Sketch Book Walks New Years day on Grasmere Helm Crag Lake District

Helm Crag Grasmere English Lake District
watercolour and pen

We kicked off the New Year 2018 in style with a trip to Grasmere and a walk up to Helm Crag past Langcliffe and Easdale. It started well enough despite our late night dancing and revelry the night before or should I say earlier that morning. This is a lovely walk right from leaving the village with Helm Crag high on the horizon. I'd made a good start to  my 2018 sketch book resolution and had managed an early trip up onto Lough Riggs shoulder and made my first sketch of 2018. Alas a couple of hours later and post breakfast etc the good weather and blue skies didn't last long. As ever the Lake Land drizzle gradually got worse.  It did clear up enough for the ascent up the shoulder past Williams Wordsworth's romantic bower and a misty blue sky shone dully as we climbed up through steepening crags. However before we started on the final pull and scramble onto the summit rocks a nice down pour and a cold driving wind tugged and pulled. I left B crouching behind a small rocky knoll and managed a wet sketch of the lion and lamb before abandoning any further attempts at anything.  I turned back choosing the narrow but easy path and not the wet rocks to rejoin my companion and we retreated in good form rustling our danced out bodies slipping a way down in our dripping waterproof jackets and leggings. Non the less back in the crowded, family friendly, steamy Grasmere Cafe above the din made by chatty, small, happy children meeting with over long absent Grandmas we toasted our ascent with Americanos and were well pleased at the great outdoors start we had made to 2018

The Lion and Lamb
water, watercolour and some dry pen added later