Reminds me somebody...

Lone Rangering in North Durham

Bruno had to be left at home today due to the presence on this walk of a large herd of suckler cows on part of my adopt-a-path route wot I do twice a year around Blanchland and Edmundbyers. I’ve been mugged by these girls before. They really do go absolutely unreasonably apeshit at the mere sight of a wagging tail. So Bruno Was Not to Come, but to Stay At Home.

Leaving Superdawg behind is not an easy job, so I have to employ psychological tactics to try to make him think that I’ve just nipped out and will be back immediately my need to visit the emporia of Hope Street has been sated. After a bit of howling he usually drifts into one of his naps. Superdawg naps can last a long long time.

Today’s strategy was to nip over to the chemists to pick up my keeping alive tablets.

The lass behind the counter went said that I was five foot six, grey hair, untidy beard and a bit overweight. I said that actually, I’d come for my prescription, not…  dhuhh…. I expect she thinks she’s a bit of a wag.

So, dogless and beta-blocker-less, I steered the over-cool knipemobile to Blanchland (the thermostat is broken) where I parked prettily and did my usual five or so miles up by the river, along through Deborah Wood, up through the lambing fields to Townfield and over the moor back to Blanchland, with a little diversion to visit the wobbly stile that hasn’t yet been fixed. Just for devilment, I added another two public footpaths to the round. This added a bit of time, but not much distance. makes a change, though. One of the paths has some shoring which is slowly falling to bits. I keep reporting it. It doesn’t look much worse than last time. i expect it’ll last another couple of years. 

The other thing about this route is that I’m leading a guided walk over part of it in the summer. its partly advertised as a bluebell walk. the only problem with this is that the lily-like leaves I spotted last winter have flowered to reveal a plant which is not actually a bluebell… double- dhuhh…   I’ll see if I can bluff my way through. Don’t mention it to anybody, eh? There was this blossom-covered tree which was quite nice. Not actually a bluebell as such, obviously

  

Victorian postbox….? Another thing which isn’t a bluebell. Its in Blanchland.

After lunch, I relocated to Edmundbyers and did my nine mile walk in the opposite direction to how I normally do it. I do like to be as adventurous as possible sometimes. All the paths and bridleways are in good condition and, as part of the lead Mine Trail are pretty well used. the bridleway in particular is showing heavy use by cyclists – but not much litter.

Its a fine route – nothing too exciting (apart from the suckler cows) – but nice, big wide open moorland on easy terrain you can blast along if you want. I fell asleep in the heather about halfway round. The wife woke me with a phone call to ask what was for tea. I didn’t know.

Altogether, it was 15 miles and 1800 feet of thin brown contoury things. I’ll be back in October.  Actually, I’ll be back on some of this in June….

Oh aye, I met a horse as well – see the picture.

 

Stanhope Denes and the Bit In Between – Reccy

Next week, I’m leading another Durham County Council walk, and today was the day to do the pre-disaster checks…er… the risk assessment pre-walk walk thing…

The Pigs are some I met on the way, incidentally. They were either very friendly or a bit hungry. They looked delicious, anyway.

So me and superdawg nicked off to Stanhope with a jam butty, a banana and a slab of cake and did this walk yet again.

As you can see from the pics, it was a very nice and sunny day and everything was quite green. Stanhope Dene was a delight and absolutely heaving with wild flowers – mainly ramsons, primroses, violets (or were they pansies?) and celendines and there was a woodpecker pecking a dead tree.

We went to the salmon pool where Bruno had a little plodge and I discovered a large number of empty budweiser bottles and lager tins scatterred about. I collected them up and stuffed them into my pack. Honestly,…. dhuhhh…… ghasp…

What I’m most upset about, of course, is the fact that I missed the party. Anyway, it’s all been recycled now.

Then we followed the route up over the moor and along the old railway line to Park Head, where we, that is, me, enjoyed a cuppa and a teasted toecake. I allowed Bruno to watch as a treat. They were very busy with cyclists in silly clothes asking for their water bottles to be filled up, so I didn;t talk to the boss about next week’s walk today. I’ll send an email, which he’s more likely to remember anyway. It was a bit frantic up there today.

We progressed down the Crawleyside incline and along Crawleyside Edge to Jollybody farm, where we met the Pig family. We all had a lovely grunt. Bruno had never met a pig before, so he was intrigued as to how he was going to eat a whole one at one go…

We sidled discreetly through a lambing field and into Shittlehope dene (no sniggerring, ta…) and this was all very green and flowery and pleasant once again.

I did come across a fallen tree which is across the path but doesn’t pose a serious blockage and can be ducked-under. I’ll report it anyway, with a photo and the Rights of Way peeps can decide whether or not the rangers would like some chain saw fun.

And that was that. The mobile has intermittent signals all the way around the route except in the depths of the Denes, there’s one exposed bit and a road crossing and there we have the risks…

9 Miles and 1000 feet – which, spookily enough is exactly what it was the last time I did this walk back in January.

http://www.backpackersclub.co.uk/e107/news.php?item.42.3  Has details of the Dales Outdoor Weekend which coincides with this walk (Just so people can have a walk after looking at all those tents)

Plodge on the Tyne

Just by way of a little light relief, me and Brian had a little plodge down Ashgill and bits of the Tyne Gorge near Garrigill.

There was very little water in either Ash Gill or the South Tyne, so progress was relatively dry and fairly easy.

Ash Gill is a favourite “gorge-walking” spot for naughty boys and girls having their characters built by being encouraged to jump into deep pools of cold water, so its fairly well known, but the Tyne Gorge can only be entered at certain spots – one being where it’s joined by Ash Gill – and it lies in a deep square-cut gorge and is, therefore, secluded and retains just a thin stripe of ancient greenwood.

It’s bed is carboniferous limestone and the walls are sandstones and shales, the junction between the two being sharply defined. And, due to lack of human traffic, its got lots of wildlife and flora. Its a bloody fab place, in other words. If you go, do it in settled weather as the Tyne is  a spate river at this point and once you’re in the gorge, its often a long way to an exit if the stream decides to flood.

So, me and Brian plodged upstream for about a mile or so, paddling the pools and slipping on the greasy limestone. One pool was up to the naughty parts, but mainly, maximum depths were knee-level.

There were dippers and ducks – including a female with a large brood of ten or so very tiny ducklings. they all poddled off out of the way and eventually pretended not to be there, and, if you didn’t actually know they were there, you wouldn’t have seen them.

After doing the upstream bit, we retraced damply and did some downstream. Inevitably, the river is a bit more substantial downstream and it comes to pools which would have needed a more determined approach than we were willing to give it. Also the water was a bit cold…

So we scrambled out and followed the paths back to Ash Gill Force where we’d left the car.

All good clean , watery fun. Sometimes its good just to have a poke a round and see whatever it is that can be seen. Its kid’s stuff really; people our age really shouldn’t be going paddling for an afternoon. Coming back with soggy  socks and undies…  it’s ridiculous…… arf….

You’re Two tents

I got an email the other day which, basically, to cut to the chase, as they say all the time on Jeremy Kyle just before they do the all-important lie detector results, asked me if I would like to review a tent. I saud I could do two tents if they wanted.

And so, this morning, two tents arrived. We packed some butties and bananas and strong coffee and went off to Demesne Mill pickernicking place (aka Wolsingham Pools in Knipe Family Nomenclature) to put them up and have a look.

Tent 1 is a two man Karrimor Ultralite Explorer and tent 2 is a Eurohike Primevera 3 – a three man tent.

The grandkids liked tried both briefly and liked the big one the best.

The big one fought bravely not to be erected, but persistence and a set of guidelines prevailed and it had a brief outing.

The backpacking tent will be used for “Cafe Akto” – a couple of temporary Munro-bagging sites just to the East of Loch Ossian and at Ben Alder Cottage – and, possibly on the site at Montrose. And the Primevera will be used at Tarfside. Its big enough to have a party inside, as it happens…  I’ll likely use it in Wales in the summer as a campsite tent. Plenty of room, see?

After this, I’ll do some honest reviews. I have some early thoughts, but its much twirly to say anything really, so I won’t.

Except to say that whilst I quite liked the Primevera, I can’t get it back in it’s bag.

Kids have gone off to see Fireman Sam just now, so I may take the opportunity to have a brief snooze…