View from Oban Bothy

View from Oban Bothy
Showing posts with label Northern Pies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Northern Pies. Show all posts

Monday 14 March 2022

Howgills Backpacking 14th March 2022

Ravenstonedale > Randygill Top > The Calf > Bram Rigg Top > Calders > Arant Haw > BEER Sedbergh > Cautley Spout > Ravenstonedale

This little trip served as a much needed head-straightener, a bit of a pre-TGO Challenge shakedown, and a rather essential fitness test.

I met up with Lucky the Dog and Mike in Ravenstonedale on a cold, breezy, but dry day. The plan was to wild camp for a few nights, breathe some clean, fresh air, and have a bit of an explore of the Howgills. The plan worked out well.





Heading south in the blustery cold, we didn’t walk too far before we decided to stop and pitch up for the night. Mike’s pitch was good, mine was rather less so. In fact it was downright lumpy and quite uncomfortable . There was some good news: we were pitched by a stream, and we both managed to get into our respective tents before the rain and came in. The wind was, well, very windy. Rocks were needed to supplement guy lines – I was beginning to wish I’d brought my Akto rather than the Scarp.

On day 2 we continued south-ish, it was dry but still quite breezy and cool. Being as wot the rain didn’t, we had great views over the green and rounded Howgill tops. Life doesn’t get much better than this.









 

After Arant Haw we began to look for a place to camp, Mike pointed out a nice looking spot down by Crosdale Beck. 

DOWN by Crosdale Beck. It was a long way down – and it was steep. Very steep. I hate steep descents, even with poles. Just ask Dawn.

The descent from Arant Haw was mostly achieved by taking to the backside – ie sliding down on our respective bums. This was great until bits of rock were met on our way down. Quick but uncomfortable.

Our chosen pitch was good – fairly flat and next to a stream.

Sedbergh, with it’s supply of gas, dog food, baked beans, pasties, beer, and food beckoned. The excellent Red Lion provided the latter, we probably spent longer than we should in the pub – but it was very comfortable, and once we got the pub fire going, nice and warm. It was raining anyway.

We eventually dragged ourselves out of the pub and made our wet and muddy way to our last pitch for this trip, close to Cautley Spout – a spectacular waterfall. There are signs of an Iron Age settlement - the falls may have had some special significance to these Iron Age people.







Again we found a nice, fairly flat pitch, next to a stream.  The sky cleared and the moon came out to play, it was a chilly night but I stayed warm and cosy.

Next morning it wasn’t raining, well not until we’d just about finished packing. The wind soon remembered that it’s duty was to be a bloody nuisance to campers, and accompanied by rain, meant that full waterproofs were needed.

 

More mud followed. Signs outside the temperance Cross Keys invited us in for coffee – but when we got to the door it was firmly CLOSED.

Why on earth do pubs & cafes do that….’Open for Coffee Now’ should mean exactly that, not ‘Open for Coffee when we can be mithered to open the front door’. Oh well.




 

We soon hit the yellow road that took us home, well it took us to our cars, parked up on a nice bit of flatness, just south of Ravenstonedale.

Another coffee was suggested – Mike knew of a cafe just up the road, at Newbiggin-on-Lune. This would have been great, but that cafe wasn’t just closed, it just wasn’t there. Lost. Gone. Never to be seen again. Oh well. Again.

Thanks to Mike and LTD for a good few days out, I just need to get hill fit – now THAT’S going to be a challenge!

More photos here. 

 

Monday 15 November 2021

Playing the Pieman’s Birthday Ceilidh

The world famous (in Manchester) HopGoblin Big Band were invited to play for Mike’s birthday bash in Crime Crook, County Durham. We had a right good time…and I think Mike did too.

The crew bus set a course north and off we trundled. We stopped off at Richmond, famous for me & No2 son Nicholas stopping there on our Coast-to-Coast walk (he was 8 years old at the time) getting on for 30 years ago, and having a nice car park by the river. And a public loo.



We took photographs, ate butties, went to the loo, and then continued on our way to the northlands.  

Mike had sorted accommodation for the supergroup, HopGoblin Big Band: The Pink House. Which was very pink. And had a hot tub.

We (mostly) arrived on the Friday, and spent a jolly evening eating too much, probably drinking a bit too much, feeding Mike and Lucky, and generally have a lovely time. Mike and Lucky left us at around 10pm, in search of a nice malt….but don’t tell Mrs Pie, she might give him a hard time.

After dinner music and stuff. Notice how cheerful we all are.

Next morning, at stupid o'clock, I nipped out for a nice little 5 mile run. It was only a bit very hilly. Nice though.








Mid-morning saw us (Ho-ho!….see what I did there?) going to Barnard Castle. 

 

The last time I was here was 20+ years ago, on the occasion of the late and lamented Teesdale Thrash.

We had lunch, wandered around the town, played some music, got bitten by midges (in the middle of November!) and generally had a nice time.



Back at the (pink) ranch we prepared for the evening’s fun, games, and dancing. It was good. I ate too much. Some folk drank too much. Most of Mike’s guests danced a lot. 

 HopGoblin playing an inbetweeny warm-up tune: Jenny Lynd Polka 

Wanna buy a guitar? £5 to you.


Anton's Chocolate Cake & Chips, right - on so many levels

Happy Birthday Cake

 Rob in dance caller mode

It was lovely to see Geoff & Chrissie for the first time in far too long, and to finally meet up with  Li Yang – famous for walking stupidly long distances whilst grinning and enjoying every minute of it.

We all had a lovely, lovely evening. And we sang Happy Birthday to Mike. And I remembered how to play the tune.

It was all good.

The wild after gig party: about to chuck a telly out of the window.  We're just so Rock 'n Roll.

Back at the ranch we were all buzzing, it was past 3am when I finally hit the sack.

Next day was Remembrance Sunday, a day I always treat with respect, and I took myself off to observe the two minute silence.

A charabanc outing to Durham was on the cards for Sunday. Only my second visit to the city, it’s quite beautiful. You should go. There had been a Remembrance Day parade earlier in the day, there were lots of ex-servicemen and women still around. 









We had lunch, visited the cathedral, busked a bit, and generally played at being tourists. The busking bit ended up earning us enough dosh to pay the car park charge, plus around £1.50 ea – the big time at last.

That evening we met up with Mike & Margaret at a pub. We hoped to play some music but the grumpy landlady wasn’t having any of it. How different to our musical trips to Spain and Portugal where playing and singing in bars and cafés was deemed compulsory.

Next day we headed for home, not directly, but via a Saxon church up the road in Escomb – a fascinating building.


 

 








A further deviation to our homeward course was called for, I needed to call in to Leeds to see Lilo & Trish, it was really lovely to see them again – it must be ten years since we last met.

And then I went home, unloaded the crew-bus, and crashed out for an hour – it had been a busy and fun weekend!

Thanks to Mike for asking us to play at his special birthday ceilidh, to Margaret (Mrs Pie) who made sure we all ate far too much and to both of them for making us all feel so very welcome.

Oh, and my thanks to the rest of the wonderful HopGoblin Big Band for venturing north and being forced to enjoy themselves, it’s hard work being in a supergroup y’know.

Now the bad news: we’ll be back.

A few more pics from Rob, who, amongst many other things he's good at, is a pretty marvellously gifted photographer:


















 If you're not bored to death by now, the rest of the photographs are here.

 

 

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