Cold it may be, but with a crystal clear sky and the promise of a fabulous sunset, admin was going to have to take a back seat for an hour or two.
I cheated a bit and had Kate drop me off at Kirkstone pass at about 3.30pm. From here me and Don ran (well walked quickly if i'm honest) to the summit of Red Screes. Summit views were glorious in all directions, just being here and breathing in the Lakeland air was intensely beautiful, so good to be home.
The sun was still higher than i'd anticipated (maybe we really did run up to the summit)! So we set off along the sweeping ridge towards Ambleside. A few minutes later and I was able to catch a few sunset photos as it set over the central fells. Absolutely magic. For all it may rain here more than many other places, for all the wind may try to blow us down, and cloud will shroud our view for many a mountain day. We are then blessed with perfect conditions and light that the eyes may struggle to believe. This is the Lake District at its finest, breath in the fine mountain aroma and feel alive.
This morning I received an e-mail from Dan Bailey of UK hillwalking, asking if they could use the above photo in an article regarding land use in the White Moss / Rydal area. Of course I agreed. In case you're interested in the article, here's a link: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/news/item.php?id=69284
Thanks for reading. Hope to see you on Scafell Pike soon.
Mark