Took my parents to Bolam Lake. We followed the route suggested in a leaflet sold at the visitor centre, which was longer than my previous walk there, and went the opposite way around. I found the first half of the walk quite uninspiring - it was flat, and mostly through fields with few interesting landmarks, and the landscape wasn't dramatic or wild.
The walk became more interesting after a few miles, as we headed uphill towards the Piper's Chair. The landscape changes quickly and dramatically here. We took a detour off the main path in order to see the Piper's Chair up close. It was extremely windy, to the extent that it was difficult to remain upright. My impression of that place is of extremes: of noise; (from the wind); of temperature; of weather; and of emotion. In mom, it created feelings of fear and anxiety, especially if either Dad or I got too close to the edge, where there was a steep drop; in dad, it seemed to create excitement, and he spent a while standing on top of the stone, in the full force of the wind. For me, it was an exhilarating experience that contributed to the more general sense of place of 'Northumberland' that I am starting to acquire. It has particularly got me thinking about the effect that weather has on our sense of place, because the Piper's Chair isn't one, stable, unchanging place. My experience of it on this walk was totally different to last time, when the weather was much calmer. The affect of the place can change radically in short periods of time, depending on weather conditions. There is also evidence at this site of much slower, long-term processes of weather that influence place. The two ends of the Piper's Chair have fallen off, and lie on the ground at either end, the exposed edges smoothed over by the wind and rain; and the top of the rock protrudes over the underside, as softer rock beneath has gradually been eroded away.
The walk became more interesting after a few miles, as we headed uphill towards the Piper's Chair. The landscape changes quickly and dramatically here. We took a detour off the main path in order to see the Piper's Chair up close. It was extremely windy, to the extent that it was difficult to remain upright. My impression of that place is of extremes: of noise; (from the wind); of temperature; of weather; and of emotion. In mom, it created feelings of fear and anxiety, especially if either Dad or I got too close to the edge, where there was a steep drop; in dad, it seemed to create excitement, and he spent a while standing on top of the stone, in the full force of the wind. For me, it was an exhilarating experience that contributed to the more general sense of place of 'Northumberland' that I am starting to acquire. It has particularly got me thinking about the effect that weather has on our sense of place, because the Piper's Chair isn't one, stable, unchanging place. My experience of it on this walk was totally different to last time, when the weather was much calmer. The affect of the place can change radically in short periods of time, depending on weather conditions. There is also evidence at this site of much slower, long-term processes of weather that influence place. The two ends of the Piper's Chair have fallen off, and lie on the ground at either end, the exposed edges smoothed over by the wind and rain; and the top of the rock protrudes over the underside, as softer rock beneath has gradually been eroded away.
Moving on from the Piper's Chair, we passed Shaftoe Crags, and saw a group of people bouldering there. These people were taking advantage of the affordances of the landscape, which remains fairly dramatic and bleak here. The landscape quickly changed again though as we passed through a sort of tunnel, with crags on each side, into a field full of cows.
Entering the field and leaving the crags behind felt almost like passing through a portal into a different world; the two landscapes somehow didn't seem connected. In my memory, the walk is divided into distinct parts: the lake; the fields; and the crags. The three seem so different from each other that they don't really relate in my memory.
A walk around Bolam Lake constituted the final part of the walk, where I lingered to take photographs. I was able to get some beautiful shots of swans, capturing the reflections in the surface of the lake, and water droplets falling from the swan's beak. I was also captivated by the snowdrops, signalling the onset of spring. The calm stillness of the lake and the dainty flowers contrasted completely with the harsh, windy conditions we experienced at the Piper's Chair - it really could have been a different day, a different time, in a different world. It's amazing how much difference a mile can make!
A walk around Bolam Lake constituted the final part of the walk, where I lingered to take photographs. I was able to get some beautiful shots of swans, capturing the reflections in the surface of the lake, and water droplets falling from the swan's beak. I was also captivated by the snowdrops, signalling the onset of spring. The calm stillness of the lake and the dainty flowers contrasted completely with the harsh, windy conditions we experienced at the Piper's Chair - it really could have been a different day, a different time, in a different world. It's amazing how much difference a mile can make!
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