A different way of getting there

London and back was a loonnnggggg day today, for what was unavoidably a fractious meeting. It's not often I have to quote rules and regulations, and rarer that voices are raised, but some difficult issues were finally aired and hopefully we can now all start to pull in an agreed direction. But it was a very tiring day.

I saw little blip worthy in the capital, but stepping off the train at Oxenholme it was a glorious evening, the light was wonderful and on the drive home I'd turned off the main road almost before I was aware. As is often my way I took all the little used lanes with grass in the middle - and even though it amazes me every time, I was soon finding routes I've never taken. With the Howgills before me I simply chose my way by North, South, East & West.

Somewhere betwixt Lowgill and Firbank I stopped at a flowing meadow of flowers - in the still evening air I'd startled a deer who sprang up and bounced in & out of view, I could only watch, but I was sure the meadow had given me my blip.

But then at Lowgill I turned again without thinking and found this the Crook of Lune Bridge ( not to be confused with similar named others) at Davy Bank. This 500 year old structure once marked the boundary between Westmorland and Yorkshire's West Riding. A fallen tree let me balance out to a bank in the middle of the remarkably low Lune, not sure a view from here could often be got.

& yes, moments like this firmly put days like today in context.