UK Low Flyers 2023

[VH-WAL]

The Lake Districts Weather forecast looked good, I had an itchy trigger finger so I headed off to see if I could catch some low level jet action at Ullswater. The last 4 times I went there I set myself up at Hallin Fell, a nice spot, the climb is not outrageously hard BUT jets will often break off the line of the lake and go behind me high and into the morning sun. This day I resolved to drive a mile further down the track to the small hamlet of Sandwick and climb up Low Birk Fell, tough going with a steep climb up rough ground.. no track you see.. though when I got to the top I looked down and saw that there was an easier path that had been cut through with a farmers quad bike (still not easy but better) The benefit of being up there is that the jets if breaking early will break further up and out of sight from me.. they stay in front of me. I was nearly near the top at about 8.30 am (have to be early) when to my dismay I heard the roar of military jet engines, and I glimpsed a flight of 4 Lakenheath F-35s blast down the lake and did not break off early! If I had gone to Hallin Fell I could have been set up and in perfect position! DOH! So I continued the haul uphill and the buggers came around again, I was still not in position and the climb is too precarious to have the camera out. So I got up there around 9am and set up and waited. Nothing! Nada! Until about 1400 I heard a distant roar, up I stood, prefocused on a likely point and waited for them to round the corner..and waited and nothing, sat down again waited and a roar again and I spotted 2 F-15s high in the next valley, then gone again.. 3 mins later another distant roar and this time they appeared around the corner. Not great shots I tried too low a shutter speed, but happy for the record of being there..after another hour I upped stumps slithered back down the hill and then drove an hour towards Grasmere and another low jet point at Dunmail Raise. Bingo an hour later a brace of RAF F-35s went through, these rarely come out out to play so that was lucky. The number 2 was far enough behind not to appear in the picture but so close that I missed getting a shot of him.



I had 2 previous trips to Ullswater in the last couple of months, one a complete washout with freezing conditions:



check out the photostream for the whole lot as well as Cobra Warrior Action at Waddington