The Langdales...

I've talked about my love of the Langdales Pikes in an earlier post, but since there'll be a few of you who weren't following this blog when I last visited the Lakes, I'll briefly recapitulate.

My initial interest in visiting Cumbria was archaeological.  It stemmed, to be precise, from similar items to those featured below in the nicely old-fashioned Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright:-

 

Neolithic polished stone axes.  Group VI Neolithic polished stone axes, to be precise.  There's one featured in the middle row of the left hand side of the cabinet, the longer example second from the end.  They're a very distinctive colour, a pale blue-grey slightly reminiscent of dirty blu-tac...
 

Langdale axes crop up all over the place.  There's quite a few of them in the West of Scotland.  They all stem from one particular part of Cumbria - the place to which I have my thrice-yearly pilgrimage - the Langdale Pikes.  They always fascinated me, and I always wanted to visit the axe factories where these objects, which have travelled so far from home, were made.

I haven't yet been to the axe factories, because they're located on scree slopes well beyond the marked paths, and we tend to base our walks around Grasmere, which is in the neighbouring valley.  But I do get a buzz just seeing the Langdale Pikes, and knowing that 6000 years ago or thereabouts, they were venerated by our Neolithic ancestors.

I've shown you a few pictures of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle taken from high level walks along the ridges which approach them.  But dramatic as they are, these pictures don't quite convey the real bulk and grandeur of the landscape.  So here's a photograph which does:-

 

For your information, Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark are the peaks to the right of the photograph...

On Sunday, which was our 'rest' day (!) we did a nine mile low level walk which took in Langdale.  This meant lots of lovely views of the Langdale Pikes.  My legs were aching after the exploits of the previous day, but in retrospect, it was worth it.  Tomorrow, I'll give you a virtual tour of the walk, and the changing faces of the Langdale Pikes, which are impressive, whichever way they're viewed....

 

The Langdales...

I've talked about my love of the Langdales Pikes in an earlier post, but since there'll be a few of you who weren't following this blog when I last visited the Lakes, I'll briefly recapitulate.

My initial interest in visiting Cumbria was archaeological.  It stemmed, to be precise, from similar items to those featured below in the nicely old-fashioned Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright:-

 

Neolithic polished stone axes.  Group VI Neolithic polished stone axes, to be precise.  There's one featured in the middle row of the left hand side of the cabinet, the longer example second from the end.  They're a very distinctive colour, a pale blue-grey slightly reminiscent of dirty blu-tac...
 

Langdale axes crop up all over the place.  There's quite a few of them in the West of Scotland.  They all stem from one particular part of Cumbria - the place to which I have my thrice-yearly pilgrimage - the Langdale Pikes.  They always fascinated me, and I always wanted to visit the axe factories where these objects, which have travelled so far from home, were made.

I haven't yet been to the axe factories, because they're located on scree slopes well beyond the marked paths, and we tend to base our walks around Grasmere, which is in the neighbouring valley.  But I do get a buzz just seeing the Langdale Pikes, and knowing that 6000 years ago or thereabouts, they were venerated by our Neolithic ancestors.

I've shown you a few pictures of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle taken from high level walks along the ridges which approach them.  But dramatic as they are, these pictures don't quite convey the real bulk and grandeur of the landscape.  So here's a photograph which does:-

 

For your information, Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark are the peaks to the right of the photograph...

On Sunday, which was our 'rest' day (!) we did a nine mile low level walk which took in Langdale.  This meant lots of lovely views of the Langdale Pikes.  My legs were aching after the exploits of the previous day, but in retrospect, it was worth it.  Tomorrow, I'll give you a virtual tour of the walk, and the changing faces of the Langdale Pikes, which are impressive, whichever way they're viewed....