Walltown and weather

The weather has been awful, so much rain that the oceans must be 2 metres lower than normal, and all of it seems to have fallen on Cumbria and our part of Northumberland.

Parts of Cumbria have had terrible floods with people having to be rescued from their homes and a bridge being washed away.

The forecast was for more of the same so I was suprised when I got up this morning to find a clear sky.

The light looked nice and, while it was later than I would normaly set off, I got myself sorted and headed up to Walltown Crags.

Up on the top it was cold, a chill wind whistling around my extremities, but don't they always talk about the 'wind chill factor', it was certainly chilling me this morning.

I'd left my hat in the car in my rush to get up to the Wall and boy were my ears cold. I was wearing a polo necked sweater so I pulled that up over my ears and waited for sunrise.

Some gentle colour in the sky kept me interested for a wee while.

As usual I was the only person about and I listened to the fieldfares chattering away, they've just about eaten all the hawthorn berries so I expect they'll soon be moving on. A buzzard started to mew as the sun was rising, it's a sound I love.  I couldn't see where it was sitting, probably one of the trees in Walltown wood.

From the top you get wonderful views, west over Longbyre and south over the north Pennines, I was expecting to see flooded fields but could just see a smallish puddle here and there.

The grass on Walltown Crags is looking as lovely as ever, for some reason it's always cropped short and wouldn't look out of place on a bowling green.

Although there are sheep all along our bit of Hadrian's Wall this is the only place where the grass is like this.

Puts my lawn at home to shame!

Eventually the sun managed to get above the low bank of cloud on the horizon, and for a second or so the light hit Hadrian's Wall, then a cloud hid the sun.

I was feeling pretty cold by then but I decided to wait it out, I was rewarded when the cloud was suddenly burnt off and gave me that back and forwards carting the tripod to the next spot, hopefully remembering to level up the camera at each new spot.

At Walltown it's always a challenge to get a picture where William's barn doesn't stand out like a sore thumb.

I'll admit to a temptation to clone it out of my pictures but if you go there you'll see it, so it stays in the picture.

Don't know when I'll next manage to get out, the forecast is dire.

Take care and stay safe.

Joan

If you click on the picture you'll see it a bit larger.