Wordsworth House and Cockermouth

Earlier this month hubby and I went to have another look at the exhibition at Wordsworth House in Cockermouth. We also had a good look round the garden, which has recovered well from the floods of December 2015, due mostly to the hard work of the head gardener and her team. On a short tour of the house we learned some things which we hadn’t heard on a previous tour.

Garden at Wordsworth House

Garden at Wordsworth House

Garden at Wordsworth House

Garden at Wordsworth House

Garden at Wordsworth House

Garden at Wordsworth House

Garden at Wordsworth House

Garden at Wordsworth House

Afterwards we had a walk along the river, more or less retracing the route we had taken on a visit last year. The river was flowing quite quickly.

Riverside walk

Riverside walk

Riverside walk

Riverside walk

Riverside walk

Riverside walk

Riverside walk

A day out in the Lake District (Part 3 Ash Landing)

On our way to Hill Top we had noticed a sign saying Ash Landing Nature Reserve. We decided to explore it on our way back. It is a National Trust property with a number of different habitats. There are signs with pictures of various species to look out for and additional information.

I noticed some flowers on an oak tree and stopped to take a photo. There was a rustling noise in the undergrowth. I waited quietly and was delighted to see a red squirrel. It ran across the path and disappeared. I continued along the path, heard another noise and spotted (presumably) the same red squirrel as it bounded under a fence and up the side of a field.

There was plenty of bird song, but the birds were hard to spot. I saw a robin!

Oak tree in flower

Wood anemone

Ferns

Cypress trees

A Walk on Mothering Sunday

I am linking this post to the Daily Post’s photo challenge, It is easy being green.

The king cups are just coming into bloom in the wildflower garden, which is open to the public. Last year’s growth of tall annual stems has recently been strimmed. There is new growth appearing among the remaining dead stuff.

The pond is covered in green weed. Iris leaves are a different shade of green. Celandine flowers are yellow in the speckled sunlight. Ivy on the wall makes dark patches, which at first sight could be mistaken for gaps.

The pond

Irises and kingcups

Celandine

From the other side of the pond

On the beach there were pools left by the tide. Seaweed in various shades of green and brown could be seen.

Rockpool

Submerged seaweed

Beached seaweed

Cliff with overhang

Boulders above and below

I also took two photos of a cautionary nature. Cliffs are battered by wind and waves in stormy weather. There is a footpath along the top of the cliffs. Anyone straying from it for a better view would not be able to see where the overhang begins. The grassy edge of the cliff is unsupported. The final photo has no green. The boulders on the beach originated much higher on the cliffs. As the sandy soil has been washed away, huge stones have fallen from various heights. Can you see the large white stone high up? I don’t know when it will fall to join the others below it. Cliff edges are dangerous, both from above and from below.