One Down, Two To Go

Finally, it was time to do the guided walk around Hunstanworth. This is the route that me, Dawn and LTD reccied a few weeks ago and, that I reccied once again last Wednesday.

I was a bit disappointed to find that the three trees blocking Footpath No1 in the parish of Hunstanworth had not yet had the delicate attentions of a chain saw ( I suppose these things sometimes take a while to resolve) and so, I altered the route to avoid any dignity-defying scrambles through the branches and twigs for a short road-walk from Baybridge to Hunstanworth.

By way of compensation, we visited the grave of William Snowball wot got his head battered-in on New Years Day 1880 at Belmont farm above Baybridge, an ‘Orrible murder which remains unsolved to this day. Did the housekeeper do it? Or was it the housekeeper’s stalker who’d appeared suspiciously in the area a few days earlier. Or had Snowball upset somebody on his New Year Eve pub-crawl in Blanchland and Baybridge (this is not possible nowadays by the way as there’s only the one pub) Or was there a long-standing feud between Mr Snowball and one of his neighbours? The cops failed to address this particular question. Anyway, somebody landed a fatal blow to the back of Mr Snowball’s skull with a lump-hammer in his own mistle whilst his old dad and the housekeeper waited up for him to return. But how did the housekeeper get his blood on her pinney?

Some say, that if you were to camp outside the now derelict Belmont Farm on New Years Eve that you might imagine that you hear the words “I’ll get you Snowball” followed by one or two dull thuds and a bit of a squeak…..    I have no evidence at all to support this.

On the day, just 8 people turned up to enjoy all this effort, plus the stewards Neville and Ann, who did a fine job, specially with the particularly awkward and electrified stiles with big drops down the other side wot happen on this route.

I have nothing much to report about it, really, except to say that I have three walks on the Durham County Council guided walks programme and that these will likely be my final three. Every now and then I feel the need to change things so that Things don’t get too stale. And Durham County Council are giving me lots of excuses to make the changes. I have Things in the pipeline and Things Planned.

Sometimes, life really is too short. Far too short. Two more to go. (If they don’t ban me for not having a passport-sized photograph for my identity badge before then)
The walk is ten or eleven miles depending on diversions and options.


 

Grey Mare’s Tail Camping

Following on from the previous post, the whole point of this little trip was to have a night’s camping somewhere in ther Moffat hills. The bagging stuff was just to make the long journey up to Castle Greytowers a bit more productive, hence the diversion via Galloway.

So, me and the dog eventually turned up somewhere near Carstairs Junction, and, the very next day, were transported off to the visitor car park at the foot of Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall. #1 Daughter then abandoned us to our fate with a promise to return the next day at half past two.

The path up to Loch Skeen from the car park is both very busy and very steep and the penalties for tripping up over a tourist having an angina attack is a long, tumbling slide to the burn far below. I mean far, far below and, with disappointing results as far as the hope of survival is concerned.

Ultimately we sweated and heaved our way up to the spectacularly beautiful corrie holding the Very Lovely Loch Skeen and a short exploration of it’s Southern shore produced a wide but slightly soggy grassy platform amongst all the tilted heather and tussocks. Had we explored quite a bit further, we would have found a lovely flat delta with a nice little stream of fresh water at the head of the loch. But we made do with our spot, which was quite nice anyway.

Crowds flocked to the other side of the loch but only a small family of Belgians explored as far as our camp, apart from hillwalkers who were climbing up and down the rocky ridge of Mid Craig behind us.

After a brew and a bit of a lounge about, we set off up the same ridge and headed to the top of Mid Craig, followed by a tramp over gentle slopes to Firthope Rig and then to the 821 metre Corbett of  White Combe, descending grass which has too many contours than is reasonable for grassy slopes to have, back to the tents in time for tea.

It had been a more or less cloudless day of blue skies and a bright, moonlit night followed.

In the morning, a slow breakfast was followed by a quick bag of the 605 metre Watch Knowe and the long descent back to Car Park central where we had a chat with the National Trust (Scotland) peeps who were keen to find out where we’d been all night.

And, once #1 daughter had arrived to collect us, it was all over. We’d covered about 10 miles and 3000 feet of up.
I used Dawn’s Hillberg Enan, my own Akto having gone to Nottingham for a holiday. I put extra guys on the ends of the Enan for additional stability. It was quite windy at times and, hence, no condensation at all. The Enan is stable but the mesh door on the inner is a bit draughty round the Trossachs. LTD noticed nothing of this since he was snoring under my down jacket and cuddling up to a sigg bottle full of hot water inside 2 red socks. Soft git.

Roamin from Dunroamin in Galloway

Prior to having a brief wild camp with the son-in-law, me and LTD pitched up at Dunroamin campsite, just a bit to the South of Wigtown. And very nice it was too.

On the way up, we bagged Knockmearns Hill at Creetown which even has a waymarked path – or, at least, a route to the top, and, also a herd of lively but apparently timid Galloway cows and their calves.. and a digger digging up boulders for some reason or other. Together, they made a right old mess of the pasture at the foot of the hill.

And the next day it was Marilyn bagging time. We struggled to the top of White Top of Culreoch through big tussocks and forest brash, crossing a barbed-wire fence dangerously for the bagging of a small Tump sticking on it’s side – one Craig of Grobdale. Galloway hills are very very tussocky by the way.

Then, post-lunch we acheived the beetling top of Castramont Hill using a handy but sqquishy track through the heather, bogs and tussocks and then we moved on to Bengray involving another spiky fence and the scaring of a Polish fisherman carrying a dead brown trout. He was clearly of the impression that he was completely alone by Loch Whinyeon – a Loch which seems to have no decent camping spots by it at all.

We ended the day by traversing over the top of Benfadyeon on the way back to the knipemobile.

Friday was for travelling to Kilncadzow, but first, we bagged Fell Hill. Fell Hill was a fine hill till recently. Now it is covered in hardened roads, ripped-up peat and the makings of a new windfarm.

Today’s excitement was spotting a collie dog heading towards Corsock. I assumed it was a local farm dog on walkabout but, on heading up the track towards our target Marilyn, an Australian chap in a Nissan 4X4 asked if I’d seen a collie dog anywhere. It was his friend’s dog and he was supposed to be looking after it and…..  I sent them towards Corsock – some 3 miles away.

Later, I met the lad again and he’d just been informed that his stray dog was in a cottage at Corsock and was safe.  Never lose your pal’s dog. Just a tip, there…

We’d bagged 3 Marilyns, a Hump and 5 Tumps. And Dunroamin campsite is worth a visit too…

More adventures inabit…

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.

 

Small Synges at Kentmere

Is it just me that’s noticed that recently, when asked a question by a TV reporter, that interviewees begin every explanation with the word “So”?

So, me and LTD whisked ourselves over to Kendal to collect the Bro, and thus, off to the delights of Kentmere where it was sunny and actually quite warm.

We had a rough, that is to say, approximate plan which was to park the new knipemobile prettily (an often difficult task up Kentmere, were it not for Mrs Black and her field). wander up into a bunch of knobbly hillocks (careful how you read that bit) and have a little stravaig aimed at  the summits  of four or five rocky outcrops.

These were – in order of ascent: Scale Knotts, 360  metres, fairly rocky; Rowantree Knotts 421 metres, rocky, Piked Hows 407 metres, not specially rocky from the bagging route and Castle Crag 490 metres, very rocky and a fine spot for lunch in the sun, complete with small snowpatch for the dog to eat.

Some of these were additionally defended by wobbly walls with wire entanglements for extra excitement. Castle Crag is a specially fine top by the way, and I would encourage anybody who’s not yet been there to incorporate the spot into a round of Kentmere Wainwrights as an alternative to Garburn Pass.

We pressed on – a contouring route handrailing a semi-derelict wall brought us to the finest top of all – Rainsborrow Crag 641 metres. This is the top of a scramble route and has a small tarn a cracking views of the surrounding hills.

Finally, we returned over Yoke and the Garburn Pass to find the knipemobile exactly where we left it (just beyond the sign that says that there’s no parking beyond the sign) (but there is) (but not much). (You have to be lucky)

Parking at Kentmere should ease in the near future, though once the road is widened a bit for the gas exploration peeps who were making test drills in the fields just to the South of the city centre there. We were asked not to mention the word “fracking” for obvious reasons because people often get unreasonably upset by the word. The chaps in the hard hats explained that once the main wells had been driven, that there’s only be a few small buildings and a bit of a narrow pipeline (painted green for ecological reasons) but that the parking areas for the construction traffic would be retained and hard-surfaced to allow more hillwalkers cars to park. (Up to 45 spaces, apparently, and with topping-up facilities for electric cars) And this would be free. So, it’s all good.

We did about 7 miles and 2300 feet of upness. LTD ate 17kg of snow (estimate only)