A short post-lunch walk with James and Nathan (Emma nursing illness in the residents' lounge of the Wordsworth, Tim at home working on the McDowell updates).Route: leaving the car at Tweedies Bar and Lodge and walking through Grasmere, along College Lane and up the Easedale Road, over Goody Bridge and up to the slate bridges over to the bridleway up Easedale. Following the main track all the way up to Easedale Tarn, where using the stepping stones to cross the outflow and follow the path back east under Tarn Crag, boggy at times, until it bent round under the crag to the huge erratic with heather on top marked GRASMERE to the left. Then ignoring instructions by turning right to follow intermittent paths down beside the wall and round to the lower, wooden footbridge over the beck and crossing over to the route out at a corner wall-stile. Following the bridleway home until after Goody Bridge and then taking the path parallel with the road and staying with it as it bent away from the road to reach the drive up to Allan Banks, where turning left to walk down to the village, emerging by the green and heading down College Lane to retrieve Emma from the Wordsworth and walk back to the car.
Conditions: dry with thin, high cloud and late sunshine picking out the surrounding fells with huge clarity until it set - walking back down the valley in fading light and reaching the car in darkness.
Pub: earlier, Tweedies Bar, Grasmere, for Brew York Viking DNA (smoked porter), Titanic Plum Porter and Manchester Brewing Company Elephant Juice (New England IPA) and lunch with James, Nathan and Emma.
