Kendal Castle, Cumbria, Summer
A-Level results for 2020 have been released.
A-Level results for 2020 have been released.
You can read the news if you like about all the controversy regarding this year’s A-Levels, especially due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The news tires me, personally. I was more interested in seeing my town come alive with mid-late teens celebrating and commiserating in equal measure.
Lisabet and I took a post-work evening walk from our place up to Kendal Castle and back, whilst the light was really nice and conditions were blessedly cooler and windier. Up around the grounds of Kendal Castle we found loads of teens, drinking, chatting, enjoying the views and the setting sun.
It made me think about my own A-Level results and how I was feeling at the time. Elated, because seven years of being at the same school was finally over and I was leaving my hometown to head to Uni. Depressed, because it was the end of a chapter and there were a lot of my peers I probably wouldn’t see again.
I would’ve liked to have celebrated that time with friends in the ruins of a castle as the sun set.
All photos here shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujinon XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4.0 lens using a customised Classic Chrome film simulation.
I can never resist a photo of Kendal Clock Tower. It’s currently silent and will be for the next 3–4 months whilst it undergoes repairs.
Similarly, it’s hard for me to resist a photo of Miller Bridge. Especially when some lovely light hits it.
Teenagers play around and cool down in the River Kent.
It seems a chunk of tree has been blasted by the recent lightning storms we’ve experienced. Now washed down the River Kent and lodged at Stramongate Weir.
Some sort of Apple tree (?) growing in the ground of a church.
A young couple enjoy a late evening stroll near Sedbergh Road railway bridge. Gorgeous light.
One of my favourite things about Kendal is the community.
The views start to open up as we climb Kendal Castle hill.
Golden light turns the grass a beautiful amber colour.
A young lad poses on a pedestal as I take my photo of the ruins of Kendal Castle.
Young friends enjoy the view and setting sun.
I’m followed into the Kendal Castle ruins as I look back for a more panoramic view.
Not a bad place to hang out with friends and make memories.
Pandemic Peregrinations: Castle Hill, Kendal, Cumbria, Spring
The UK Lockdown has changed.
The UK Lockdown has changed.
On Sunday 10th May 2020 the Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced, amongst many things, that there would no longer be travel restrictions for the purposes of exercise. Until now outdoor exercise during the Lockdown was limited to your immediate surroundings.
This has caused some concern amongst the resident population of Cumbria and the Lake District. On the Bank Holiday weekend just gone, Friday 8th to Sunday 10th, Cumbria Police reportedly issued a record number of fines to people breaking Lockdown rules. There were even reports of people doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, with one getting stuck and requiring assistance.
That’s all with the Lockdown in effect. What will happen now restrictions are being eased? Will the Coronavirus spread from cities to popular rural beauty spots, infecting the local population and quickly overwhelming the limited healthcare in these areas?
Time will tell. Give it two weeks.
To take our minds off this future, Lisabet and I enjoyed a quiet hike up to Castle Hill, site of the ruins of Kendal Castle.
This isn’t a particularly interesting photo, compositionally or indeed in terms of light, but I shot it for its historical significance. This is where the old Lancaster Canal went through Kendal, before terminating at Canal Head. There is actually a group dedicated to reopening the Kendal section of Lancaster Canal once again.
The views from Castle Hill require little additional praise. Looking towards the gentle slopes of Benson Knott.
The ruins of Kendal Castle.
Pandemic Peregrinations: Kendal Castle, Cumbria, Spring
This time we made our way towards the river and scanned it northwards, branching off towards the northern path that heads up Kendal Castle.
It’s so easy to become lethargic when you’re having to spend most of your time in lockdown in your house.
Activity breeds energy. The opposite is also true.
Nevertheless, Lisabet and I mustered up the drive to head out for our Government Allotted Outdoor Exercise period. This time we made our way towards the river and scanned it northwards, branching off towards the northern path that heads up Kendal Castle.
There’s been a castle or some sort of fort here for around 800 years now. Its most famous claim to fame is that it was once the home of the Parr family, with Catherine Parr being King Henry VIII’s sixth wife, the only one who outlived him.
Despite promises from various forecasts of skies brightening up as the day went on, the conditions we enjoyed were nevertheless quite overcast with soft light to boot.
It’s still always nice to visit the castle.
In other news—or really the only news that’s occurring currently—41,903 have been “officially” infected with the Coronavirus in the UK as of 4th April 2020, with 4,313 deaths from COVID-19 recorded as of 3rd April 2020.
Stay safe, everyone.
Stramongate Bridge, dating from 1794, but there’s been a bridge here for centuries. Records from 1379 named it as De ponte de Strowmondgate.
What’s left of the castle’s walls and the keep.
You can see why a castle was built here: it offers unparalleled views of the town.
The largest part of the castle that’s still standing: the keep and its tower. Modern additions like the stairway have helped people explore the ruins more fully.
The main way back down to Kendal from the castle.
Kendal’s pretty. I never tire of it.
Miller Bridge, originally called Mill Bridge. This version of the bridge has been standing since 1818.