Читать книгу The Lune Valley and Howgills. 40 scenic fell, river and woodland walks онлайн

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Flanking the infant Lune to the north are the more gently rising slopes of Great Asby Scar, which is protected as a National Nature Reserve for its expanse of limestone pavement. Scoured of their overburden by the moving ice sheet, and subsequently littered with erratic boulders as the ice retreated at the end of the last ice age, the bare limestone beds are crazed by grikes (fissures created as the slight acidity of rainwater exploits natural cracks and crevices). The deep fissures separating the clints (blocks) collect windblown soil and moisture, and harbour a surprising range of plants and even occasional trees that would otherwise be unable to survive these desert-like conditions.

Looking back to Grayrigg Common and Tebay Fell (Walk 13)

Collecting the waters flowing from the peaty mosses flanking the Shap Fells, the river turns abruptly south at Tebay to enter the Lune Gorge. Squeezed between steeply rising hills, the valley follows the line of a geological fault, which was further deepened by ice moving from the north. It is perhaps the Lune’s most dramatic section, and, despite the fact that both railway and motorway have been shoehorned in alongside the original road, the river retains a delightful separateness and one can meander through, oblivious of the intrusion. The heights on either side offer superb views across the valley, and the twisting gorge of Carlin Gill is one of the Howgills’ particular gems. Entering from the west, Borrowdale is another little-known delight. Simply wandering along the base of the secluded valley is enjoyment in itself, but include the traverse across Whinfell Common and the day could not be more complete.