A little diversion

We've had a wonderful few days with the family. It has been a joy to spend time with young children so enthusiastic about everything. Today they found young swallows just out of a nest in the bus shelter - what excitement!

They went home this morning and suddenly the house was too quiet and empty. So we left the tidying up and went out for brunch in Kendal and back on the trail of the Arch again in the same area.

We last left the Arch in Scout Green. The droving route Andy Goldsworthy was following went from here through Greenholme and Tebay and then more or less followed what is now the A685 Tebay to Kendal road. This crosses the M6, as the motorway traverses the Lune Gorge, and climbs up until it is above the gorge and the motorway.

In order to find a sheepfold, Goldsworthy diverted from the droving route and continued along the A685 towards Grayrigg. This sheepfold is beside the road. To get to it, we had to park in a little track and walk up the road to the gateway, taking our lives in our hands as the road is very narrow for what is a main road and has no pavements. Anyone who has driven along this road will appreciate what I am describing.

The land all around here is Grayrigg Common, used for grazing over centuries. Get a better idea of scale. The hills in the distance are the Howgills and will be recognised from this view by anyone travelling along the M6, as the motorway is in the valley below the hills.