It’s a simple request of a sat nav (aka GPS), please direct us from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. Under normal conditions, this should not present a problem, but while in the Lake District in Cumbria, England, the “fastest” route was often charted along one-lane tracks (that’s a single lane shared by vehicles traveling in either direction) bordered on both sides by high hedges. Stuck behind slow-moving cars or struggling to pass oncoming traffic, these roads were often not nearly the fastest route.
So, should we have been surprised when Abby, our sat nav, sent us on a journey through the mountains instead of along flatter lands via a main road when we asked her to get us from Ravenglass, on England’s West Coast, to Coniston Water, a lake on the way to our home base of Lake Windermere? Pshaw! But perhaps Abby knows that, although we may whinge about the longer driving time, we really do prefer a more scenic route. And scenic we got. Austhwaite Brow (the name of the road) allowed us to see some truly beautiful land and sky that we otherwise would have missed.
Along one section of Austhwaite Brow, I noticed the craziest clouds. The formations didn’t resemble anything I’d seen before, spanning the sky in long, stacked, tube-shaped forms seemingly emanating from glowing wave forms and mist arising from behind a distant hill.
The above panorama shows the full sky (click on the image for a larger view). The other photos in this post show various sky sections along points of travel.
Have you ever been sent on an unexpected adventure by a sat nav gone rogue?
I’ve always enjoyed these narrow and winding roads in the Lake District – and elsewhere in Britain. I always tried to find those, just with my maps as it was the only way then, when the world had not even heard of GPS. And it was at the highest point of one narrow road in the Lake District that I found the epitome of Brtishness. The descent was very steep [1 in 3] and the sign read, “You have been warned!” I could have cried out laughing.
Best regards from southern Texas,
Pit
I wonder if the people who posted the sign expect people to turn around and just go back the way they came.
Thanks for your comment, Pit, and thanks for stopping by.
Ever been sent on an adventure by a rogue sat nav? Uh, yeah, like, every time I use one. I’m telling you, they are an artificial intelligence waiting to send us all over cliffs leaving them free to rule the earth.
Gorgeous clouds. I think I’ve mentioned before: you’ve got me looking at the sky in a whole new way.
Thanks, Monique. And I’ll have to give your conspiracy theory some serious thought, because it has a ring of truth to it. Hmm.
Great pictures! Great colours
Thanks so much. I’m glad you liked the photos.