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Friday 24 June 2011

Wolsingham Weardale Wekky..er..Reccy..dhuhh

elephant trees

At half ten in the morning on 1 July, I’m leading another Durham County Council guided walk and so, roughly a week before I went out today to see if the route was safe and that I could remember where it went.

aberrant apostrophe load of bullocks

Superdawg stayed home for a bit of howling because I predicted (successfully as it happens..) suckler cattle and some of those bullock animals that bounce around a lot. he wouldn’t have liked any of those. Note the sign – the farmer is showing signs of contact with the catering trade (note the aberrant apostrophe)

wolsingham reccy 001 wolsingham

So, after following the Wolsingham wheelchair walk for a bit (for peeps in wheelchairs..) , I struggled manfully up the steep bank out of Wolsingham, ignoring the two herds of idiot cattle running about daft, through a crop of barley 9I think) and a meadow and on to the bridleway to the Efelant Trees. We all know about the elfelent trees by now coz they iz famiss.

broody gurlz

And, after some messing on and some pratting about during which I had a long telephone conversation with John Jocys, I entered the superb and interesting little valley of Bollihope Burn with it’s lead mines and quarries and kilns and bridges and holes and chickens. yes, folks, chickens. I got followed for a substantial distance by a herd of hungry chickens. these ladies would not take no for an answer and insisted on investigating my socks to see if there was any grain in there. Or a worm, perhaps….  Eventually they came to the edge of chickenland and turned back. I probably won’t mention these in the Health and Safety assessment.

weardale train wolsingham reccy 016

I also met the train from Stanhope (not many people on board) and a man with a red flag and a green flag operating the level crossing. I expect he was a communist mobile car mechanic or something.. and some brown pigs enjoying themselves free-range in a wood.

Then I met the sucklers who looked vaguely interested in me for a while but didn’t make much fuss. It would have been a different matter had superdawg been along.

manky planky

I did eleven miles, which, not really coincidentally is the same distance as next week’s guided walk. There’s a few manky planks on a footbridge. Other than that, the walk is fine.

Bruno can come tomorrow. I’m doing another reccy at Middleton in Teesdale.

9 comments:

QDanT said...

(crop of barley 9I think)
Is that a GM batch number ?
cheers from Super Dawg Fan Club

Mike Knipe said...

Duff editing, Dan. To be fair, I have no idea about cereals, apart from the fact that sugar puffs are the work of the devil and coco-pops look like the product of a stomach complaint.

Eeek said...

Ello - Like Weardale- Spent some time in Stanhope and middleton. Am also pondering on moving to Crook area. Got any recommendations???? Where's nicer where's not??? Cheaper than north northumberland but still accessible to green places!!! Cheers!!!

Alan Sloman said...

Those heffalump trees look more like two horses to me.

It's good to see them again. I like rhythm.

Word = "empati" - rather like my wine rack, at the moment.

Mike Knipe said...

They look more like two dogs to me Alan.
Eeek! Crook and environs are very cheap indeed - once you move in, you'll never move out- cos you won't be able to afford to move out.
The green stuff is five mins walk from here. The nearest 2000 foot top is 18km in a straight line.

Peter Crawford said...

Watch out for those rogue apostrophe's Mike. The'yl get you in the end. Nicepics' as usual
Cheer's Pete.

Mike Knipe said...

We can't do the verb to of either Peter. I should of, you should of, he should of. We should of, youze should of, they should of.

"Of we got any chicken's?"
"Have cour'se we of."

Eeek said...

cheers mike! am needing to downsize and slow up for the offspring sake. Crook seems nice but stll near green bits!

Mike Knipe said...

I thought you wanted some green, Eeeeek...? Crook's cost of living index is probably lower than in most of the rest of England, I suspect.

(We have a cottage to rent by the way - very quiet - ideal for sprogs - close to shops - very cosy - nice neighbours - you can bring a dog.....)