On the way up, the Old Man in the background, 17 August 2015Two years ago we tried to walk up the Old Man of Coniston, but the Our own cairn, nearly at the top, 17 August 2015 Our own cairn, nearly at the top, 17 August 2015At the top of the Old Man, 17 August 2015Sheep on their way across the slope, 17 August 2015boys were too young and Spouse and Child #1 were beaten by time. This year we made it!

And a fabulous walk it was too, up to the top, along the ridge, then down a steep path to Lower Water and back to Coniston.

Halfway down the steep path we heard a shepherd calling to his dogs. Walking down from the ridge he was calling to three dogs to herd sheep scattered across the steep mountain side. We ended up right in the middle of the sheep as they traversed the mountain side. The shot in this post just misses the moment when they all stared down at me before carrying on their way.

The shepherd didn’t appear to be moving the sheep anywhere in particular, just across the slope under the Old Man. We wondered if he was hefting them, teaching them the ways across the mountain that flocks had forgotten after the Chernobyl disaster. Whether or not our guesses were right, it was a magical moment after getting to the top.

17 August 2015