Just for a change!
Saturday 28th September was the annual Show in Eskdale. It's a typical Lakeland show with produce, baking, crafts, trade stands, terrier racing, hound trailing, Cumberland Wrestling, Morris Men, a Brass band and sheep, lots of sheep. Sheep are the main feature - the local Herdwick sheep.
The weather forecast wasn't brilliant and I packed Dobby in the rain however as I drove west it started to clear and although everywhere was very wet, it had stopped raining and the evening at Fisherground was nice enough for a campfire.
It hammered down during the night but the morning dawned clear and promised a good day. The show field was surprisingly dry underfoot.
Met a lovely lady called Jane spending her first weekend in her new camper van. We kept each other company at the show. The Herdwick Sheep are the main event and the showing goes on most of the day. I know nothing about sheep but it's fun watching the characters of both sheep and handlers. The decorated walking sticks (shepherds crooks) are always interesting to see. They are beautifully carved and polished. The produce tent was full of good things but I was interested to see the 'industrial produce' and the 'longest nettle' accompanied by the 'biggest dock leaf' on the ground outside the tent! Perhaps some ideas here for the next Galgate Show!
There were plenty of stalls selling good things to eat including wraps filled with Herdy meat - which always seems a bit mean when there are so many sheep around. I had a chat about the use of drones with a chap from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team then watched the Morris Men who had come all the way from the Cotswolds to take part. Took me back to the days when I was a member of a ladies morris team. Meanwhile the Band played on (Slaidburn for one) and then it was time for the Hound Trails. As far as I know this is sport unique to Lakeland. The dogs race over the fells following a scent trail and are called to the finish by their handlers who tempt them with their favourite titbits. Competition is fierce and the finishes exciting though there does always seems to be one straggler who has gone round in their own time. I just realised I didn't take any pictures of the hounds except the one in the truck below.
The weather held for the show and well into the evening however Sunday was a different story. I packed up in the rain then headed off towards Keswick via Whinlatter. There was water everywhere and the streams and waterfalls in spate were pretty spectacular. My plan was to meet up with the 2nd year Environmental Science Field trip to the area around Carrock Fell Mine. The road up the valley was playing at rivers and the rivers and streams were a horrible brown colour. After an hour or so the rain eased and the group was able to have lunch in the comparative dry before taking a tour of the field site.
As I left to follow the group back the the field centre, I happened to glance at the campervan that had parked behind me and noticed a lovely tortoise-shell cat sitting in the windscreen. It didn't seem very happy to see me! They were still there next day (it was much happier sitting in the sunshine!) and I learnt that it liked travelling and, when it was quiet, it went for walks on a lead. Don't think mine would approve of such a thing!
The weather wasn't bad on Tuesday and despite a little over-night rain the rivers and streams had dropped enough for some work to be done at least in Grains Gill and Brandy Gill.
The students were learning methods of streamflow gauging - in this case dilution gauging using a pink dye (which needs permission from the EA to use). They also used direct volumetric methods using buckets and a large bivvy bag! Usually we do streamflow gauging in the Caldew however it was still very high and attempts to carry out this work were very quickly aborted when Ethan was in well over his knees within a couple of feet of the edge!
Sadly I had to head home after this. I had a nice drive down Ullswater then over Kirkstone Pass at which point the weather started to change and by the time I got home it was raining again. Another good but wet weekend in Dobby - I really must look at tailgate awnings for next year.