Posted by andy bolger on February 01, 2000 at 00:06:31 from m62-mp2-cvx1b.ren.ntl.com:
In Reply to: Re: River Crake vs Pull Beck posted by Ian E-N on January 31, 2000 at 13:43:01:
A few thoughts on water levels:
On a very wet and windy trip to Coniston this weekend, it was evident that although the Crake was full, (just enough headroom for the more intrepid of our party to paddle their kayaks under the bridges) the lake had been higher recently. As it was, it was high enough for me to wonder if the passage between Fir Island ( a real Comorant Island) was navigable. This summer it wasn't, even in a canoe.
Fred Barlow in 'Wild Water Canoeing' describes how temporary weirs were used on the Duddon and other Lakeland Rivers so that barges could be floated down.
Perhaps the same applied to the Crake, or for that matter, to Pull Beck.
On the whole I agree with the 'South end of Coniston Water as the cradle of AR's landscape theory'. On this trip I exploded to my own satisfaction the 'Whitbarrow as Greenland' theory but as I'm not sure that anyone else ever thought that it m,ight be this is of little consequence. On the other hand, we crossed Torver Common (usually considered Swallowdale tertitory) on a circumperambulation of the Lake and found oodles of dog sledging terrain and more sheep snaring crags than you could shake a sick at.
The cart track from Nibthwaite to Top'o' Selside also has a wonderfully authentic feel. Whatever your views on its place in AR's topography, its views are magnificent. Thoroughly reccomended and a great outing for dromedary riders should there be any reading this.
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