Long Meg and her daughters

 

A few miles to the east of Penrith in Cumbria, lies England's third widest stone circle. Constructed in Neolithic times, it consists of 69 rhyolite glacial erratics (the daughters) and a huge block of local red sandstone, Long Meg, who stands to one side watching over them. This was to be our destination for a night of wild campervanning. Elvis had had his leisure battery replaced and the electrics were now working, and so we set off, without a care in the world. It was a beautiful sunny day, Long Meg was looking her best, and a buzzard wheeled overhead. Perfect.

We parked up, less than half a mile away, and there were plenty of hedgerows to explore en route. Apart from the daffodils, which were attracting a host of Muscoid flies, the Red Deadnettles were providing a splash of pink in the undergrowth. Elvis did his bit by attracting a Green Lacewing as well. In the meadow, a rabbit came out for his evening meal, but refused to be photographed. Dusk decended, we turned on the lights... and the electrics failed again. We'd packed emergency lights, so we could at least see what we were doing, but it was a bit chilly when we got up in the morning.

We decided to go into Penrith for breakfast, and this is when the fun began. In the middle lane of Penrith's busiest roundabout, just at the onset of rush hour, Elvis decided to blow his head gasket. The police had to be summoned to prevent a pile up, recovery vehicles had to be organised, and seven hours of alternate waiting around and hectic activity later, we finally collapsed onto the settee at home, surrounded by bin liners full of campervanning paraphenalia.

Two days later, after we had recovered somewhat, it was Ishbel's birthday, so we went out to the courtyard brasserie at Armathwaite Hall for lunch. A lovely stately old pile that stands on the north shore of Bassenthwaite lake. We took Mattie for a walk in the grounds beforehand and I found a more photogenic rabbit. It's my birthday on Monday, and I'm looking forward to a quiet walk along the shoreline looking for mermaid's purses.

All the best,

Steve

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Steve Daniels Cumbria

Between the Lakes

 

Just to the north of Keswick, beyond the dual carriageway of the A66, lies a remnant of the old coach road from Penrith to Cockermouth. This is where we begin our journey, exploring the area between Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake. It's a bit damp today, and Skiddaw is wearing the clouds like a feather boa, but it's not raining. If you're wondering what that expanse of brown is, in the middle distance, it's an osier plantation. But we'll come to that later... unfortunately.

The old coach road crosses Pow Beck, one of many becks that feed Bassenthwaite Lake, along with the river Derwent, which flows in from Derwent Water. Next to this, there used to be a very good campsite, so Ishbel tells me (she, being a repository of all knowledge on Cumbrian campsites). Sadly, it has now been abandoned, and is overgrown with seeding dock. A lonely apple tree sits in the centre, and on a pile of wood chippings, what look to be Common Funnel mushrooms have found the perfect home.

Heading up a little lane, the sheep grazed fields to our left provide perfect conditions for rabblts, whilst the long, tussocky grass to our right is the preferred feeding grounds for pheasants. I have recently acquired a six volume set of Cassells Natural History, published in 1881, and it has this to say on the feeding habits of the common pheasant:

[the pheasant] seeks its food, which consists of grain, seeds, green shoots, and insects, among hedge-bottoms and thickets with long grass and tolerably dense undergrowth; it also affects damp ground and osier beds.

Note the words 'damp ground' and 'osier beds'. The footpath leads us into both. They don't shy away from saying what they mean up here in Cumbria. If your house nestles on the edge of a bog, you call it Bog House (and for those of you who's first language is not English, this is also a euphamism for the lavatory). We emerged from the osier bed with sea boots and a two-toned dog.

Crossing a field, we managed to dislodge about half of the accumulated mud, and emerged onto the old Penrith to Cockermouth railway line. A magnificent Birch Polypore was growing at the base of a silver birch, and nearby, in a discarded plastic bucket, a small amount of rainwater had proved sufficient for some Winter Midges to breed. These are Chironomids, or non-biting midges.

In other news, for those of you who are local, CADS are putting on the hilariously funny

'The Farndale Avenue Townswomen Guild Drama Society's production of A Christmas Carol'

I can say this because I'm not in it, merely making sure you can see it by operating the lights. This Saturday (10th) 2pm and Sunday (11^th) 7pm. Buy your tickets here.

The reason that I have recently acquired a six volume set of Cassells Natural History, published in 1881, is because I have opened up an antiquarian book department in my online shop. A geographical theme this week, but the Cassells will be up for sale later – if I can bear to part with it. Pop in and take a look: Steve's Vintage Collectables – Beautiful Books.

And talking of books...

Beetles and Butterflies; spiders and scorpions; woodlice and worms. How do you tell them all apart? To say nothing of crane flies, dragonflies, bee flies and yet more butterflies. Are they all flies? If not, why call them so? If you're fascinated but confused by the beautiful world of the very small, then this is the book for you. 82 pages of information on all aspects of the world of minibeasts, with over 100 photographs and illustrations, this book will help you track down and identify any arthropod, in its adult or juvenile state, anywhere in the world. See all of my books at author.to/SteveDaniels

All the best,

Steve

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Steve Daniels Cumbria

Urban Oasis

The Nature of Kirkbank, Cockermouth, Cumbria, UK

Here, on the east bank of the River Cocker, sits a woodland wilderness. Cockermouth spreads out all around it, but this bit has never been developed. The reason being that there is only a couple of metres between the river bank and a steep bluff which is totally unsuitable for building upon. There is a small riverside path, wet and muddy, which can be reached by any of three sets of earth steps, held in place by plank and post. So, wellies on, and let’s go and see what we can find down there.

Plenty of thistles being visited by insects, a stand of Rosebay Willow Herb away to our left and a nice glimpse of the town through the trees. Mind how you go, down the steps, and don’t trip over the pheasant. I mentioned pheasants in passing last week at Muncaster Castle but here are a few interesting pheasant phacts:

• Pheasants and chickens share a common ancestor, the Red Junglefowl of Southeast Asia which is still around today.
• The genera Gallus (which includes chickens) and Phasianus (which includes pheasants), diverged about 20 million years ago.
• The Ring-necked Pheasant is native to Asia and certain parts of south east Europe.
• The last remaining truly wild pheasants in Europe live in the foothills of the Caucasus mountains and the Nestos Forest in Greece.

The pheasant is an introduced bird and here we have an introduced flower. This is Himalayan Balsam and it came over to England in 1839, according to The Open University, along with Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed. They were relatively cheap ornamental garden plants, which would have been fine if that’s where they’d stayed. They didn’t, and now all three are a problem. This one, for example, grows prolifically on river banks and pushes out the native plants. Bad enough, but it also dies down in the autumn, leaving great bare patches of earth which can get washed away when the river floods. I see that someone has been pulling them out by their roots, which is all very good, but be careful not to tread on them or you may get seeds stuck to the bottom of your boots that will undoubtedly come off next time you’re walking along some other river bank that doesn’t have them yet.

I see some rotten branches up there, so let’s go and have a poke around and see what we can find. There’s some nice Tripe fungus here growing on this decaying Beech. It likes Beech and Elm, but sadly, since the spread of Dutch Elm Disease back in the 1970s, which wiped out more than 25 million trees in the UK, they are rarely seen these days. The scientific name for this fungus is Auricularia (referring to the ear like shape of members of the genus) mesenterica, which is Ancient Greek for middle intestine – hence Tripe Fungus. Unlike tripe however, it isn’t edible. According to First Nature, it won’t actually harm you but it’s tough, rubbery and tasteless. I wonder who had the job of finding that out?

Here are some more steps, leading back up to the road, but before we ascend, just take a look at these pink, bean shaped lumps on the underside of these willow leaves. These are Willow Bean Galls and they’re produced by a small insect called a Sawfly. Like many insects with ‘fly’ in their name, they are not flies at all [Dipterans] but related to ants, bees and wasps [Hymenopterans]. The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies puts all these so called flies into their proper places, so that you can at least begin to identify who’s who. The saw part of their name refers to the saw-like egg laying tube of the female (called an ovipositor) which she uses to saw into the leaf and lay an egg. A small green, caterpillar-like larva hatches from the egg and starts to eat the leaf. This stimulates the willow to produce the gall which feeds the larva and protects the rest of the leaf. All clever stuff. 

Now for these steps. Not so steep as I thought. I think we’ll go back via the cemetery – always a good place to search for wildlife. Oh look, another introduced species, a rabbit. We’ll chat about rabbits at a later date. What with rabbits and pheasants all over the place I’m beginning to feel hungry. I wonder what herbs would go best with pheasant, rabbit and wild mushroom pie? I feel a recipe for Steve's Wild Kitchen coming on.

Until next time, stay safe and be happy.

Steve.

Steve's Books

The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies All you need to know to identify any type of insect, spider, worm or snail very simply and find out more about it. Yvonne: This was a gift for a family so that the children can understand what they see on days out. The second was for me. Logical and easy to use. If you know anyone who likes nature you can be confident that gifting this book will give years of pleasure.
The Eggs of Saramova A science fiction novella for those who don't like science fiction. A fast-paced thriller that is, literally, out of this world (and it starts right here in Crete). Too new for reviews yet!
Not Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels  A light-hearted look at life through the eyes of the fairer sex. Janet: If you are short on time but enjoy reading and are maybe not into long extended novels then Not Just For... Twisted Women provides readers with concise stories that stand alone and most certainly entertain with their ultimate twists. Loved it. Helen: A very good read! Well written and entertaining! Margaret: Each quick tale gives a glimpse into a character's life and has an often humorous twist at the end. I would love to read more. Yvonne: These days many people find it hard to find the time to read a novel, so this book of short stories is ideal to dip into. It is also makes a good gift.

See sample pages of all my books and latest blogs, and keep abreast of latest publications here: http://author.to/SteveDaniels

Crete Nature Catch-up
Series 1 - Welcome to Lasithi	Series 2 - The Rhythm Of Life	Series 3 - A Journey Begins
Series 4 - The Milonas Valley	Series 5 - This Is Ferma	Series 6 - Upland Villages
Series 7 - The Forty saints	Series 8 - Sunday Strolls	Series 9 -Stormy Weather

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