Lake District colours

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nx4737

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Thinking of visiting the lakes in mid October, can anyone comment on how much autumn colour there is at the moment, or is there still a lot of green around?

Thanks
 
It is usually later than people think, at the moment there will be odd trees yellow.
Oaks tend to dominate and they often don't change until into November.
An early frost might change things quite suddenly indeed almost overnight.
 
I'm just south of the Lakes and it is still mainly green, some birches are yellowing and a few browns starting to appear but very little colour right now
 
4wd said:
It is usually later than people think, at the moment there will be odd trees yellow.
Oaks tend to dominate and they often don't change until into November.
An early frost might change things quite suddenly indeed almost overnight.
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i agree,
 
Ah okay, thanks all, so we're looking at least a few weeks then before things really start to turn?
 
It normally turns from mid till end of October. In mid October 2020 Borrowdale looked the best I've ever seen it (so many different golds and browns) but that was the year we had that really freak sunniest April ever on record, which apparently brought out the colours that autumn. I went up in 2022 during first week in November and the weather was appalling, it poured with rain all day every day with boring flat low hanging cloud and there was no colour, so I left 3 days early (best decision I could've made) - so avoid November. I didn't see the sun or a snippet of blue sky for 5 days until I reached the M6 on the way back. Loads of roads were closed due to flooding and Derwent Water had swelled over the jetties and shoreline. October can often be the wettest month of the year and Borrowdale is the wettest part of England (so maybe stay clear of Derwent Water area). I normally try to avoid the October school half term and don't forget the schools up north have a different week off from down south. I'm not going up this autumn as last year's debacle has put me right off, so I'm hoping to go up towards end of February 2023 to get some freezing cold temps and a hoar frost.
 
stuartm1 said:
It normally turns from mid till end of October. In mid October 2020 Borrowdale looked the best I've ever seen it (so many different golds and browns) but that was the year we had that really freak sunniest April ever on record, which apparently brought out the colours that autumn. I went up in 2022 during first week in November and the weather was appalling, it poured with rain all day every day with boring flat low hanging cloud and there was no colour, so I left 3 days early (best decision I could've made) - so avoid November. I didn't see the sun or a snippet of blue sky for 5 days until I reached the M6 on the way back. Loads of roads were closed due to flooding and Derwent Water had swelled over the jetties and shoreline. October can often be the wettest month of the year and Borrowdale is the wettest part of England (so maybe stay clear of Derwent Water area). I normally try to avoid the October school half term and don't forget the schools up north have a different week off from down south. I'm not going up this autumn as last year's debacle has put me right off, so I'm hoping to go up towards end of February 2023 to get some freezing cold temps and a hoar frost.
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I visited in Oct 2020 and the colours were the best I've seen in a long time, yet a year later in 2021, it was a complete let down.
 
nx4737 said:
I visited in Oct 2020 and the colours were the best I've seen in a long time, yet a year later in 2021, it was a complete let down.
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I found the same in 2021, some trees were very green and had yet to begin turning while others had gone way beyond autumn - I think we were spoilt in 2020. I think mid October is the best time to go and cross your fingers there's no 70mph winds the week beforehand. I won't miss the journey up the M6 as it's littered with even more average speed cameras in 2023 - there's a 30mph zone leading up to the Penrith junction and a stealth camera near Tebay services.
 
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stuartm1 said:
I found the same in 2021, some trees were very green and had yet to begin turning while others had gone way beyond autumn - I think we were spoilt in 2020. I think mid October is the best time to go and cross your fingers there's no 70mph winds the week beforehand. I won't miss the journey up the M6 as it's littered with even more average speed cameras in 2023 - there's a 30mph zone leading up to the Penrith junction and a stealth camera near Tebay services.
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I've always visited by public transport, train up to Windermere, from there the bus service around the Lakes is fantastic, I've never missed the car, apart from not being able to visit Tebay services.
 
Here is a snap from my walk in Keswick yesterday
 

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alfbranch said:
Here is a snap from my walk in Keswick yesterday
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Lovely thanks, I'll be visiting on Wednesday.

Some nice colours there and the water level isn't as high as I feared it may be after the rain we've had.
 
nx4737 said:
Lovely thanks, I'll be visiting on Wednesday.

Some nice colours there and the water level isn't as high as I feared it may be after the rain we've had.
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We haven't had so much rain recently in Cumbria
 
Digging up an old thread, but the trees around me in the Midlands are already starting to show some nice autumn colours, what are they like in the Lakes at the moment?

Things seem to be turning earlier this year due to the lack of rain...
 
I'm just south of the Lake District and some trees are turning brown but most are still green and there's not much colour yet. Feel free to bump this thread in a week or two and I'll update.
 
sirch said:
I'm just south of the Lake District and some trees are turning brown but most are still green and there's not much colour yet. Feel free to bump this thread in a week or two and I'll update.
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Thanks, I'm guessing even with the droughts, there has still been more rain the the Lakes than in the Midlands!

Looking out my living room window earlier and one tree was almost bare already.

What would your prediction be for the first week of October?
 
Its hard to say, all the fruit, apples, blackberries etc seem to be early this year with bumper crops but I don't know what that means for autumn colour. No doubt things will be starting to turn in a couple of weeks but currently no colour in birches or acers round here.
 
last time we went it rained and rained, so much so we came home after 4 days

good luck with the weather!!

mid June
TP_Lake_District_2.jpg
 
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I posted this for info of those asking how it's progressing.

Birches just turning, hazel's still green, beaches still green, a little colour on the oaks. The bracken gone straight through to brown missing out yellow and orange
 
sirch said:
From this morning's damp walk, about 15 miles south of Windermere.
https://flic.kr/p/2rund6r
View: https://flic.kr/p/2rund6r

https://flic.kr/p/2ruti62
View: https://flic.kr/p/2ruti62

https://flic.kr/p/2rusTBg
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sirch said:
I posted this for info of those asking how it's progressing.

Birches just turning, hazel's still green, beaches still green, a little colour on the oaks. The bracken gone straight through to brown missing out yellow and orange
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Lovely thanks, I think I'll head up either the first or second week of October, should be good by then!
 
nx4737 said:
Lovely thanks, I think I'll head up either the first or second week of October, should be good by then!
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Hope so, I've got two-day meeting in Keswick then - so hoping to get round Derwentwater.
 
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