"Made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

Galvanised by yesterday’s walk and knowing that the forecast for today was looking good, I was keen for another foray into the lakes.

There was definitely a little magic in the air this morning as I drove alongside Windermere listening to Tom Waits (Ol’ 55) and watching the sun starting to rise in my rear view mirror. This was compounded by a short walk through a deserted Grasmere, which was so calm and so serene that a red squirrel ran out in front of me and scurried up the middle of the road before disappearing up a tree. 

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a red squirrel before and was so stunned at the sight of it that I completely forgot to take any photos. 

Comfort in familiarity was found by returning to where we had come on family holidays many moons ago and to where I had brought my own children last year on our first “proper” walk as a four-piece.  Whilst not the longest walk, it is a short sharp climb to the top of Grey Crag for a wander along to Alcock Tarn, which as I hope the pictures show, was like glass this morning.

The sun striking the hills all around me, the stillness and the absence of another living soul felt quite ethereal and had the wind not started to chill the sweat I had developed on the ascent, I would have happily stayed longer.

I took my photos, soaked in the calm and wound my way down, happy.