A wander round Wet Sleddale Reservoir

Walk Date – 15th July 2015

Distance – 2.8 miles

Weather – fine, dry and sunny with a cool breeze

 

We shouldn’t have been here today but having mixed up the dates of my dental appointment, which is tomorrow and not today as I had thought, it was a shame not to take advantage of a sunny afternoon. That means the walk we had planned for tomorrow (Thursday) up to the Langdale Pikes will now have to wait for another day.


Route

Wet Sleddale reservoir from the car park.

Wet Sleddale information board, courtesy of United Utilities.

Looking towards the dam end of the reservoir.

Cattle just watching us, and the world, go by, laid back and enjoying the sunshine.

Cotton grass blowing in the breeze.

A look back along the length of the reservoir with a view of the Pennines on the far horizon.

The view along Wet Sleddale.

Making our way down to the bridge to cross Sleddale beck.

Another look back along the reservoir. More of the Pennines can now be seen in the distance.

Down at the bridge over Sleddale beck.

An attractive little set of falls can be viewed from the bridge.

Looking across the reservoir and its very noisy flock of Canada geese.

On maximum zoom to get a close up of the geese. There were hundreds of them, no wonder it was so noisy.

A view across Wet Sleddale looking towards Sleddale Pike.

This old wooden cart has seen better days, but I’m sure it was once somebody’s pride and joy.

Wanted – a DIY enthusiast to put the cart back on the wheels.

As we walked down to the reservoir we came across this young Canada goose on the wrong side of the fence …..

….. hissing at us …..

….. and trying to find a way back.

It still can’t find an opening, that’s because there wasn’t one anywhere near here.

Trying again, OK up to the shoulders, but no go after that.

There must be a way through, how else would I be on the wrong side? Let me just think for a minute.

I know what, I’ll try lower down, maybe that’s where I got in.

The only opening was a gate about 100 yards along the fence so we tried shooing it along towards it …..

….. but it turned round and tried to go back the other way along the fence again, so we just kept shooing it along and eventually got it through the gate. A short waddle down to the water and off it went to the others. Anyone watching from the path further back would have wondered what the heck we were doing. All they would have seen would have been the pair of us dodging back and forth and flapping our arms in the air as the goose would have been too low down to be seen. Anyway, good deed done for the day we continued on on our way.

The scent of the newly cut grass was lovely as it drifted across on the breeze. All that was needed now was the sound of leather on willow, some polite applause and tea and cakes. England on a summer’s day.

Mum’s too busy eating, she’s seen walkers before, but the little one took a keen interest as we passed by.

Down to another bridge to cross back over the river.

Down at the bridge.

The river gently making its way through the countryside. Not Sleddale Beck any more, its now the River Lowther, at what point did that happen?

The view up river from beneath the bridge. I didn’t take any photos from this point as we had now turned back towards the car park and so the views were the same ones we’d had when we set off. An unplanned and off the cuff afternoon walk in an area near to home, with a little moment of drama thrown in. Sometimes those kind of walks turn out better than expected. Hope the young goose was no worse for its little adventure and made it back to the flock without further mishap.