Everyone arrived over the course of the afternoon at Glenthorne Guest House in Grasmere - where we shared a good meal together and started to get to know each other a little.

Today we set out on our first walk - through the woods to Grasmere and Rydal Water.

At the end of Rydal Water, we walked up beside Rydal Beck awhile enjoying the waterfalls, and then found a good place to eat our packed lunches.

After tea at Rydal Hall tea room, we then walked back to Grasmere along an ancient bridle path once used for carrying the dead to consecrated ground at Grasmere church.

It gave us lovely views down over Rydal Water for much of the way back.

After heavy rain in the night, we thought waterfalls would be good value today - and set off for Easedale Tarn.

A section of flooded footpath supplied the first excitement!

Then Sour Milk Gill waterfall - fully in spate - was a very dramatic sight! We stopped beside it for a while before heading on up to Easedale Tarn.

Easedale Tarn was beautifully atmospheric as usual. 2 brave women took to the water and had a lovely swim while the rest of us started our lunch!

The fullness of the river and the wetness of the ground around the tarn after rain meant that we couldn't reach any other paths, and had to retrace our steps past the waterfall to Grasmere. And back through any puddles on the bridle path!

Today looked like a great day for Alcock Tarn - a little lake perched on the side of Heron Pike overlooking Grasmere - and even Windermere in the distance.

One last push up to the top, and there we were - with all of Grasmere below us! We celebrated our achievement with group photos on Grey Crag, and then lunch by the tarn!

Our return route was down the good zigzag path to Greenhead Gill - and we stopped again for a paddle to cool our feet at the bottom.

Today we headed along beside Rydal Water and then up onto the end of Loughrigg Fell overlooking Lake Windermere. Unfortunately the camera got onto the wrong setting so some of these photos are over exposed - but you can still get the gist!

Slowly we made our way through beautiful beech woods then bracken up to the ridge where we had a glorious views down much of the length of Lake Windermere.

Most of the group were planning to leave early the next day for their journeys home - so we made the most of the day!!