usually takes a turn for the better after the damp squib which has been August. Certainly our first Monday at least was lovely. Starting how I meant to go on, I got out that evening for an ascent of Arnside Knott. The following evening I was out on my bike, a ..read more

Nab Crags above Wythburn. What with Harrop Tarn being my new favourite swimming spot, after my visit last June, I was keen to share it with my nearest and dearest, so when A asked about a potential swim when her boyfriend L was visiting, that was the first suggestion which sprang to mind. The small parking area at Stockhow Bridge was already jam-packed when we arrived, but we were lucky to find some roadside parking close to the junction of the currently closed road around the western side of Thirlmere and the main road. Thirlmere Reservoir.Helvellyn. It was a beautiful day, quite warm, so the ..read more

The Cove – The Lots – Woodwell – Heald Brow – Clark’s Lot – Silverdale Green – Burtonwell Wood – Lambert’s Meadow – The Row – Eaves Wood – Castlebarrow Early September light at The Cove.Speckled Wood ButterflyElderberries.Autumn Lady’s Tresses on The Lots. already gone over.A drone fly on Ragwort – maybe Eristalis Tenax.Hoverfly – Syrphus species.Hawthorn on Heald Brow festooned with berries.Looking south from Heald Brow to a hazy view of the Forest of Bowland.Heald Brow.Red Admiral.Speckled Wood.Lambert’s MeadowRagged Robin.I watched…..the precision and industry……of this orb weaver hard at wo ..read more

My trusty steed in the small Gait Barrows car park. In brief, I cycled roughly three kilometres to the small car park at Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, then had a very slow wander, of roughly three kilometres, then pedalled home again. Limestone pavement. Since there’s not much more to say about this particular outing, a word about the tentative IDs. Although I’m still surrounded by field guides when I’m blogging (and am eagerly awaiting the release of the 4th edition of a UK hoverflies guide), much of my research these days is carried out online. Hoverfly – possibly Syrphus ribesii. Go ..read more

TBH on Quaker’s Stang I enticed The Tower Captain out for a walk with TBH and I by telling him it would be a pub crawl, which, in fairness, was exactly how it turned out. We had to work for our pints though. We first of all walked across the field to Silverdale Green, through Clark’s Lot to Hollins Lane and then down through Fleagarth Wood to Quaker’s Stang, thereby eschewing the villages own fine hostelries. From there we went over Warton Crag to Warton. Looking back towards the Coniston Fells.The Coniston Fells and Arnside Knott from near the top of Warton Crag.The Tower Captain and his dogs ..read more

Flags on the beach at Arnside. A long anticipated walk this one, and something a bit different. TBH and I had both spotted adverts for this…what? Instillation? Artwork? Event? Whatever, these flags had been moved around Morecambe Bay being displayed in various spots, alongside music and performance. The next day would be the last, in Morecambe, but on this day they were in Arnside. We walked there and back, naturally; via the Knot in both directions, although we didn’t actually visit the top on either leg. Contented looking pigs at Arnside Tower Farm.Approaching the prom in Arnside.Arnside and ..read more

Looking towards the Howgills. Two more local strolls from the back end of August. The first was a quick trip to The Cove and around The Lots, with TBH, but since she wasn’t ready to leave the house when I was, I first walked across the fields to Stankelt road and around Clark’s Lot first. Looking towards Grange from the Cove.And the other way from the Cove.Garden Spider. This spider was in our garden, but only just, hanging just beyond one of our kitchen windows. The following day I walked our circuit around Jenny Brown’s Point, but had a mooch around Lambert’s Meadow first. This slight path r ..read more