The fountain with no water

This is the iconic picture of our village. It appears in some form or other on every tourist guide or information leaflet about the Eden Valley. In the foreground is the Dufton fountain. It was built by the London Lead Company in 1858, when the village was an important centre for lead mining. It forms the centrepiece on the green, but unfortunately has not had water for a long time. There are regularly moves to get water flowing again, but apparently the logistics are just too difficult. It was tarted up a bit for the Jubilee this year, so flowers are in the trough instead of water.

In the background of the picture is Dufton Pike. More of this later.

Note: the article in The Guardian on Saturday, which professed to be about the Eden Valley, was almost all about the Lake District, which is nowhere near the Eden River!

I was watching the tennis - honest! I nipped out in the rain break to take this.