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Monday 12 July 2010

Taking an Egg Butty up Great Coum

dog on a hot moraine
Yes folks, its time we did yet another of those Yorkshire Dales 2000 foot tops. Its been a while.
I went to Dent, where the dentists live, paid £4.50 at the car park (note: park by the bridge cos its free….) and allowed superdawg to pull me up Flinter Gill. Flinter Gill is very steep but it has a wishing tree, a limekiln and a view  indicator, which indicates the view.
wishing tree flinter gill
There’s no water in Flinter Gill. This has nothing to do with the drought. It hardly ever has water in it, cos it all sinks undergound high up the gill.
Anyway, we finally got up to Green lane and followed it for a while,  till it noticed, then we pretended to be tying our shoelaces. I think it knew, though. We turned off up another lane and came to the moor where it started raining a bit. It wasn’t supposed to rain. the rain was supposed to be in North East England, which is why we were doing a walk overlooking Morecambe Bay. It wasn’t very heavy, though.
cairn on crag hill crag hill trig
We reached a cairn which had been on the horizon but wasn’t any more. It was a big, old, well built shepherd’s cairn. It has a cracking view. This also meant that we were near the summit ridge. We wandered over to the trig on Crag Hill and hid behind the wall out of the rain to scoff the egg (and tomato) butty, a banana and a double decker (choc bar, not bus….).
The summit of Great Coum is just a slightly higher bit of grass near a wall junction. There is no cairn. Two other cairns appear not to be on the highest points, but nevertheless have nice views.
occy road and ingleborough
I descended by the eastern arm of the Great Coum itself. Its not so great, really. I’ve seen better ones. I suppose that if it’s the only Coum you’ve got….   anyway, its a pleasant way down and has a neat little peri-glacial moraine which , today was an effective windbreak and made an ideal spot to sit and count the sheep for a while. I counted twenty eight. Bruno made it thirty.
man with strimmer splish splash
Various lanes brought us down to Dentdale. At one point we came up behind a chap with an industrial strength strimmer, clearing a bridleway. We waited for him to notice us, rather than risk an unpleasant strimming accident. He let us pass into the jungle he’d not go to yet. A bit further on, the path was cobbled, but covered by a stream. Even further on there were stepping stones. We had a paddle and played a game of throw a stick in the water and bring it out again and throw it in again and bring it out again and……
stepping stones
The Dales Way brought us pleasantly back to Dent on a riverside path through haymeadows.
dent
We did eight miles and 1800 feet of uphill. It were grand, despite the spitty-spots of rain.
great coum

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

As usual I giggled along with your walking...I think I need to get a dog to pull me up hills. Maybe if I get one of those wheeled rucksacks PTC* had in Augusts Trail Mag I could get the dog to pull me up chariot style? Whow knows.
And what have you done with Kylie lately??

Mike Knipe said...

Never train a hillwalking dog to walk to heel, Helen. Just a tip, there....
Kylie only visits at night by the way.

When she's not gallavanting with the locals.....

Unknown said...

I do enjoy your reports from the comfort of my computer chair. This one cheered me up over a cuppa before getting ready for, or putting off really, work.

Thanks, Brian

Tykelad said...

There are fewer simpler pleasures in life than an egg butty.

And the views look pretty good too.

Mike Knipe said...

We're just trying to have fun, Brian. Otherwise, its just a walk...

Egg (and tomato) butties, Tykelad. The trick is in the flick of the wrist during the application of white pepper....

They're very cheap, too...

AlanR said...

Smashing read Mike as usual. I can't eat eggs they make me ill for 24 hrs or so. But i can smell them. Hm.

John J said...

White pepper on egg butties? Are you mad?? You MUST use black pepper - freshly ground is best of course.

Walks away, shaking head in disbelief.

I mean...white pepper...on egg butties. What a waste.

Word: pedlemid. That's what I am, completely pedlemid.

I need to lie down.

JJ

Mike Knipe said...

Don't be silly John J.... "Freshly" ground pepper on British free range eggs from hens with names, and local greenhouse tomatoes, is just a bit too pink for a manly blog such as this... you'll be using brown bread next! (only joking - hovis best of both actually....)

Alan - I have a similar problem with strawberries - a devastating effect as it happens....

Tony Bennett said...

Time was once when I ran up Flinter Gill. Bloody stupid idea that was. Those green lanes in the Dales can be quite sneaky - you can't really trust them. There was a bloke in the states who once ate a bus I think. I guess if all you have for chocolate are Hershy bars...

Mike Knipe said...

A double decker, I expect......

Never try to run up Flinter Gill.

Just a tip there for you.....

Nearly time for Gaping Gill....