Kendal

Well, we went to Kendal today, The Man, The Bro-in-Law and I. We went after a report by Cumbria Wildlife Trust that otters and their cubs were once more swimming around in Kendal town centre in the river Kent.

We didn't see them. Maybe the canoeists had frightened them away!

After a visit to a café we made our way across country to Sunbiggin Tarn. Now this is a place reported to be good to see a starling murmuration. It was worrying driving off the single track tarmac road onto the damp grass. We might still have been stuck there! There were loads of folk there so we just made sure we weren't the last to leave!

Anyhow, we did see starlings, but they came very late, 5.15. It was an overcast day so it was quite dark. What's more, the starlings stayed low in the sky so a lot of the time they were see against dark fells, not winding about in the sky above us.

Ah, well, a nice day was had by all, regardless! This is the Parish Church in Kendal which has an imposing position on the bank of the Kent at the south end of the town. This building was begun in the 14th Century though there has been a church on this site since AD 850. I must have a look inside next time.