Efelent Trees with Dawn and LTD

On the occasion of me and Mrs Pieman’s 40th wedding anniversary (and they said it wouldn’t last) (they said the same thing about World War 2), we had a bit of a do at Crook Cricket Club, featuring the rather superb ceilidh band “Maximum Pastry”. We also had some pastry and a fair amount of beer and whisky. All the top people attended, including Dawn, JJ and Chrissie and Geoff as well as huge numbers of the Knipe clan and a coterie of South West Durham locals.

Then , in the morning, we used up an entire half a day having an “all day breakfast” – so-called because the calories produced by the feast lasted all day, despite the efforts of walking 11 miles with some uphill contours included just for fun.

Me and Dawn and LTD set out from Wolsingham railway station at half-past noon (at least) and wandered up through the meadows and pastures to the Famiss Efelent Trees – which loom largely, and have done so for many years, above Frosterley. Of course, the Elephant Trees have featured regularly in this blog, because they’re only a few miles from knipetowers and Weardalers are remarkably fond of them despite the fact that they’re a bit scraggy and weather-beaten and no-longer look like a herd of elephants from the Dale below.

We did a little plod of about 11 miles (did I mention this before?) involving Fine Gill  and Bollihope, including the Cowboy Pass, Harehope Quarry where the Frosterley Marble features in Durham cathedral probably came from, and riverside paths back to the train station. We were all, frankly, knackered. LTD is, in fact, still asleep and only wakes briefley to stuff his face with chewsticks, the wrapping paper off the butter, and, of course, his breakfast of meat and kibble and his tea, of the same stuff. He’s a right lazy git, is LTD…

Nice weekend, and Dawn managed to survive the rumbustuous, noisy and chaotic Knipes and all their children and dogs, some visiting and some temporarily resident. There’s still a fair amount of rubble.