Luxury of a lie in

Oh! what luxury it is to be getting up for a sunrise at 6.30am, it seems like cheating somehow.

I even had time for a cup of coffee, then was delayed when the outdoor cat made a dash up the stairs as soon as I opened the front door. He's not house trained so I had to ferret him out from under the dressing table.

My plan was to go to Cawfields for some of my favourite mist pictures but when  I got there the mist was so dense my viewpoints were obscured.

Onto plan B, take the high ground and a climb up to the highest point on the Wall at Winshields Crag, (NY742675) was just the thing.

The mist was pooling at the foot of Peel Crags (NY756676) when I arrived at Steel Rigg so of course I had a moments hesitation but as the sun light is to the south at the moment I decided to go with plan B and make the climb.

Walked out of the car park at Steel Rigg (NY750676) and climbed over the wall steps, taking a minute to admire the new kissing gate the NNPA have put in leading onto Steel Rigg.

Onwards and up the hill, very muddy and from the way the mud is churned up I'd guess there are still a lot of people enjoying the Hadrian's Wall Path.

The way up to the trig point is littered with the  wax cap fungi, such bright colours - I'm sure I saw somewhere that they are becoming rare and you're supposed to record sightings but I'm blowed if I can remember where I saw it.

Texel ewes are out in the fields, soon the tups will be in with them, I told the ladies not to take any notice of his sweet talking ways.

The view from Winshields is breathtaking at most times but today it was doubly so - the mist was rising like waves crashing up over Highshields Crag and I probably spent more time watching it that I did taking photographs.

Sun is rising over the Long Stone momument and, as it happens, the Twice Brewed Pub.

Of course, as Winshields is the highest point, you get views all around and to the west you could see pools of mist with the Nine Nicks of Thirlwall standing proud above the sea of white.

I was out for ages this morning but eventually rumblings reminded me that I hadn't had breakfast so I headed back downhill to the car.

As is my habit I called into Cawfields Quarry (NY713665) to see if there were any birds on the lake there.

I found a big yellow gully cleaning truck chugging away so any wildfowl were long gone.

Click on the pictures if you'd like to see them at a larger size.

Catch you later.

Joan