Farewell, then, summer?

As I type, the heavens have opened, the sky is black and the few days of summer sunshine we have had recently already seem a distant memory. It has been exceptionally hot and humid, conditions which have provided their own set of challenges when doing a heavy job such as ours, so slightly cooler conditons will be welcomed by all team members.
However, even in the heat there were signs of autumn's approach. The bracken is now turning yellow and orange in many places along Langstrath while a Common Sandpiper, perhaps having recently left breeding grounds, has taken up residence at the foot of Stake Pass, its shrill calls advertising its presence each morning. And the dew on the grass in the valley floor is another reminder that summer does not have long to run here in the uplands.
Work on Stake Pass is progressing nicely thanks to the efforts of our colleagues from the South Lakes footpath team, who are with us for the rest of August. With their help we shall soon have the fourth switchback of the season completed and work on the footpath as a whole approaching halfway down the north side of the Pass. We'll see you up there perhaps!