Wednesday 18 July 2018

Memories


On yet another gorgeous day at the weekend we went for a walk up Latrigg, a small fell in the shadow of Skiddaw, overlooking the lovely town of Keswick in the Northern Lakes. It's easily accessible from the town centre and makes for a delightful gentle climb to be rewarded with some fabulous views from the summit.

The pathway begins in the woods and gradually opens up to reveal views of Bassenthwaite Lake to the North and Derwentwater to the South.




Once at the summit there is a clear view  overlooking Keswick and across Derwentwater towards Catbells and down towards Borrowdale.


It was a beautiful day for a walk, even if everyone was so hungry when we arrived in Keswick, that we ended up eating our lunch in the van rather than at the summit! But there was another reason for our visit.

Four years ago, and with the need to pass some time in the area, I thought it would be a nice idea to walk up Latrigg and have a picnic. Lily was only thirteen months old then and was still used to being in the back carrier. She did walk the final stretch of the path to the top, however, and we found a nice flat patch of grass on which to sit down. Then, while she was happily enjoying her rice cakes and looking at the seemingly tiny town below, I took this photograph. The weather was overcast but I remember it being very warm that day and we spent a good while just enjoying the scenery, pointing out the cars and people down below..




Two years later, and when asked if I would like to go out to lunch to celebrate my birthday, I decided I didn't want to stay inside on such a beautiful day, but that I would very much like to spend some time in Keswick and walk up Latrigg to have a picnic. Being three years old by this time, Lily was well used to going out walking and enjoyed the short climb up through the woods, past the stream, alongside the thick bracken and up towards the summit. I took plenty of photographs on this day, including this one when we sat down for our picnic. By complete coincidence I had taken the picture in the same position as the first one.



It was then that I decided it would be lovely, if possible, to try to take Lily's photograph in the same place every couple of years, and this was the reason for our walk at the weekend.  The photographs really show just how Lily has grown and changed over the last few years.



I really hope we can keep this up as it will provide some lovely memories to look back on. And for anyone wondering, I also have plenty of gorgeous photographs of Lily taken from the front. ☺
J. X

44 comments:

  1. We stopped at Keswick on our way home on Sunday along with most of the north of England. Had to park the van away out at the football club and the fell upon our lunch as it was well after noon. That’s a lovely idea about the photograph but Lily was always a strong wee lass if she managed to walk up here at such an early age. Love her hair and how she is wearing walking boots this time. Hope it was cooler at the top because it was very hot in the town.

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    1. Keswick always makes for a lovely trip out and it's one of my favourite towns, although it can be difficult to get parked if you don't know the best places.
      The walking boots were a bit of a gesture really, this time. She's worn them from when she was tiny but you don't really need them for Latrigg, it's an easy climb. X

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  2. We did similar photos with our books, it is lovely seeing the evidence of them maturing and growing. Lovely pictures ☺

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    1. It's a lovely idea isn't it. I just hope I can keep it up. X

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  3. How wonderful! Sounds like a new tradition is in the making!

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  4. What a beautiful post, as always your photography is great and I love the names of the places, quite magical! X

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  5. Well, that's a route and a view I know well :-)

    Your photos of Lily are quite fabulous, if you can keep going until she is much older wouldn't it be the most wonderful gift as an album on her 21st, or perhaps her wedding?

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    1. I bet it is! It's such a lovely little walk with some great views.
      That's a great idea for a gift Jayne. X

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  6. Beautiful photos. Especially Lily's photos showing how she has grown over the years. :)

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    1. Thank you Nil. She's growing much to fast for my liking. X

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    1. Thanks Sol. It's good to hear from you. I hope all is well. X

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  8. What a really lovely way to mark the passage of time, as well as the unchanging view. x

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    1. Thank you Mrs. T. The view is pretty good isn't it. X

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  9. What beautiful scenery and taking a picture of Lilly every year in the same lovely spot is marvelous. Making and keeping special memories are what life should be about.

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    1. You are right Arleen. I hope Lily will have happy memories of her childhood. X

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  10. fantastic photos of a growing Lily :)

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    1. Thank you. They don't stay little for long do they. X

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  11. What a brilliant idea to record Lily's growing up in photos this way. Beautiful area, I've visited Keswick but only the town sadly. The photos will make lovely memories for Lily too.

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    1. It is a lovely town to visit Eileen, although it can get busy at times. I hope we can keep up with the photographs. X

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  12. What a wonderful idea Jules.
    Hugs-x-

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    1. And to think it happened quite by chance. I would never have thought of it otherwise. X

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  13. What a lovely idea, a perfect record for you and your family.

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    1. It's amazing to see how Lily has grown. X

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  14. Think I'm commenting on the wrong blog posts...as in the wrong way around...blame it on the heat! x

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  15. Jules what a lovely tradition to start and a great thing to look back on. Such beautiful photos of not only your beautiful daughter but the scenery too.

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    1. Thank you. I hope we can keep it up. X

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  16. Aww what lovely photos of such a lovely place. It's amazing to see how much your daughter has grown over the last few years. I love her braid in the last photo! My daughter would love one of those in her hair.

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    1. Thank you Julia. They grow so fast don't they. A plait is her current style of choice, it stops her hair from getting tangled :-) X

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  17. You live in such a wonderful place …
    I so enjoyed seeing all of your photographs.

    The ones with Lily are very special indeed, and such a good idea. They will provide so many wonderful memories now and in the years to come.

    God bless

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you Jan. If we can keep it up then the photographs will be lovely to look back on in years to come. X

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  18. Love it Jules!
    Fab photos of Lily and of the beautiful countryside. Keswick is our favourite place in the Lake District. We particularly like the walk from the town through the gardens to the edge of Derwentwater. Sometimes we drive up to Ashness Bridge. Love Lily's chunky plait.

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    1. After your previous post, I thought you might like this Eloise.
      Keswick and the surrounding area are my favourite too. We last visited earlier this year when we wet for a walk up Walla Crag in the snow. We haven't visited Ashness Bridge for a while, however. Maybe when it's a little quieter. X

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    2. We usually visit the Lakes in spring or Autumn to avoid the crowds. How lovely to live so close

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    3. We are very fortunate Eloise, and make the most of it, especially when it is less busy. X

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  19. What a wonderful idea, these series of photos will be so lovely to look back on in years to come. It's quite amazing just how quickly they grow, isn't it?

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    1. Thank you Jo. Yes, she's growing much to fast for my liking. X

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  20. I thought I had left a comment but not sure if it has published. I think I was just saying that we had photos of our girls each year with the same backgrounds when we went to Scarborough for the first 8 years of their life. The backgrounds remain the same and the girls get bigger but in our case it was quite accidental it happened because they always wanted to visit the same places again! I certainly treasure my photos - I know you will too - they are delightful of Lily. x

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    1. I hope we can keep it up, as the photographs will be so lovely to look back on in years to come. It's fascinating and scary at the same time to see the changes. Lily is growing too fast for my liking. X

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  21. The photos are a wonderful idea and such a lovely backdrop as well. It's hard to believe how much they've grown in such a short space of time isn't it. I did the same with Thomas yesterday. I took a photo of him on his first day at high school and one on his last day. My backdrop was a white gloss door lol but it does show how much he's grown.

    When you post you always seem to be on a different walk. Do you have a book of walks or have you always lived in the area and just know where to go? I remember Mum and Dad having a book in the 80's when we lived in Cirencester called pub walks. They were definitely worth going on for the lemonade and crisps :)

    Hope you all have a lovely summer holiday. xx

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    1. What started as a coincidence has turned into a bit of a mission now. I hope we can keep it going. I saw your photographs of Thomas. He's grown so much this year! Still as gorgeous as ever, though, and yes, the door panels are a good indicator of his height difference.
      We're always out walking somewhere Suzanne and usually on regular and familiar routes. I've always spent much of my time in the Lakes and don't use any books for reference but the internet is a good source of information if we fancy trying somewhere new.
      I could definitely see the lure of pub walks. X

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