Britain 09 - Day 20

Introduction

Thursday, and we decided to leave Bowness and head north over Kirkstone Pass to spend some time looking at Hadrian's Wall on our way to Oban and the Calmac Ferry. As this was too much to do in one day, we stopped for the night at the Queen's Hotel on the outskirts of Lockerbie, just across the border into Scotland. On the way we visited Aira Force and walked up through the forest to the waterfall.

Aira Force

The name does not tell you very much about the place, but Aira Force, just above the west side of Ullswater, is a charming waterfall. It is a favourite visiting place in the Lakes District, with a large carpark, the usual National Trust exorbitant parking fees and a pleasant walk through forest and park. With limited time, we chose the shorter path to the falls and back to the carpark and the handy cafe.

Kirkstone Pass on the A592 from Windermere to Penrith

The valley below Kirkstone Pass

A quarry near the pass

Descending from the pass towards Patterdale

Arriving at Aira Force

The fell above Aira Force

The layout

.....and the path to the falls.

gardens near the entrance

the stream below the falls

The track up to the falls

view through the trees....

and down to the stream

The falls themselves with bridge over the upper part.

More of the track.

The lower bridge

Watching the stream under the bridge.

Returning down the track

Strange branch.....

...and tree roots.

Moss on the cafe roof.

Hadrian's Wall at Birdoswald

Hadrian's Wall crosses the north of England from west to east. Although it was built by the Romans, much of it is in surprisingly good condition. A well-preserved section lies just off the M6, east of Carlisle. The section at Gilsland was easy to find and we spent an afternoon in the sun exploring the Birdoswald Fort, the Wall and the turret fort at Banks East.

So you know where you are