July

Position

In July we will be spending our time in the six-seven o’clock segment of the ‘clock’,  180-210 degrees from the centre. You can look at the area through this interactive map.

Landscape

In July the landscape we’ll be exploring includes the wooded river valleys around Chapel Stile and Little Langdale and the high hulking backs of the Coniston Fells, where the old workings of copper mines are still clear to see. There’s Coniston Water as well, fringed by woodlands that are threaded with paths; John Ruskin’s former home, Brantwood, which has a permanent collection of Ruskin’s work and hosts exhibitions of contemporary art; and, to the west of the lake, the wide open spread of Torver Common. To the south, the village of Broughton straddles the edge of the national park boundary – beyond this the Furness peninsular embraces the larger town of Ulverston, and a string of villages in open countryside that’s never out of sight of the coast. Barrow in Furness sits in the far south of the peninsular, connected by bridge to a ten-mile-long finger of land that curves between the waters of Morecambe Bay and the Irish Sea: Walney Island boasts long sandy beaches, dunes and wet land and is home to wading birds and seals and many rare species of plants: it’s administered by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.  

Weather

July should hold a fair amount of warm-weather-days, and we’re hoping for sunshine, with relatively warm nights while we’re camping. 

The July Issue ~ Community

This month we will be considering community issues. In a situation where visitors heavily outnumber residents – for every 1 resident there are 480 day visitors each year* – the external view of the national park may focus on its beauty and opportunities for leisure.  The reality, though, is that every-day living needs to be sustainable to keep the life-force of the place flowing, with a sense of belonging and ownership that nurtures the desire to care for and invest in the place; this includes businesses, schools, creativity, a farming culture, and conservation commitments that protect, maintain and enhance a very special place. Cumbria, and the Lake District in particular, is facing a number of challenges to the sustainability of its villages and towns, including a large proportion of young people leaving, remote schools seeing falling numbers of pupils, and insufficient access to affordable housing. The extent of these issues, and related challenges (flagged in the Cumbria Economic Strategy 2009-2019), varies from place to place, and from year to year. We’ll be doing what we can to shed light on what the issues are, how residents and people who come in daily to work feel about the place, and what strategies are being implemented, or planned, and we’ll be chatting to Cumbria’s director of Public Health.  *{LDNPA facts and figures}

Walking, Camping & the Canvas

For reflections on our July camp and the location and content of the July Canvas, check the July blog posts.