(Above: passing through the Cumbrian village of Skelsmergh)
The small village of Skelsmergh lies at the end of one of the long, twisty lanes that follow the valley of the River Mint and eventually merge onto the A6 trunk road: formerly the main highway across the Shap Summit to Penrith, then on to Carlisle and Scotland.
The M6 motorway reduced the A6’s critical role … but left it much less frantic for those whose concern is scenery over speed.
Skelsmergh lies on the town border of Kendal, forming a liminal space between the town and the wildness of Shap – famous for its alpine-like roads and long-gone transport cafés that provided emergency food and lodgings for lorry drivers trapped there in snowstorms.
This is a fierce place in winter.
But not today. Fresh out of our Pilates class, I can linger and rest the camera on the roof of the car … and smile at the infinite green palette before us.
(Above: Skelsmergh in summer)
Summer shots are my favourite, but Skelsmergh can provide its own drama in the winter, too.
(Above: a winter rainbow from last December)
(Above: the other pot of gold…)
Note: the historic images of Shap are from the website trucknetuk.com and edited here by the author.
©Stephen Tanham 2023
Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to the dawn of Being.
http://www.thesilenteye.co.uk and http://www.suningemini.blog
Beautiful, beautiful pictures. This road is the way to get to Scotland for people really interested in the landscape and not the next tourist trap.
Thank you, Noelle. Yes, the ‘dreaded’ Shap road is at once scary and wonderful.. until it drops you, peacefully into the valleys near Penrith!