Askham Fell, Lowther, Cumbria, Spring
Everything is starting to look proper lush.
After a completely washed out Saturday, today looked significantly more promising. Lisabet had found a 7.5-mile circular hike around the Lowther Estate that utilises a section of the Ullswater Way, so that’s what we did.
The walk starts at Lowther Castle and heads southwest down to the River Lowther, skirting around the tiny village of Helton and hiking west up Askham Fell. Near the summit you turn northeast and down to Askham village, over the river again, and back up the castle. Nowt particularly gruelling but a good variety of scenery, historical interest, and views for miles and miles.
We managed to avoid the rain, too.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my three prime lenses: a Samyang 35mm f/1.2, a Laowa 9mm f/2.8, and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Images are largely straight-out-of-camera using Fuji X Weekly’s “Ektachrome 100SW” recipe, with a couple of minor tweaks in Lightroom and Affinity Photo.
This is Lowther Castle. The roof has been removed and much of the stonework demolished, leaving the “shell” of the castle—technically a country house—intact with lots of plants and vegetation allowed to grow within.
Some of the gatehouses have been left alone, offering this interesting composition involving the castle ruins. Just a shame about the gate.
We crossed the River Lowther here, heading vaguely in the direction of Helton. In the far distance are the “backends” of the eastern Ullswater fells.
This gorgeous lane takes you up and through the fields towards Helton. Hemmed in with dry stone walls and lined with old trees and plenty of flowering plants.
A seriously pretty lane. It may well have been used, in times gone by, to guide livestock between fields for grazing.
On the outskirts of Helton, a cute pony had zero interest in our offers of friendship. Fair enough.
Helton village towards the left. A scene of English rural idyll.
A rather fine solitary tree that I head to feature in a composition, especially with the dry stone walls as leading lines.
Heading west, this is the track heading up to Askham Fell (323 m/1,059 ft), lined with drystone walls.
My lovely Lisabet, with the expansive view behind.
This is the Cop Stone, a standing stone located near the Moor Divock stone circle on Askham Fell. A prehistoric monument, it’s reason for being lost in time. In the distance is the unmistakeable wall of the Northern Pennines.
Heading back down Askham Fell.
Askham village ahead, with the shadows of Northern Pennines looming above in the distance. The village is rather beautiful, and features a large share of houses and buildings many centuries old.
A rather beautiful old barn.
Just one of many houses in Askham that are many centuries. It kinda blows my mind that this house was built before the founding of the United States of America.
The woods underneath Lowther Castle contains a variety of rather unusual looking trees.