File:Footpath above Hall Lane - geograph.org.uk - 1715173.jpg

English: Footpath above Hall Lane From Hall Lane, above Barley Bridge just out of Staveley (seen in the distance), this footpath ascends the hillside to link with the minor road to Littlewood Farm. Although the lack of snow on the path makes it look as though many people have used it, this is not the case as the area is hardly popular midweek in February, even at half term. The explanation is soil compression from use of the path over a more extended period. Less air content means that the soil, not frozen before the light snowfall, is a less good insulator and so able to pass more heat to melt the newly falling snow. Off the path, the snow settles and remains for longer, although the snowline was rising during the day and these fields were all green only a couple of hours later. In the background to the right is Reston Scar, an outlying buttress of Hugill Fell. The far distance is hidden by low cloud - a good reason for choosing a low level walk.