Walking the Border – Unfinished business

There’s something really unsettling about leaving something not quite finished. There are stones unturned on the Borders walking project.

The particular unstoned terns are these:

1) What about the route from Gretna to Canonbie, specially the Scots Dyke bit?

2) And what about the route up by the English and Scots Kershopes to Keilder? (Could be dull, its all forest…)

3) And (most irritating uninjured seagull) worrabout the Border ridge from Kielder to Hungry Law – including the Keilder Stone and the Carter Bar battle site and tea-van-with-bacon-butties?

Its this last one that I intend to have a look at next (although, maybe a day visit to the Scots Dyke on my way to Moffat in a couple of weeks could be worked in)

So, I have a tentative plan to walk the Border ridge bit at the very end of October start of November. As there’s not much daylight just then, I’ll take two days over the twenty-one miles or so between Kielder and Byrness and walk back to Kielder using the toll road. Its too far for me in that kind of rufty-tufty countryside anyway, so lack of daylight is a fine excuse. In the middle, I understand there’s a bed for me at the Forest view hostel. (I have asked).

This seems to be getting obsessive……

The pic is Peewiglet’s doglet (dog with a bone, see? – Actually , it’s a stick….. dhuhh)

 

Bounding around Boredale Bagging Birketts

All of this Yorkshire Dales stuff and idiotic jaunts up the Borders with toddlers AND wandering about on that fence line between Scotland and England has distracted me from my list of target hills wot I wrote up last November and which is almost untouched. So I determined to go and bag Angletarn Pike (South). A quick look on http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/ revealed a bunch of unbagged Birketts in the close vicinity and so, it was with a chicken sandwhich, some rhubarb pie and a banana – and an enthusiastic dog, that the knipemobile screeched to a stop at the little car park at the foot of Hallin Fell.

The legs weren’t too happy today, prolly cos of all the beta blockers and the damn great lumps of wobbly fat around the pieman’s gut – but we struggled manfully up the outrageously steep slopes of Sleet Fell till we go to the top.
Fine views were to be had. Sleet Fell was unbagged Birkett #1 – a 378 metre lump on the side of Place Fell.

The next one was to be Low Birk Fell – 373 metres and hiding in some bracken across the other side of a bit of a corrie. the bracken, I ought to point out, is turning brown and dying back. This is a good sign if you like winter, but a crap sign if you don’t. Low Birk Fell has a cairn and a specially fine view of Ullswater and the Helvellyn range. We lunched here in the sun. I lunched, Bruno just watched and tidied up any debris afterwards.


On to Birk Fell aka Bleaberry Knott 512 metres This is painfully steep at the bottom but gets easier. (maybe the beta blockers were wearing off….) This also has a specially fine view of Ullswater and the Helvellyn range. We tarried a bit.


After tarrying we lurched and stumbled up to Place Fell.(657 metres)  This wasn’t too bad as far as steepness is concerned and it’s rocky top provides shelter from the cold wind. Its a popular spot. A couple I’d met earlier who I’d passed, managed to arrive before me (I blamed the dog’s faulty navigation) – had a little celebration. They seemed quite pleased to have climbed it. Place fell has a cracking view…of..er..you know where…

Down to Boredale Hause and then up to Angletarn Pike (South) at 565 metres. This is almost, but not quite scrambly. It has a fine view…..  

After all of these fine views and with legs decreasingly less heavy, we positively danced along the Beda fell ridge. The path along this lumpy ridge changes sides from time to time, and, therefore, the (fine) views are occasionally varied.

Its bloody brill….   Worra nice ridge. I ended my traverse at a little rocky top just North of Beda fell. Just a bit beyond here, a path goes down through the dying bracken to Winter Crag farm and the Boredale road takes the rambler and his faithful pooch back to his car at the bealach.

Nice walk, that…..
10 Miles (only just… rounded up a bit..) and 2900 feet of uphill.

Meet Boris

I was innocently checking my emails this morning when this chap ran past.

Here he is hiding in the dusty bits behind some books.
He left quickly shortly afterwards.
he’s hiding somewhere now. Waiting to jump out, I shouldn’t wonder.
Big bugger eh?

Ettrick Camping Before During and After

 

Before…….

During…….

During:

Number of child/stream incidents involving partial or complete changes of outfit:  4 (shoes still not dry)

Number of times the naughty step in the car was used: 5

Time taken to settle to sleep:  93 minutes including one incidence of incontinence.

Number of tomatoes scoffed by sprog #2 : 5 (seems to like tomatoes)

Number of times sprogs disappeared from sight causing rising feelings of panic: 2

Number of squirrels spotted: 1

Midge bites: 47

Cuts: 2

Bruises: 3

Emotional trauma: 6

Contact with chicken poxed toddler: 0 (but close)

Thanks must go to Aunty Becky and Uncle Morgy for their timely arrival, distracting the toddlers, fierce discipline (That’ll be Becky)  and supply of a couple of calming beers.

The Honey Cottage campsite at Ettrick is a beautiful spot surrounded by specially cracking countryside. I may go there with just superdawg for a few days next summer.  It’ll be fab.

After:…….

‘Tis a far far better thing……

Ok, I admit it. It was a foolish thing even to consider. Tomorrow, I’m taking these two little tykes camping. These are grandsons #1 and #2. They have strange Southern (Derbyshire/Nottingham) accents. They are very very noisy, disruptive, resentful of authority, hungry, energetic and quite, quite mad.

We are going to Ettrick, the Kielder campsite having wisely arranged a 100 mile bike ride for hundreds of cyclists and the Bamburgh campsite “claiming” to be full (They must have heard about us)

We are to be joined by Uncle Morgy and Aunty Becky, sophisticates from Edinburgh bringing our tea in the form of a pre-cooked chile.

And we have to deliver Uncle Morgy’s birthday presents.

I will provide a substantial and unhealthy breakfast and evening merlot out of plastic cups.

We may be back.

We may visit the Minotaur Maze at Kielder on the way.

Otherwise, one of us may go mad.

Prayers are encouraged…….

Anything could happen….