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. 

 

Quarry Bank Mill History – advanced warning

If you're remotely interested in the history of the cotton industry, enjoy fine song and music, then this is for you.

Trebuchet are terrific - superb performers....and thoroughly nice guys.

Highly recommended.

Saturday 12th March 2022

Rainow Institute,

Stocks Ln, Rainow, Macclesfield SK10 5XR

https://www.themillballads.com

 

Tally-Ho! Championship 2021 18th Dec 2021

A not very good run for me.

Having suffered significantly reduced lung capacity for quite a while I was more than a bit apprehensive about taking part in the Club’s annual championship race.

I don’t like racing at the best of times, and fortunately (for me) the Club is essentially non-competitive – but the odd race does get slipped into the calendar.

The Championship takes place at the Club’s pre-Christmas run from the Boar’s Head, Higher Poynton. It’s a trail race and generally follows an ‘out-and-back’ route. The plan is to follow the trail to the half-way point, shake hands with the trail-layers, then run back to the start. Then it’s first man back, although there’s also a handicap to even things up.

The handicap committee are beyond reproach and completely void of moral corruption, and anyone suggesting otherwise could find themselves is serious trouble …..although I have spotted the odd Club member cosying up to committee members, buying them drinks etc.

Whatever, no amount of bribery was going to help me today.

The gun went off at 2.30pm but the field soon left mebehind, I just didn’t have enough lung capacity to be able to exert myself, especially on the uphill bits.

After ten minutes I decided to settle down to a brisk jog and put the race to the back of my mind. It was a cold day, but dry and bright.

When I eventually got to the half-way point the trail-layers had left to walk back to the warmth of the pub – of course I didn’t realise I’d arrived at the half-way point, there was nobody there!

I ended up doing a bit of a loop before heading back to the pub. 

Me, running flat out = not very fast at all

Fast Taylor following trail

 

 

David Bell dishing out the awards:

 

The route was lovely, conditions ideal – I just couldn’t hack it.  Not my best day:

 Around 6 miles.

More photos here, including Vinny's excellent contributions.

Lymm Dickensian 2021 Saturday 11th Dec

Lymm Dickensian Christmas Festival is usually a very grand affair and one of the highlights of the village’s busy calendar. Covid-19 saw the 2020 event off, and as with so many public events, it just couldn’t happen.

2021 was a rather different matter. although Covid-19 was still very much present, thanks to vaccines it went ahead – albeit in a rather lower manner.

 

Not many photos I’m afraid, I was musicianing for the Morris, it’s damned near impossible to play music whilst manhandling a camera.

There are loads of photos here, on the festival’s FB page.

Back in The Olde Vic Weds 8th December

Lockdown restrictions had been eased and things seemed to be getting back to something like normal – until the Omicron variant appeared on the scene.

This was the last Olde Vic music session before, in the interests of safety, we locked ourselves down.

This also meant that our New Year’s Eve / Winter Solstice Ceilidh was cancelled – again.

 

Tally-Ho! The Black Bull, Edgworth 4/12/2021

The weather was more than a bit dire.

Driving (crawling) around the M60 and then the A666 to eventually get to Edgworth, I was having serious thoughts about the wisdom of ‘running’ 8 miles in such cold, windy, sleety conditions. My car was buffeted more than once on the journey, I deliberately kept my speed down – visibility wasn’t brilliant.

Hon Pres Park was found sheltering in his car when I arrived in the car park of the Black Bull in Edgworth. We reported to the pub, ticked our names off the list, and away we went. Well away Joe went, I was 10 minutes behind him, a time difference maintained throughout the route.

My feet were soaked within a few minutes of running, it wasn’t that long before the rest of me was wet-through too, such were the conditions.

I teamed up with Mssrs Wells and Brown as we searched for in indication as to which direction we should be headed in a waterlogged field. We stuck together for the rest of the trail.

Trail was a little eratic, but it was initially relatively easy to follow from the pub – better than last time anyway. The route led through the Holcombe Moor Firing Range, thankfully bullets weren’t flying today – too wet probably.

Continuing eastwards and upwards I began to suspect that the sawdust trail was going to lead us up to Peel Tower, but at almost the last minute we turned north, along a good, if rather flooded track. 

We turned west and downhill (for a while anyway) along a river of a footpath. Me feet were so cold that I couldn’t feel my toes – good encouragement to keep moving.

Hon Pres Park’s distinctive bright running top could be seen bobbing up and down in the distance – a good clue for where we had to go next. Ish.

For Dawn and AlanR

We only spotted the two tractors after we'd missed trail, we shouldn't have gone that way at all. 

Eventually back at the pub, it was clear that the trail layers had decided that conditions were bad enough to have shortened the route, I think everyone was very grateful – including me.

In spite of running in a good waterproof jacket and hat, I was completeley wet through and a bit too cold. I sat in my car for 10 – 15 minutes with the heater on and drank a mug of hot coffee. As the feeling returned to my bits I legged it into the pub, the sleet was being driven hard by the hoolie of a gale.

A good and warming meal of steak pie & chips, followed by apple pie and custard, all washed down with a pint TT Landlord, really hit the spot.

Then, looking forward to hopefully better conditions in a fortnight, we all went home – some via another pub.

Not me: I went straight home and soaked in a hot bath. Bliss!

Where we went:

Around 6.5 miles, with around 950’ of up and down.

PS: You should go to the Black Bull, it’s really excellent: good beer, good food, and lovely people. Norralot to dislike.