Serpentine Woods, Cumbria, Spring
There's a lot going on right now.
So, with another glorious spring day on the horizon, Lisabet and I booted up for a hike up the fellside of Kendal into Serpentine Woods.
In my opinion, Serpentine Woods looks its best at this time of year compared to any other. That's because the woods are filled with wild garlic, Allium ursinum. Around the middle of May the wild garlic produces a carpet of beautifully delicate white flowers and fills the air with the delicious scent of garlic.
Beyond the woods, Kendal looked spectacular in its greenery. Nature's restorative powers are not to be dismissed.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my three prime lenses: a Fujinon 23mm f/2.0, a Laowa 9mm f/2.8, and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Images made 90% in-camera, with finalising in Affinity Photo.
A good route to Serpentine Woods involves walking up Kendal's steepest road, Beast Banks. Halfway up the road, a side street branches off. This is Garth Head, a medieval lane linking Beast Banks with Captain French Lane.
Everything's looking wonderfully green now.
Chinese Wisteria, Wisteria sinensis, and the old iron-wrought gate at Beech House, creating a lovely scene I had to capture.
So much green! Our route lies up and to the left.
This beautiful cottage sits right underneath Serpentine Woods. In the summer the front of the cottage explodes in flowers, and during the Christmas period it's often covered in a dazzling array of Christmas lights.
Into Serpentine Woods we go.
The woods sits on a shelf of limestone, which occasionally protrudes and creates little clearings in the woodland.
A family enjoy a wander through the woodland and its bounty of wild garlic flowers.
My favourite little area in Serpentine Woods, the "pointless" gate.
On goes my ultra-wide 9mm lens for some compositions involving some of the Storm Arwen casualties.
Getting this close to the wild garlic, the smell was intoxicating.
Out of the top of Serpentine Woods, the views over Kendal and its valley are stunning. It was nice to see plenty of families out, enjoying nature.
This bench signals our way back down the fellside.
This year's spring lambs are getting nice and fat now.
Fantastic cloud formations were building above Benson Knott, which sits above the town.
Across the Kendal valley towards the Whinfell Common and the Howgills.
To the north, the Kentmere fells look tantalisingly beautiful.
The path follows this dry stone wall all the way back down into town.
One last look back north.
Just one of many allotments in Kendal. This one seems to be home to a flock of homing pigeons.
Closer to Windermere Road and the clouds are building up.
I do love me some cloud porn.