Autumn from Scout Scar

It wasn't a good blipping day today, the sky was overcast all day and I was busy back at work after a week off. I managed to get out at lunchtime for a quick walk on Scout Scar. This is the limestone hill to the west of Kendal which has a classic dip and scarp shape: a gently sloping side following the tilted beds of Carboniferous limestone and a vertical broken cliff edge. The limestone would once have formed an uplifted dome around the Lake District, and all is left now is a discontinous ring around the low and high fells of the central Lakes.

On a good day, there are fabulous views into the high fells, one of the best views anywhere for its variety of landscapes. Today, though, the high mountains were hidden in the cloud. This is therefore a view south down the Lyth Valley and across Foulshaw Moss and the Kent Estuary to Arnside Knott sitting on the edge of Morecambe Bay. There is huge detail in this scene, and there is not time now to point everything out. The Autumn colours of the species rich woodlands at the foot of the crag are glorious, the sun peeped out enough to light up the green silage fields below. Growing on the edge of the crag are Lancastrian Whitebeams heavy with red hips (this small tree has featured recently in this journal).

It was a windy day today and ravens were tumbling and cronking in the turbulence created by the scar.

Back at home the bees have been rescued by an Arnside beekeeper and taken back to be united with an established hive of bees. I will post one of Caroline's pictures of the capture of the swarm on Flickr tomorrow.