I woke up at 4.30am and looked out of the window towards Walla Crag and noticed that there was some mist which was obviously hovering over Derwent Water and the sky was just beginning to get light.
There wasn't a moment to lose so I flung on the previous day's clothing, grabbed a pair of socks along with my camera bag and rushed out of the cottage. At the same time I was trying to think where to go. I'd been to Kettlewell and Ashness Jetty last year so Manesty seemed the place to go. How should I get there quickly? It was a fair jog from the cottage but was I going to gain anything by driving round to the west side and accessing the lake from there? There was only one way to find out.
As I got onto the footpath I could already see that the mist was blowing about so I had to run in order not to miss the morning's delights. Even with the 'short' route it took me 10 minutes to reach the water's edge but I was so pleased that I'd made the effort.
The sky was turning a subtle shade of pink and was reflecting in the clouds and on the water. The water was incredibly still and the mist was sitting on the surface. There was clearly some breeze about as some of the mist was scudding across the water but elsewhere it was forming a soft layer above the lake surface.
I spent a wonderful hour taking in the atmosphere and the changing light before setting off back to my abandoned car. Even then the sun suddenly shot above the horizon and blasted a shaft of light onto all the trees in front of me. Absolutely Glorious!
