We request that the new pavement is extended directly to the access road to Stainbank Green, uphill on the left of the image.
This week we are invited to comment on application SL/2022/1077
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A stretch of pavement from Brigsteer Rise downslope toward Kendal has recently been opened. To serve walkers bound for Scout Scar it needs to link with two further stretches, one above and one below. We request that the new pavement is extended directly to the access road to Stainbank Green, uphill on the left of the image. This week we are invited to comment on application SL/2022/1077
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On this sunlit December morning Irene and Richard were walking to SIzergh'to buy a pint of milk!' We had met in June, sharing a find of fly orchid on Scout Scar. I suggested they look out for Sorbus Vilmorinii with its splendid crop of berries. An Arctic front brings a heavy overnight frost and freezing temperatures. But the day is still and the sun shines so there are wonderful frost-effects at Sizergh gardens. Veils of fog began to spread over the Lyth Valley, grew dense and rose up the cliff-face to flow over Scout Scar, and thicken. It was swift and enveloping. 'It's daunting, walking above the cloud,' someone confided. I found it thrilling but I know this place in all weathers. Seeing a whitebeam rooted in the cliff face and leaning out into the fog I know where I am. I've photographed it often. Each autumn I look for those red fruits and admire the way these trees are anchored in the cliff-face. A low November sun discovers colours rich and rare in autumn trees. A glimmering faerie light casts long shadows. The sun highlights time-sculpted stone on limestone terraces, suffusing WItherslack Hall in a soft glow and flooding the sea at Morecambe Bay with waves of brilliance. Out of November rains and gloom comes a day of wondrous light. Far off, the Langdale Pikes showed in a warm and evocative light. I might have given up and turned back since the path to Scout Scar was slippery with mud, high humidity soaked my hair and glasses steamed-up in seconds. The promised sun had shown at sunrise, and departed. The ridge lay in darkness but the distant fells showed in magical light. Cloudscapes were constantly changing and, at last, a dome of blue opened up above Scout Scar. Yesterday, I heard fieldfare in flight. Now I would conjure them and immerse myself in their aura. At Helsington Church birds flew overhead with a brief contact call. So the search was on. They're often found high in the tops of larch, masquerading as cones. Low light and a screen of twigs conceal a scatter of birds then something startles them and a flock erupts in flight. When they feel safe they come down into yew trees to feed on red arils. After that introductory moment at the church there was silence. Perhaps they'd gone. South Walney was an impulsive choice. Not sure I've been in November before and I'd wish to know this place I love in all seasons. The alchemy of season and weather was writ large on land and sea. Weeks of exceptionally mild temperatures (19 degrees today) and weeks of rain. From Ulverston we followed the coast road where waders fed close to the shore and soon we made out Piel Castle in the distance. 'What are catkins?' he asked. They're erect or pendent tassels of tiny flowers. Male catkins are striking, and so more familiar. Female catkins can be tiny and hard to see. Hazel, alder, willow, oak, birch and bog myrtle have catkins. And this spring I discovered hornbeam catkins. I've long loved hornbeam's autumn fruit so I wonder how I'd overlooked the catkins. I found these trees on a bright and frosty morning so images show to advantage. To see the detailed structure and rich colours of the male catkins I had to come close. The early morning sun rapidly melted the first frost of the season. Floodwater overlay the Lyth Valley. Autumn winds and rain had stripped many trees of leaves and the sun was low in the sky and the quality of light was remarkable. In the early afternoon rain-clouds swept across the valley and a painter took down his easel to protect his work. ' How do you cope with the light changing so dramatically,' I asked? 'Paint over it,' he replied. Hearing geese calling, I looked up to see chevrons in flight over Marks and Spencer. Late that afternoon, from my study window, I saw large flocks of small birds flying south. Redwing I thought. And the RSPB report sightings of numbers arriving in the UK. So yesterday I headed for Scout Scar, saw little but heard a flock of starling babbling in a sheltered hollow of woodland-fringe. Today, I returned- seeking autumn migrants, winter thrush. Large flocks of starling will have flown in from Continental Europe, so they're migrants too. For 31st October, Halloween Boris Johnson, trick or treat? At Halloween bright and colourful berries might seem attractive but Beware! You cannot trust them. Fieldfare and redwing gorge on red yew arils without harm because the toxic black seeds pass whole and undigested through the gut. The birds excrete red-jelly where they've fed, leaving blobs of it beneath yew trees. Bearded tits are a speciality at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve. On a beautiful October morning there are many visitors here in the hope of seeing them. I hear bearded tits calling from the reed beds as we walk toward the Causeway Hide. We stop to listen and the birds flit about the tall reeds and settle in the top of a small willow tree. The sun lights them beautifully. It's a perfect photo opportunity to present them in different aspects. Season and weather interact in an alchemy that always surprises. We come to SIzergh Gardens on an October day when vegetation is drenched from yesterday's rain and now there are blue skies and the day grows warm. It's a day of strong sunlight and deep shadows, warm enough to bask in the sun. In the rock-garden there's a splendid display of maples. We often visit Sizergh Gardens and in autumn we make for a spot where we find shrubs of guelder rose and spindle, to see how they fare this year. Sizergh Castle vegetable garden is a work of art and we may sample its produce in the cafe. Between vegetable garden and orchard are bee hives amidst summer flowers gone to seed. Today, there's a rich source of nectar in late-flowering ivy masking the orchard wall and the bees love it. So do butterflies. The ivy-flowers are alive with pollinators and we stand with the sun on our backs watching bees and butterflies, shedding garments because it's so warm. The high wall is hidden in thick-flowering ivy and amongst the dark green leaves there are Red admirals and glimmers of red- an autumn leaf or a butterfly with wings closed? I puzzle over what seems to be a Green-veined white, or a sun-blazed leaf. Discovery is infinite and that's how I like it. There's a dome of blue over Scout Scar and the warmth of the sun is a surprise, a drop in temperatures was forecast. A history of weather and season lies before us. Squally winds and rain in early October have brought forth fungi and the distribution of fruit-bodies indicates the hidden mycelium. A scatter of golden fungi resembles late flowers. In spring, the weather must have been just right for the pollination of whitebeam as there's a splendid crop of berries. Go back, go back say the red grouse. For a while, we share the solitude of their beautiful heather moorland. I conjure the scene, delving its secrets, making it last. The fleeting magic of the afternoon melds with other flights to the heather and memories shared. We could go back and go further but we might not replicate such a rare day with perfect weather and light that is constantly changing as it floods over the rich autumn colours of the heather. At Middleham Castle the Union flag flies at half-mast and the United Kingdom mourns the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It’s a September day of blue skies and glorious cloudscapes, as befits her majestic reign. King Richard III grew up at Middleham and a banner with his emblem of the white boar hangs in the church. White butterflies flit about the sunlit castle ruins and horses from the nearest racing stables trot by. From the moment a pair of red grouse raised their heads proud of the heather, they had our attention. For a heavy-bodied bird, grouse conceal themselves well in their heather habitat- when they choose. They’re ground -nesting birds and heather gives them shelter and cover. Young heather shoots form much of their diet and we watch them dipping their heads to pluck seeds with bills slightly hooked at the tip. The fleshy red eye-combs are distinctive and can be raised proud. The head, neck and upper breast are rich rust coloured. Let's be constructive and achieve a result that will benefit everyone, now and for the future. All it needs is good sense and the will and determination to make things happen NOW at this juncture. What you see is Brigsteer Road at the junction with Brigsteer Rise. The new junction is rapidly taking shape so this moment is critical. Constructing a needful continuous pavement on the direct route to Scout Scar is a simple step which would keep walkers safe. And it would enhance the look of the approach to Brigsteer Rise. Paving the way makes good sense. It's in everyone's interest. It would benefit walkers bound for Scout Scar and would give a smart finish to the Brigsteer Rise development. The image shows the new access road to Brigsteer Rise at its junction with Brigsteer Road. Visible on the left, behind a barrier, is the pavement soon to be constructed for new residents of the development. So what's the plan for the opposite corner on the west side? At the moment it's rubble behind a barrier. Surely Story Homes will provide something aesthetically pleasing to front Brigsteer Rise? |
AuthorJan Wiltshire is a nature writer living in Cumbria. She also explores islands and coast and the wildlife experience. (See Home and My Books) Archives
April 2024
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