A few nights away in Cumbria, nr Ullswater, at one of our favourite sites, The Quiet Site (not sure why I’m telling you about it, every one will want to go, what with it’s swishy new zero waste shop an’ all In the morning Mr Uphilldowndale had been charging around the hills on his bike, I put the kettle on to boil, to sustain my needs for tea and curled up under the duvet with a book, what a treat. Spud the dog snoozed contentedly. In the afternoon we took a gentle walk along a track near the site, whilst the surface has been sealed at some time it looked little used by traffic.
We were surprised by the number and variety of crab apple trees we passed. I know that south Cubria is famed for its damsons, in fact the Westmorland Damson Association, celebrates them in every way.
But I’d not seen so many apples before, It must look very pretty when they are in bloom, and a source of food for wildlife through the seasons.
They are hardy looking trees, that don’t give up when they are down
So many colours, bronze green
acid greens,
honeyed yellows
rusty red
rich plum shades
We don’t see crab apples in our hedgerows here in north Derbyshire, I tried asking a local, about how come there are so many varieties in just a mile or so of track, they weren’t very forth coming.
They can hardly have germinated from an apple cast aside by a passing car or (cart) can they?
The apples had out paced the blackberries, the devil had seen to that.
Spud the dog usually like to bring home an apple or two, but these seem to have been a little too tart of his tastes.
Uphilldowndale 
October 13, 2019 at 10:47 pm
It has been a good year for crab apples here too but we don’t have anything like that variety.
October 14, 2019 at 4:31 am
The only thing I can remember being made from our crabapples were spiced ones — or perhaps some jelly. They were entirely too tart to eat, although they made fine weapons in our neighborhood “wars” during grade school.
October 15, 2019 at 6:40 pm
Ouch, they sound like serious weapons! This is friendlier https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/10/crab-apple-recipes/
October 15, 2019 at 6:51 pm
Actually those apple-weapons did very little damage because our aim was so bad!
October 14, 2019 at 8:56 am
Good to see that you enjoyed a few days away . I didn’t realise that there were lots of different crab apple varieties, although I’m not surprised thinking about it. It’s a shame that they’re too tart to eat. That local looks like they’re giving you the cold shoulder. xx
October 15, 2019 at 6:43 pm
Was that cold shoulder of lamb, with crab apple jelly?
October 15, 2019 at 6:48 pm
Quite possibly! xx
October 14, 2019 at 10:03 pm
I do like Wast Water, lovely screes. I love the Lakes but by the time I have driven up from the South it seems best to carry on to Scotland. I first visited as a teenager more than 40 years ago, then there were less people around.
October 15, 2019 at 6:42 pm
The north of the lakes is much quieter, but yess, there are so many more people, as far as Scotland goes, Skye has a particular problem now the Skye bridge makes is so much easier for visitors to drive there.