I land in Manchester early Saturday morning, and I'll have a bit of a drive ahead of me to get to my stomping grounds for the week. Instead of wandering, I've decided to make Glenridding my home base for the week. That's where my photography seminar will be, so I'll have one bed for the entire stay. (Well, except for the last night, when I'll probably stay near the airport in Manchester.)
Plans? Nope, I don't have any of those. There are plenty of places to walk in the Lake District. Some of my wanderings will be close to Glenridding, some may involve a drive first. Some wanderings will be inside of Lake District, some may be elsewhere. I'm still toying with the idea of heading to Hadrian's Wall on one of my free days.
Let's see, how far north of home will I be? I talked about air miles before, but where will I be relative to where I am now?
My home town is at 42.68 degrees latitude, and Glenridding, my home away from home for this trip is at 54.54 degrees latitude. A degree of latitude is about 69 miles, so I'll be perched at a latitude that is 828 miles north of where I am right now. If I headed straight north from home and traveled 828 miles, it looks like I would end up in a very unpopulated area of Quebec. Turn right and head across the ocean from there, an oh! I think I'll land in England.
The weather? I'm sending strong wishes to the weather wizard for days that aren't totally wet. I'm sure there's no escaping wet weather in England at this time of year, but I can hope, can't I? Oh, you want to see the forecast? Take a look at Weatherline, showing a 5-day forecast for the park.
An interesting answer (and question) from the Weatherline page:
Why does it rain in the Lake District?
"The weather in Britain mostly comes from the Atlantic. When the clouds hit the mountains of the Lake District, they rise, the water vapour within the clouds cools, condenses and falls as rain or snow."
Packing? Yup, I do still need to figure out what clothing is coming with me. I'm using my cycle touring rules, even though I won't be traveling each day. A couple of changes of clothes, lots of layers (because I think it's going to be chilly and damp), clothes that can be washed out and that will dry overnight. Layers, fleece, layers, hiking shoes, layers, rain gear, clothing made of fast-dry fabrics, stuff to keep me comfortable...
I suppose it might be smart to take an umbrella with me. What do you think?
Cameras? More than one? Of course! My dSLR is coming along with a couple of lenses, some filters that I need to learn to use, a tripod... And I promised Rover that I'd bring a little camera for him to use. Two cameras...
I must meet the goals of my trip - to wander by foot, to play with cameras, to enhance my abilities to capture beautiful images with my camera.
