We approach a crag. I think I see a raven nest but when I look through the binoculars, it has been abandoned. Still, it shows that this is a suitable area. We carry on walking. Ashley is some way behind us. He has hardly said anything all morning. The sky is overcast, and there are dark clouds in the distance, but they look too high up to rain. The Lake District has one of the best-documented raven populations in Britain. Tree nesting is uncommon though, so we have more chance spotting a crag-nest. The rocks poke out like fractured bones, casting dramatic shadows. The unevenness of the ground and the frequent sheer drops along the path suggest to me that this is quite treacherous walking for sheep and I imagine lots of sheep have fallen down a ravine and either died on impact or broken their legs and died of starvation later. All good carrion opportunities. There are lots of sheep about, some of them in precarious positions, perched at the edge of a drop munching away at the tough grass.
