Cath and I did a reccy for a walk we’re going to do in the summer. It’s around the salt industrial history of the area and combined with learning to map read. We had a good day out. Nice to be out somewhere different.
Category: Navigation skills
Winter walks
20th December 2015 – Cat Stones, Rishworth
Fine until it got too hard to cross any more bog because it became a river.
2nd January 2016 – Widdop
A reccy with Cath, in perfect no visibility conditions!
10th January 2016 – Widdop
Another reccy with Cath, much brighter and colder day.
17th January 2016 – Stoodley Pike
In the snow.
31st January 2016 – Widdop
With Maureen, so very soggy from every angle.
14th February – Withens Clough and Stoodley Pike
Almost felt glad to be alive. Beautiful day with deeply intense light.
Song of the day: Badlands
Foggy fun 13th December 2015
It started off badly when I found I’d forgotten my compass! I walked a circuit from Lydgate near Littleborough.
First went south quickly reaching the motorway and crossing it. Here I headed east and this was fine for about 1 km but then the right of way had no path under it. Sometimes this is alright but today after all the rain, the bog was too much especially when it went over my ankle and into my boot, so I headed up to a clear bridleway which I could follow up to the mast just near Windy Hill. This was all ok but by the time I got to the mast the fog had descended and the mast was barely visible although I was right next to it.
Then it was back across the motorway and a long quite dull stretch northwards to Blackstone Edge. It was even more dull as there was nothing to see except the flagstones in front of me. This is part of the Pennine Way and Cath and I walked this in September. I don’t remember there being flags then but I may be mistaken in this.
From Blackstone Edge it’s a short hop to the Aiggin Stone, this was also barely visible and what light there was was disappearing rapidly. West down the Roman Road where I promptly fell over, turned my ankle, knocked my pride, and managed to land on the soft bits. My wrist feels a bit weak but will probably be OK tomorrow.
Down through the soggy, boggy bits back to the car. The whole walk took just over 4 hours but felt much longer in the fog.
Map and …. the lack of compass was not a problem as I had backup of GPS on my phone and an electronic compass on my watch, however I have returned my emergency compass to the bag.
Darwen Spaceship 22nd November 2015
Winter draws on, boots in my case.
I’d bought a map of the West Pennines and wanted to give it an airing. Parked up at Sunnyhurst Wood car park. Bimbled my way up to the Darwen Jubilee Tower which was erected in 1897 by public subscription and renovated in 1997 by public subscription and it’s clearly a place a lot of people come and enjoy. The tower itself looks like a spaceship from afar.
I did a short circuit on muddy and in places icy paths overlooking Sunnyhurst and Earnsdale reservoirs. Sunnyhurst has been drained by United Utilities and is being converted to moor and wetland because they have “more efficient ways of managing water supplies”. It just looks like a drained reservoir so this may take a little longer than the projected one year which they wrote in Spring 2014.
Northumberland week October 2015
Friday 9th October
Just over 3 hours to reach Elyhaugh in Longframlington and be welcomed by Sandra with really good cake, eggs and milk in fridge.
Our barn is very clean. So nice not to have to wash the cutlery and plates before we use them. We each have a big en suite room at either end of the barn. The middle is an open kitchen, sitting and eating space. There is a dishwasher to my delight! which explains the clean pots and pans.
Made an omelette for our supper. No wireless and the phone signal is limited to a small spot in the yard.
Saturday 10th October
Walked round Rothbury. Parked a little up from Cragside and did a 6 or 7 km circuit through Armstrong land passing a hill fort site and a standing stone. Not much to see of either. Pleasant walk. Weather a bit misty but we could see where we were going.