. 

                                                                                                                     Welcome to Cumbria

Welcome to the Lake District in the North of England. The machloop is home to the Hawks at RAF Valley and the Lake district is home to the RAF frontline units, often called the playground by some in the fast jet fraternity. Although this is the most likely place to see the RAF frontline aircraft, you do see a large proportion of training units in these parts also. Situated close to the British Aerospace Airfield and factory at Warton in Lancashire, it is not uncommon to catch some of their fleet at low level in the lakes. The main artery of LFA 17 is where aircraft route up from Morcombe bay over Lake Windermere on to Grasmere and then through Thirlmere banking to Keswick and then a right turn up Bassenthwaite Lake. As just mentioned, this is the route many aircraft take, there are some deviations to this, such as after over flying Windermere aircraft sometimes head up Kirkstone pass and Ullswater. In the past this was a South to North flowed valley, although in recent times aircraft have been seen coming from the opposite direction, perhaps it has now got a 2 way system in use ?. Another popular route and one what was at one time guaranteed to bag you 10-20 movements every day is the M6 pass, this location now is very hit and miss. You can spend a week at this location and have maybe 5 aircraft use it, then on the other hand you can have 5 Tornado gr4's come through before 10 am on a Monday morning. One thing for sure is that you will need a 300-400 mm lens for most locations in this pass, especially for the smaller types such as Hawks, Tucano and Harriers. The recent addition of aircraft warning signs of the M6 on the motorway are a give away when travelling through these parts that you have reached your intended destination. 

 The picture above shows Thirlmere from the south at Dunmail Raise, in the picture you will see a C130 Hercules mid lake. The 2 red points indicate Raven crag on the left and Smaithwaite banks on the right. Click the image for a larger view.

                      Above A twin seat Harrier on a low level sortie through the Cumbrian mountains. This Harrier belongs to Bae and is based at Warton

                                                                 Where to go 

For a starting point on your first trip to Cumbria and in particular if you have a lens with a lens of up to 300 mm i would go to Dunmail Raise at the south end of the Thirlmere section of the main artery. From here the sides of the valley are quite steep and narrow so you cannot fail to get a good view of the aircraft as they fly under you. There are some good positions in this and you can get shots from just about anywhere, just make sure you have a good view down the pass to see approaching aircraft, which can come from the left valley at the bottom or over the big hill at the end of the valley. It is favourable to locate yourself on the Eastern side in the Mornings and then at around 12.15 you should consider switching sides to keep the sun behind you, this will take you a good 30 minutes to achieve and do not be tempted to carry your expensive camera, it is very rocky and it is advised to put your gear away. It is not uncommon to have a nice aircraft fly above you just as you are crossing the road at lunchtime. From Dunmail you will be able to see for yourself the route the aircraft take over Thirlmere and make a note the locations on the hillsides for future trips. The M6 mast is another easy location to find, this location is good for the afternoons but the only let down is the lack of warning as the motorway makes so much noise its difficult to hear aircraft approach. For mornings and if you like a nice walk, Great How is a location you may want to try, with a great view down the lake and a nice seat to rest on. Remember to take your 400mm lens with you.

                                                              Local Amenities

Grasmere village is the nearest village to Dunmail Raise with a few small shops and cash machines, although the Lake District is geared up for tourism, you do have quite a gap between towns. Check out the original lowfly.net website for places to stay in the Lake District.  Here . If you are at the M6 mast, the village of Tebay does have a service station without having to get on to the motorway.