Tatra mountain hike, Zakopane, Polen

Almost straight from Sarek we were off to Zakopane in Polen. Of course for more hiking.
As you might remember we have been in Zakopane earlier, a wedding around a year back. As we at that time didnt have time for hiking it was decided to that we were just had to come back. The mountain range there is called Tatra and is quite similar to the Alps. The highest peak in Polen is Rysy with 2499m although in the whole range the highest is Gerlach in Slovakia with its 2655m.
We spent 4 days hiking. As its a National park wild camping is not allowed so we only did day trips setting of from Zakopane. It is of course possible to stay in the park but then in huts.
We climbed few high peaks, but also did some hiking in the valleys and woodlands. In some of the valleys it was possible to go through caves which is lots of fun and gives that extra adrenalin kick :)
I must admit that Tatras delivered! They were impressive and the hikes can be made rather tough as the range is rather steep. One thing I didn't like was the crowds of people. Didn't really feel that we were in the wild. Some of the peaks are so popular that you have to stand in line for hours just to get to the top.
Anyhow, after a whole day of hiking we would choose a restaurant in Zakopane and spend the evening resting and refuelling. The food and drinks (beer) were just amazing. The list can be made long; Golonka, lamb, mutton, fish, sausage, cheese and many many more :) 
Just tasty and really cheep (especially for Swedes :) )

Thanks Krystian and Kasia for the company ;)

More adventures to come ...
                                                                                               

           

Lake District NP Road Trip

Last week was my little brother and his wife here on a visit for a few days.
We had decided that I would show them the Lake District NP which is about 3h drive north towards the west coast.
We started early to avoid the worst traffic, but despite that, we got stuck in queues at Manchester, but it took maybe an extra 30min which is not so bad when you sometimes have to queue for hours.
Once in the Lake District we drove first a mountain pass down towards Ullswater situated nicely between the mountains, we could still see snow in some deep ravines on the mountain but there were also fresh snow on the peaks.
We had a really good weather because Lake District is known for its rain, I've heard somewhere that it rains about 2000mm per year and 200 days a year. :))
We then drove on towards Keswick which is a small town surrounded by mountains and water, really nice and very touristy with lots of outdoor shops and pubs.
After lunch, we took one more mountain pass (Honister Pass) it was very steep and the poor little rental car had to fight but it was worth it because it was really nice up there.
Then we continued on towards the coast to a place called Mary port where we stopped and took a little walk and then again continue toward Lake and through it towards the largest lake Windermere and further home. We were home by 20:00 so it was really a long great day.

Today I got my new screen a Dell Ultra Sharp 2410 that has received really good reviews for its price range, and I can only agree it seems to be very good.
I have calibrated the screen with a Spyder pro 3 but I'm a little unsure about the colors so if someone has a calibrated monitor i will be glad if you can let me know if the colors look strange. :)

Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Park

Last weekend was spent on a hike in the Yorkshire dales national park and the last day so we drove through the Lake District from Kendal and in to central parts out of the Lake District, which is Windermere, Ambleside, Keswick and then on to the sea side.
The hike in Yorkshire was fantastic, but it did not start so well with thick fog that lay over the mountain. But after 2-3 hours up there as the sun began to warm up the air and the mist lifted, and it was only now we could see how it looked like.
Gentle hills with just grass everywhere, not even Heather as there are so plentiful in the Peak District.
Highest peak as we were at 676 meters above sea level, and the length of the hike was about 18km and took us 7.5 hours with all refreshments, photo breaks. The longest time we got stuck was at Cautley spout which is a waterfall that runs about 350m down the mountain, it was pretty cool.
Then we went down in to the valley and we had 8 km long walk to the car.
Lake District on Sunday and not where you disappointed with the outlook here either, fantastic  weather with low mist in the sun and with amazing photo opportunities with the reflections of the mountains in the water and mists. But they do not have any parking along the roads. :((
And so we had a little rush, so therefore i dont have any pictures from central parts of the lakes.

Camera equipment i used: Nikon D90 and nikon wide-angle lens 10-24mm f3,5. Pol-filter and soft gradueted grad filter.

Sedbergh, start of the hike

wild horses

mist

Halfway

The calf

Cautley spout

Cautley spout

Cautley spout

The valley and Cautley spout in the back

Somewhere in the Lakes

Sea side at Workington

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