As mentioned in last weeks walk report today I'm transferring my website onto a new laptop with the help of David but that doesn't mean there won't be time for a short walk before hand and todays route came courtesy of Rod.

Yes that's right the trio are back together, the first time since May...permission to whoop whoop!

N'ah we hadn't fell out or owt it's just holidays and work coincided with each other meaning if one or two of us was free usually the third would be working or on holiday, it happens although I admit it's never usually this far apart between us getting out for walks.

Anyway we gave Rod the task of coming up with a route around three and a half hours long which originally would have seen us visit the Lord's Seat fells but the wet forecast meant it was best we stuck to the valleys so Rod came up with this corker of a walk taking in the Newlands valley from low level.

We had arranged to meet at the usual time of 8:00am but what that actually means is try to get there for 7:45am no later. Rod was first to arrive followed by myself and David soon after, parking wasn't a problem each parking behind one another although come another hours time parking here can be difficult. It's cloudy but mild and more importantly it isn't raining as forecasted but we kit up in full waterproofs anyway, except David...David knows something.

With the cars locked we headed out towards Portinscale and crossed the River Derwent via the suspension bridge taking note how high the River Derwent was and rather shockingly, how fast it was flowing, this of course was down to recent heavy rains which are set to continue from tomorrow and into next week.

We left Ullock and arrived at a crossroads where we turned right sign posted Braithwaite but before Braithwaite is reached the road passes over Little Braithwaite Bridge which is where we picked up the footpath alongside Newlands Beck and ran into a large herd of cows and calves who had escaped from a nearby field. The herd parted for Rod and David before they realised in the centre were calves and that's when they stopped and turned back, never come between a mother and her calve no matter how tame they appear.

Now we needed to find an alternative way around.

With High Crags (above Little Town) and the Castle Nook ridge seen centre.

"More people have been to the moon than climbed the Castle Nook ridge" laughed David knowing full well Rod once climbed Castle Nook "once was enough!" was Rod's reply.

For the last time today we cross Newlands Beck via the Pack Horse Bridge noting that the car park just beyond was totally empty, we found this rather annoying caused by the fact most people would have looked at todays forecast and thought n'ah it's too wet for a walk and who could blame them yet here we are bone dry since we left our cars two hours earlier.

It just goes to show how often the forecasters can get it wrong...but not entirely.

With the crowds of Fawe Park left behind we soon reached Nichol End where we spent a few moments standing on the jetty taking in the views over Derwent Water towards a cloud topped Skiddaw. Despite the near miss shower back at Newlands we were meant to have taken a right soaking but instead after a misleading forecast which probably kept many off the fells. myself and Rod were made to look 'over dressed' walking top to toe in waterproofs while David returned to the cars wearing a T-shirt while complaining about how muggy it was.

Either David is secretly working for the Met Office or he 'just knows' how the weather is going to pan out, I reckon it's the latter.