And today's pest is...

...Himalayan balsam. Yes, this pleasant-looking plant, which was originally introduced to this country as a garden plant (just like giant hogweed - see below) is now in danger of taking over our rural river banks and smothering our indiginous wild flowers.

Went for a wee wander on my bike at teatime - up the main road past Crosby Villa, down into the dip, up the long climb known locally as 'Slowly On', and turned right up a narrow road I'd never been along before. It leads down a long hill towards the River Ellen. As I whizzed downhill I thought to myself, "you'll pay for this when you have to use your muscles to get back uphill on the way home," but it was lovely to fly past meadowsweet and red campion, cow parsely and knapweed, and many other wild flowers with their gentle scents.

Halfway along there's a turn off to the right, that takes those who wish to do so to Cockermouth, and this road crosses a little hump-backed bridge across the river. I stopped to have a look, and found a huge swathe of Himalayan balsam all along the river bank. Pretty stuff, but lethal.

(There was also the carcase of a dead cow on a little island in the river, but I thought you'd prefer the photo of the Himalayan balsam to the one of the mouldering bovine.)

And the steep uphill stretch? Yes, I found it all right, on the stretch up through Oughterside towards Prospect before rejoining the main A596. Oh well, I keep reminding myself that every time I pedal my way up something like that I'm getting fitter.