Rainbows over Ullswater

After another comfortable night in the Pooley Bridge Inn, followed by a slap up breakfast, we bade farewell to our hill-walking club chums and set off for a Sunday morning walk. Our destination was a small hill behind Pooley Bridge called Heughscar. As we walked up the steady incline I began to feel quite nauseous; my poached eggs and toast washed down with copious amounts of coffee were churning around in my tummy as if in a washing machine. James was understanding when I asked for a rest fifteen minutes from the top, where there happened to be an attractive little curved stone seat, looking over fine views of the Ullswater Valley and the fells. Just above this was the 2000 year old Roman Road, where once marched Roman troops on their way from Galava to Brocavum * along the gentle slopes of High Street fell (named for the road). It was easier for the Romans to build this high road over the fell tops rather than in the marshy, forested valleys.
I recovered my equilibrium and we walked up to the summit of Heughscar where we were rewarded not only with more beautiful views of the lake but also a gorgeous rainbow (and briefly a double rainbow) which appeared and disappeared tantalisingly as the sun peeped from behind the clouds. On our way back down to the village it started raining, but we were soon enjoying tea and scones in a cosy tearoom, before an easy run home of less than two hours. We really should come to this lovely area more often. We were given a big welcome home by the cats, who would definitely not have approved of the canine fraternising that we have indulged in over the weekend.

* Ambleside to Penrith