I've just added a new page to "The Lake District in Books" covering the second edition of the famous Wainwright Pictorial Guides to the Lake District Fells. I now have several of them and hope to complete the collection soon. They are a great update to the originals, some of which were published 50 years ago and had become a little outdated as paths had been diverted, etc.. The original style has been retained which is good.

Brockholes Nature Reserve Preston is an innovative new reserve opened earlier in 2011 alongside the River Ribble where it is bridged by the M6 motorway, just outside Preston in Lancashire. Based around the old gravel pits it includes a floating visitor centre with shops, displays and conference centre. I've written more on the Around-England. That article is part of a series on "Nature in the North".

I did two short and easy walks with my wife last weekend in the Upper Eden Valley near Kirkby Stephen. The second one, which I'm planning to blog about in the near future, was along the track bed of the dismantled Stainmore Line at Smardale. There is now a National Nature Reserve where the Smardale Viaduct of the Settle-Carlisle railway crosses Scandal Beck, an Eden tributary.

The earlier walk was on the same old railway track but a little to the east between Stenkrith and Hartley, starting by the spectacular Stenkrith falls under the Millennium Bridge.

Both of these walks are very easy, being on the level. I've blogged about the Stenkrith walk on my main Around-England.co.uk blog.

I was extremely disappointed today at the decision of the planning committee at the Lake District National Park to reject the proposal by Honister Slate Mine to install a modern "Zip Wire" close to the position of the the one built in the 1920s for carrying slate.  This one would have carried people, that is those people who had previously climbed up the Via Ferrata, and who now would glide back down on the wire.

This would have been an excellent addition to the existing visitor facilities and was expected to appeal to, and increase the numbers of Cumbria's younger visitors. The decision today was extremely shortsighted.  I have dealt with the general principles as I see them in a long Opinion Piece "To Protect? Or To Preserve?" on my Around-England blog. I also commented on the Guardian North of England blog.

Lake District needs to be protected, and especially from those who want to hold back sensible tourism development. If it stays the same, without innovation, the economy of the county will slowly die.  I know there are some who believe that they're fighting for the public interest versus economic growth.  The fact is, however, that economic growth and the public interest of the people of Cumbria are on the same side. The development had the support of the County Council and the Tourist Board among many others. I have to ask which "public" is going to benefit from this backward-looking decision.  A sad day!

 

I'm including a photo here in spite of the fact that I don't think it's a very good one. It's really just a way of signalling that there are two others of Bolton Abbey on the main Around-England web site, taken during a visit there with family in 2009.

It wasn't a sun-drenched day, as the photographs indicate, but this area of Wharfedale is truly beautiful even when the sun doesn't shine. Children enjoy playing by the river, as do the canines. Yes, thankfully, it's a dog-friendly zone - unlike so many places these days. If you've never visited this part of the Yorkshire Dales you really should try to do so.

 

Around-England last week carried a beautiful photograph looking down on Bassenthwaite Lake taken from high up on the Whinlatter road.

"Ratty" is not here an animal character from a children's book but the name popularly given to a railway - The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway - and this year (2011) is the fiftieth anniversary of its being saved from permanent closure. The Ravenglass Railway is now one of the Lake District's most popular attractions

I've just created a page of Lake District posters on the Around-England site.  It really is quite special.

There some splendid views of many different lakes and mountains. Most are photographic prints, but some are art work.  There are even some old vintage railway posters advertising Lake District holidays.

So please do take a look at my Lake District pictures and posters

.

 

The other day we took a trip to Ullswater, had lunch at Pooley Bridge then after taking a few photographs jumped on the steamer, "The Lady of the Lake", to Howtown where we had tea on the lawn at the Howtown Hotel.  What a way to spend an afternoon.  And what a privilege to live so conveniently near to this amazingly beautiful area.

Postscript Feb 2012: I wrote a longer piece about a later trip up Ullswater on the main Around-England blog.

 

Here is a view of Dufton Pike and the North Pennines, taken from Brampton, near Appleby in today's late evening sunlight.

What a beautiful area is the Eden Valley in Cumbria.

Sent from my android mobile.