Herb Riddle's photos with the keyword: Wastwater

Some years ago now we had a holiday in this area and I had posted many of them here on Ipernity. This is one that I left out, looking north east towards Yewbarrow and the Great Gables. Taken from the west bank. I was reminded of this view by our Ipernity friend Toz’s excellent contribution a few days back: www.ipernity.com/doc/2405228/52819010 Have a good weekend.

Turning away from Wastwater now, we follow the valley bottom back to our car at Nether Wasdale. The sunshine on the craggy rocks of ‘Hausegreen Crag’ brings out the best of this rugged landscape. Spot the figure. - see PiP Enjoy full screen.

Enjoy this last look at the lake in panoramic fashion. This shows almost the complete lake here with the centre dominated by ‘The Screes’ of ‘Illgill Head’ and ‘Whin Rigg’. A stitch of eight separate photos which resulted in a mighty wide pixel photograph! Enjoy full screen.

This little bridge, the target of many a photographer that visits Wastwater, allows the small road to go over the ‘Countess Beck’ as it finally runs into the lake. This little area (indeed also from my last two photos) is known as 'Landing Stage’. PiP for opposite side! Enjoy full screen.

After showing you one of my latest views from this side of Wastwater yesterday, I thought I would also share this older monochrome version taken in June 2015. What a difference weather, lens and treatment makes here. I know we cannot but compare the two scenes; our preference is very personal indeed! Enjoy full screen

Returning to this series from our Lake District visit in 2020, we are again on the banks of the beautiful lake of Wastwater. A spot that I have visited at least twice before, but no less wonderful for it. I am at the place where most casual visitors come to and then return after a photo, picnic and possible dip, but as you can see from my photos here, it deserves far more attention than that. On the far side below the pyramid of Great Gables is the village of Wasdale Head – a place of pilgrimage as the hiking start point of England highest mountain: Scafell Pike at 978m. One day I might even investigate those routes too. :) Enjoy full screen.

A view from the western shore picnic area. In warmer weather these rocks are festooned with picnickers. In the water you can see some lively souls having a bit of fun and a dip. Again we are seeing the impressive Yewbarrow to the left of us and the pointed peak of Great Gables (899 m) looking like a great pyramid directly centre stage. Now we are also starting to see England's highest mountain 'Scafell Pike' at 978 m coming in on the right side. Enjoy full size.

We are now on the tourist route of this lake. Still looking North East and coming across little car parking places on the side of this still narrow road. Just ahead is a very popular picnic area and bathing spot.

As we walk on the edge of this lake, we go into some woodland, over the ancient packhorse bridge above the River Irt. I must admit that I was lucky again with the dappled light here and it was certainly a place to dwell gazing down into this river. See Pip for the top view. As usual best full screen.

Seen just below Wasdale Hall which houses the YHA here on the banks of Wastwater, and so that explains the possibilities of fun, adventures and water sports (see PiP). We also see here the east steep scree bank of the lake. Enjoy full screen.

As little Bo Peep might have said to one of her lost sheep. A view down into Wastwater with rocks and scree underfoot but still we see trees such as this twisting Hawthorne clinging to the sides. See adjacent photo for the view that this sheep had. Enjoy full screen.

A look at the southern tip of Wastwater here. The great mountains calming down into a more gentle landscape. The stone building is a hikers shelter I think, but it was closed (Covid?). We are on the scree path here but we had to soon turn around as it become less walkable. Our way forward leads us north through the woods on the right up to the lakes much more popular western side. Enjoy full screen.

Back to my limited summer of 2020 holidays, here we are at one of Britain's most beautiful lakes. A lake sometimes spoken of as the most mysterious one with a complete side very steep and often dark and dangerous. Its also our deepest lake at 258ft created by glacial erosion. Again we are seeing the impressive Yewbarrow directly in front of us but this time we also see the pointed peak of Great Gables (899 m) looking like a great pyramid. Enjoy full screen.

The English Lake District. A view of this wonderful wild lake from the very south west shore. The way around the lake from here is either along a very rough scree path which is slippy and a little dangerous on the right or through the woods on the left (Low Wood) and then along the lakeside path which parallels the minor but sometimes busy road. That is where most of the visitors here walk, us too! We are looking towards Yewbarrow and High Fell. England's highest mountain Scafell Pike sits just out of sight to the right here. Enjoy full size.

A typical Lake District farm with its stepped gable-ends.

As we pass Low Wood on the left we find ourselves at the very southern end of this lonely West Lake District lake, called more correctly a ‘Water’ in common with all but one of the sixteen ‘Lake District’ lakes not being called lakes at all, instead being ‘Meres’ and ‘Waters’. The most prominent hill here is Yewbarrow at 628m resembling the upturned hull of a boat or a barrow. As usual the landscape is dotted with local sheep. The PiP’s, are taken from the same hillside and possibly in your opinion may have merited having been the main photo here. Enjoy full screen

Today is a grand ‘Wast Water’ walk and this bridge soon caught my eye. I tried to find exactly what this bridge was called but for the life of me I could not. We parked at a little carpark in a spot called ‘Cinderdale Bridge’ –which of course has a bridge, but on research via Google images etc, it is a single span stone bridge as is its close neighbour ‘Forest Bridge’ too. Anyway, here is my double arched bridge over what should be the River Irt, and it is quite typical of the narrow hump-back bridges of this area. Hope you enjoy it. Enjoy full screen

Without a doubt, Wastwater, England's deepest lake (79m) is moody. Here we see the scree on its East shore. There is in fact a pathway, just above the bottom trees for those brave soles that wish to circumnavigate the lake.