Tags
coastline, Cockermouth, Crested Dog's-tail, holiday, Lake District, Perennial Rye-grass, R Cocker, R Derwent, Silloth, Solway Firth, Whinlatter Forest
We thought we might go to the coast as the weather was fine on the Tuesday of our holiday. We by-passed Keswick and took the road to Maryport, a town on the coast. Our road followed the western shore of Bassenthwaite Lake and then through the town of Cockermouth. We drove to Maryport and then up the coast road to Silloth. This map will show you the Lake District area, its main towns and will also show how close to Scotland it is.
We wandered round Silloth; it was very quiet and there wasn’t too much to see though it has some attractive buildings and the roads are wide and straight. The area between the main road and the coast line had been made into a park some while ago and I read that it has recently had lottery funding to add to its amenities and refurbish existing ones.
We walked across the green towards the sea and climbed up to the Pagoda which is a shelter with a wonderful view. It looked like the sun was shining in Scotland.
Standing there, I was reminded of the lovely pictures I had seen taken from the opposite side of the Firth. I was looking towards the land of the ‘Tootlepedals’. This is one of my favourite blogs; a daily insight into what it’s like to live in the Scottish Borders. Interesting, funny and full of fabulous photos; Mr T likes alliteration!
We decided to return to Cockermouth and have some lunch.
Three famous men were born in or near Cockermouth and all were born within a few years of each other. The first was Fletcher Christian (Mutiny on the Bounty) who was born a mile from Cockermouth in Eaglesfield in 1764. The second was John Dalton, a brilliant scientist and the originator of the Atomic Theory. He also was born in Eaglesfield in 1766. The third was William Wordsworth, born in Cockermouth in 1770.
In November 2009 both rivers broke their banks and the town was severely flooded. The army was called in and assisted the townsfolk for three days until the water began to recede. Most of the shops, pubs and restaurants in the town centre were wrecked and there was much destruction elsewhere.
On our way home we drove a different route over the pass at Whinlatter. We called in at the forest visitor-centre and took a short walk in the forest. As it is Forestry Commission land and the trees are non-native, there was not much wildlife to be seen.
Thank’s for visiting!
swamiyesudas said:
Glad You got the chance to have that bit of hols in that Lovely and even Famous place, and Thanks for posting these photographs. Very good job, particularly the inside of that little blue flower! Regards. 🙂
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clarepooley33 said:
My pleasure, Swami! Thank-you very much for your kind comment.
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dobetteralways said:
Loved the tiny blue flower!
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you!
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unionhomestead said:
Thanks for a lovely tour 🙂
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clarepooley33 said:
My pleasure and thank-you.
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Jill Weatherholt said:
The Whinlatter Forest looks absolutely beautiful, Clare. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos. I love the cobblestone street. 🙂
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you Jill. We had a very enjoyable day out.
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Aggie said:
Why would the government protect a forest of non-natives?
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clarepooley33 said:
It’s a long story. After WW1 an Act of Parliament established the Forestry Commission which was charged with improving timber supplies. This they did, and as their remit didn’t include considerations of beauty and amenity they used fast growing conifers that would supply the straight trunks needed for telegraph poles and pit props. We don’t have any native firs or pine trees in England and the only native pine tree in the British Isles is the Scots Pine. We have Common Yew trees and Common Juniper trees but none of these would supply the type of timber needed at the time. Many of our open moors were covered in closely-packed conifers and then they began buying up farmland too. Eventually in the thirties people began to realise what they were losing (natural landscape) and what they had got in its place (thick, dark, inpenetrable forests where nothing else would grow). Matters have improved somewhat since then. The Commission don’t plant so densely now and will include a few native trees in the mix to improve things for birds, animals and insects. However, their task is still the same – to provide soft-wood timber. Recently the government tried to pass a bill to privatise the forests but there was an outcry against this as we all knew the forests would be sold to people who would restrict access to the forests or would fell the trees and build on the land. I don’t like Forestry Commission forests very much as they are so sterile but at least they are open to the public and provide us with somewhere to walk and cycle and the timber is home-grown so we don’t have to import at a cost.
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Aggie said:
Oh, Clare, thank you for taking time to write this detailed answer. I had no awareness of the importance of native species to insects and wildlife, or of the ability of an invasive to take over and become the ONLY plant until we got this farm. And the positives you mentioned do make sense. Here, our government sells trees and other products from our national forests to other countries for less than market value. I hope your government continues to do better thant that.
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you Aggie! So do I.
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
I like the look of that cobbled street. It really must be quiet.
The views are excellent. You were really close to the Tootlepedals and the beauty of Scotland.
I’ve never heard of the dog’s tail. It looks like an interesting plant.
This looks like it was a fun trip!
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you Allen! It was a good trip and the weather improved through the day too! The Crested Dog’s-tail is quite a stiff grass and used to be used to make bonnets. This link http://www.bsbi.org.uk/TEP_Cynosurus_cristatus_.pdf has better photos of it.
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
Interesting. It’s a pretty grass.
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tootlepedal said:
Thank you for the kind mention. I was near Silloth myself today. We have walked in Whinlatter several times in the past and always enjoyed it.
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clarepooley33 said:
My pleasure.
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quietsolopursuits said:
It must have been nice to have such a quiet relaxing day as this as busy as your life is. I loved all the landscape photos, and the flowers as well. I didn’t have a clue that you were that close to Scotland, thank you for including the link to the map, it helped to put the area into perspective as far as where you were.
I was going to ask about the non-native trees also, but you’ve already answered that in another comment.
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you Jerry. The border with Scotland is much further south in the west (where we were) than the east and it often surprises many visitors to the Lakes when they realise how close Scotland is.
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Lavinia Ross said:
A gorgeous and interesting day! the photos are lovely! I wish it looked that green and lush here right now. Still so dry this summer. The first year I really want summer to end!
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you Lavinia. It is so worrying when there is no rain. I hope you get relief very soon.
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Aquileana said:
Such a paradise… I love the urban architecture as much as the natural surroundings… Wonderful captures, dear Clare! … All my best wishes to you. Aquileana ☀ 🌟★🌟 ☀ –
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you so much my dear Aquileana! Best wishes to you too! 😀
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Jane said:
Thank you Clare for another lovely tour of a country I hope to visit one day. How wonderfully quiet it looks! I can’t imagine the plants growing up around the paving stones on paths here. It is much too busy! Your blog posts are delightful, Clare and make me smile. Thank you. I am also a fan of Mr T’s blog. 🙂
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you so much Jane! That part of the country is so quiet and the beaches were virtually empty. It wasn’t a particularly warm day but that doesn’t usually stop the British from going to the beach. My Mum has lots of photos of when she was young and also when I was little, of the family sitting on chairs on the beach wearing coats and scarves in the summer.
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Ste J said:
Wow 2009, it doesn’t seem like that long ago since Cockermouth was being flooded, time seems to move so quickly these days! What I love about your photos is that you capture the small details like the flower and then a beautiful scenic view, both are equally wonderful and important.
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you Ste! I was surprised the floods were that long ago too!
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