Brecon Beacons - SW-009 Mynydd Troed and SW-015 Mynydd Llangorse

After our climb up to Waun Fach SW-002 in the morning we wanted something easier to climb for our afternoon walk which would still provide us with some SOTA winter bonus points. 

Geoff MW6PYG logging stations on Mynydd Troed GW/SW-009

We chose the two summits of Mynydd Troed and Mynydd Llangorse due to their proximity and their mutual parking place near to Long Cairn on the C class road at grid reference SO 161283, which is 1170 ft above sea level. 

We climbed SW-009 Mynydd Troed first, a 4 point summit which is 1998 ft high. It took 25 minutes to reach the summit on a fairly steep grass path. There were plenty of people at the car park, including families climbing the sister summit of SW-015 Mynydd Llangorse but we left them behind as none were climbing Mynydd Troed. 

We didn't expect to make many contacts but we did better from here than the much higher Waun Fach earlier in the day, so we stayed for thirty minutes and made 11 contacts each.  When I switched on I heard the YL operator Carolyn GW6WRW who was operating from Beacon Hill MW-009, and we followed this with a contact with her friend YL Helen MW0YHB who was on the same summit. We had several contacts into Cheltenham, and once again worked Don G0RQL in Holsworthy with our 5 watts and vertical dipole. 

We left the summit and returned to the col where the car was parked and from there climbed up to SW-015 Mynydd Llangorse. This was another flat topped plateau - albeit with some good views, hence its popularity, it was also an easier climb than SW-009, but it is also surrounded on all sides by much higher Brecon Beacon summits. 

Parking area for Mynydd's Troed SW-009  and Llangorse SW-015. Camera is looking at SW-009 from the flank of SW-015

What a dissapointment it was radio wise. We knew it would be difficult to qualify the hill with QRP gear on VHF and this turned out to be correct as we did not make one single contact between us!

Future operators be warned, you are likely to need VHF CW/SSB or HF gear to qualify the summit despite its height of 1690 ft!  

Brecon Beacons - Black Mountain SW-041 from Stone Circle Car Park

The summit of Black Mountain is 2306 feet high and it lies on the English / Welsh border above the Stone Circle car park which is at 1550 feet above sea level in the Brecon Beacons. 

Walk track from the car park to the summit

The summit is worth six point for Summits On The Air (SOTA) or nine points if the winter bonus is included. 

Geoff M6PYG and myself paid an early morning visit here on the last day of a long weekend staying near Malvern. We drove through Hay-on-Wye and then headed south on the mountain road to the Black Mountain car park.  

100s of sheep await some feed near the Black Mountain parking spot

A slant path with one switch back takes you up to trig point, which I understand to be a few metres below the activation zone of 25m distance from the summit top. It transpires that most SOTA operators set up on the ridge at SO 255356, which provides a good take off. We proceeded on to the highest point on the plateau at SO 256350 and made four contacts to qualify the summit.  We then walked back to the ridge mentioned above and made four more contacts, before we proceeded back to the trig point for a photograph.  

The writer on the sunken trig point close to the summit level of Black Mountain

The wind was strong on the day but the weather was fine, however on reaching the top of the switchback we noticed suddenly how strong the gusts of wind were, almost blowing us off our feet. The wind abated as we proceeded just below the ridge. We had experienced this phenomenon before on ridges in the Lake District. This is caused by wind hitting the face of the mountain causing turbulence and increasing the strength of the wind over the ridge. It pays to be extra cautious in windy conditions in this situation. 

These contacts brought my long weekend in Malvern with Geoff M6PYG to a close. We had many radio contacts from the summits and in particular we contacted the station of Richard G4ERP in Kidderminster on all eight summits. We cannot count the ninth summit of Mynydd Llangorse in our totals for SOTA as no stations were worked from there. 

Ryedale Ramblers AGM 17 November 2012

It was the AGM of the Ryedale Group of the Ramblers today and I attended the meeting. 

Earlier in the year I had attended two committee meetings as an observer to get a feel for how the group was run and to get to know the existing committee. I've been a member of Ramblers for around ten years but until recently I have not been a particularly active member as far as their locally led walks programme is concerned, although I am leading four walks for the group in 2013. 

At the meeting I was nominated as the Ryedale Ramblers Group Chairman for 2013 and was elected unopposed - next year is undoubtedly going to be a busy one for me!

Wainwright Society 10th Anniversary Weekend

Friday 9th November 2012 - A significant date exactly 60 years to the day when A Wainwright completed writing the first page of volume one of the Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells on Dove Crag in the Eastern Fells book.

My friends Nick (Callsign G4OOE) Geoff  (M6PYG) and this writer Phil (G4OBK) enjoyed a long weekend of celebration events by first meeting up in two cars at Hartsop.  We starting our celebration of the great mans work by crossing over four Wainwright summits on the 60th anniversary day. One car was parked at Hartsop and the other transported us to the top of the Kirkstone Pass to start our walk. 

Our GPS tracklog

We endured a linear walk in inclement weather from the KIrkstone Pass Inn, leaving just after 9.00am to climb over Stony Cove Pike (Wainwright preferred to call this Caudale Moor), then down the rugged valley into Threshthwaite Mouth to climb up to Thornthwaite Crag.

With some difficulty keeping on track in the mist, we made it to High Street at 1.00pm.  The walk back to Hartsop went via The Knott, our final summit of the day.  We were all carrying VHF Ham Radio equipment as we always do in the Lake District, however today was different. My fellwalking friend Geoff, who I had walked these fells with for over three years, had taken the plunge. He had completed and OFCOM approved course and examination in Newbury (such was his determination!) and had qualified for his amateur radio licence which meant he was now M6PYG - a callsign he chose for a specific reason.

Geoff M6PYG contacting Colin G4UXH for his first ever contact on ham radio

It took around an hour to reach our position behind the dry stone wall on Caudale Moor, where Geoff made his first contact on amateur radio with our good friend Colin G4UXH, in Milnthorpe. 

With Geoff having familiarised himself with radio procedure making teens of contacts in the process, we left to undertake the rough descent to Threshthwaite Mouth before climbing up to Thornthwaite Beacon, where a fantastic view south across the Kentmere Horseshoe usually awaits - but not today.

Geoff & Phil operating behind Thornthwaite Beacon

Cowering behind the beacon at midday was the only position where we could eat and drink, so we had our feast and more contacts.  The track across to High Street was like walking down a riverbed and we took one of the tributaries and lost our bearings briefly with visibility down to around 25m, before realising and so backtracked to get on to the right heading for High Street. 

 

Nick logs the Chasers on High Street

We spent as little time on High Street as we could get away with, and repeated this on The Knott before descending from there towards Hayeswater dam, which we eventually saw once the mist thinned out at around 1500ft, allowing Nick to take some pictures. 

We arrived in Hartsop at  3.00pm, sodden, before heading back up Kirkstone Pass to collect Geoff's car. We then proceeded to The Glenburn Hotel in Windermere, our B&B for the weekend. 

After checking in we showered and then headed off to Penrith for KFC before attending the 10th Annual Wainwright Memorial Lecture at Rheged where we heard the Yorkshire Mountain Climber Alan Hinkes speak about his experiences climbing the eight highest peaks in the world. 

A view at last - descending to Hayeswater Dam and the track back to Hartsop

Distance walked: 7.6 miles with 2400ft ascent

 To be continued with Dove Crag (Saturday) and Pike O'Blisco (Sunday)........

Wainwright Society 10th Anniversary Weekend continued

After our breakfast at the Glenburn Hotel in Windermere we had a busy day ahead - a walk up to Dove Crag from Ambleside, traversing Low Pike and High Pike and returning to the town via Scandale.  In the evening we were to attend the 10th Anniversary Party at Wilf's Restaurant in nearby Staveley. 

The writer at Bridge House in Ambleside prior to the walk

Over twenty members assembled at the Bridge House in Ambleside and we were led away by leader Caroline on our 9 mile walk, 60 years to the day Wainwright completed the first page on Dove Crag in Book 1 - The Eastern Fells.

The path up the ridge to Low Pike above Ambleside follows the wall

Nick sits down on the cairn on Low Pike

The Wainwright Society on a misty High Pike on 10th November 2012

It took us around 75 minutes to summit on Low Pike in damp, misty conditions. The weather was not as bad as it had been the previous day, but it was getting worse.  High Pike followed with Caroline choosing to drop back, allowing Geoff to take the lead on to the summit.  The group had a short stay here and this gave Nick, Geoff and I plenty of time to make some contacts for Wainwrights On The Air. 

Geoff M6PYG gets to grips with Ham Radio on High Pike for Wainwright On The Air
as Phil G4OBK looks on

We arrived on Dove Crag at 12.45pm for lunch, experiencing sandblasting to the face from a short hail shower, which then turned to sleet.

The Wainwright Society suffering on Dove Crag in hail and sleet with leader Caroline on left and Geoff on right

At 1310pm we left Dove Crag to cross over Scandale Head and down onto the Scandale Pass, where we had at last some visibility as the sun tried to penetrate through the cold mist,  for our return in a wet state to Ambleside and after drying off at the car returning to the sanctuary of the warm and welcoming Esquires Coffee Shop for hot drinks and cakes.  

Autumn colours near Ambleside excellently photographed by Nick

This is Scandale in its winter plumage without snow

To be continued with....10th anniversary party and around the Hardknott Pass

The Wainwright Society 10th Anniversary Party

Around 60 members of the Society gathered at Wilf's in Staveley to celebrate 10 years of the Wainwright Society and I was there with Geoff and Nick, making new acquaintances and renewing some old ones. It was good to meet up with Roy Male who had recently completed Wainwright's Pennine Journey  and we compared notes. 

We were in the company of several VIP's - in particular A Wainwrights late wife's Betty's daughters - Jane King and Annie Sellar, Presidents of The Wainwright Society, and they were sat on the next table to us. 

What were we drinking? Red wine and Thwaites Wainwright Ale of course, and Nick and I drank plenty as Geoff was teetotal as he had to drive us back to Windermere as the designated driver. 

We did of course take part in the quiz (Derek Cockell Society Press and Publicity Officer is seen below handing out the questions). We did not win but I reckon we came close, and it was fun. 

Our table at Wilf's: Arthur, Nikki, Derek (Committee Member), Nigel, Phil (Writer), Geoff 
(and thank's to Nick for taking the photo)

The hot food, served in running buffet style, was excellent (eat as much as you like) as was the live music provided by Fiona of the Lakes.  Once everyone had drank sufficient alcohol we were asked to join in a rendition of Danny Boy, with different words and re-titled Alfie Boy. I have to admit that some of the notes were hard to reach, but we sang our hearts out. 

The party finished before 11.00pm and we returned to the Glenburn Hotel at Windermere for a good nights sleep to ready ourselves for our two Sunday walks from the Hard Knott Pass. 

We had really enjoyed the party and hoped that it won't be ten years before the next one is organised! 

 ......to be continued with around the Hardknott Pass

Wainwright Society Anniversary Weekend around the Hard Knott Pass

GPS Track Three Shires Stone to Pike O'Blisco and return

Remembrance Sunday morning, 11th November and our last day for a while in the Lake District. We rose at 6.30 am and had opted for a packed lunch as an alternative to our hotel breakfast.  We left Windermere by car in mist but as we started to climb towards Little Langdale from Ambleside, we rose above it. After two days in rain, mist, hail and sleet no one could possibly doubt that we didn't deserve this perfect day!

A sunny day - our three shadows cast on the ground on the way up Pike O'Blisco

We were first car parked at the Three Shires Stone in the Wrynose Pass and were walking by twenty past eight, reaching the summit of Pike O'Blisco in less than 50 minutes for a fantastic view down into Langdale and over to Windermere. 

Inversion - the mist we had earlier driven out of in Windermere was still there at 10.00 am

Geoff & Nick arrive on Pike O'Blisco

The view across to the Langdale Pikes from Pike O'Blisco

Being on the summit was a privilege this day and we had it all to ourselves. The cairn was substantial, and I recalled reading in Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Southern Fells that the great man had found the cairn destroyed by vandals in the 1960s. Well AW, I'm pleased to say that it has now been rebuilt. 

Geoff M6PYG,  Phil G4OBK (Writer) & Nick G4OOE on Pike O'Blisco (picture taken by a passing fell walker)

This was my second visit to this summit. I had previously gone there with my wife Judy in July 2010 on our way to Crinkle Crags returning via Cold Fell. Nick and Geoff hadn't visited before. 

GPS Track - Harter Fell & Hard Knott from the Pass

Today I chose a different plan, as we were intending to climb Harter Fell and Hard Knott Fell later. This could only be done in a day by cheating a little - so we used the the car to get over to the Hard Knott Pass parking spot as it was too far to walk and also climb the fells in the daylight we had available. 

On the radio for WOTA & SOTA from Pike O'Blisco (LD-024 / LDW-086) with Crinkle Crags in the background

We all made 13 VHF radio contacts from Pike O'Blisco with stations in England, Scotland and Wales before returning to the car for a four mile drive along the pass to NY 232014 and the car parking spot for Harter Fell (and Hard Knott).  

Our view of Harter Fell (LD-028) later  in the day from Hard Knott (LD-034)

The walk from the car to Harter Fell summit took just less than an hour. As we set off we stopped to honour the two minute silence for Remembrance day. I hadn't walked to Harter Fell this way before - there were visible paths on the ground from time to time as we walked the access land to the east of Demming Crag, indeed our route was much easier than our chosen return route which turned into a scramble over Demming Crag - all so we could get a decent view and photograph of Hardknott Castle Roman Fort, at least that was my excuse for our rather rugged return to the pass! 

Nick climbing up to Harter Fell

Hardknott Castle from Demming Crags (seen on our way back to the pass)

When we reached the top of Harter Fell it was busy, unlike Blisco. The time of day had something to do with it. We stayed over an hour and had lunch. During that time at least ten people visited.  The take off on the radio is excellent on VHF from this top - we made 24 contacts and added the Isle of Man to our country totals for the day. We also made contact with the summit stations of Derek 2E0MIX on Green Gable and Richard G1JTD on Hartside. 

Returning to the car by ten past two for more refreshments, we then headed north up to Hard Knott, our final target of the weekend, and a mere 20 minute climb from the car.  There is not much to say about the summit, except it affords an excellent view of Harter Fell - it is a simple up and back route and we were back at car in just over an hour to say our goodbyes, with Geoff heading south for Malvern and Nick and I returning via the Hardknott and Wrynose Pass to Penrith for a fast food meal in McDonalds before proceeding back to Yorkshire. 

It had been another adventure for the three of us  - mission accomplished!   

Radio Society of Great Britain 2m Activity Contest

I took part in the RSGB 144 MHz Activity Contest tonight.  The progagation of signals was fairly good with contact into the north of Scotland Wales, Northern Ireland and France. I was operating as part of the the Travelling Wave Contest Group Team. Three contacts were completed using Morse Code and fifty were completed on voice.

Here is a map of where the stations contacted were located:

Pen-y-Ghent Walk Sunday 28 October 2012

A 6.4 mile walk with 1650 feet of ascent over Pen-y-Ghent

It was raining quite hard when we arrived to meet up in Horton in Ribblesdale for Ryedale Walking Group's second ever walk over Pen-y-Ghent. We last came here on a much brighter day in October 2008, and I was the only member walking today who had completed the 2008 walk.

Our route on 28 October 2012

Four cars had driven to Horton. Terry, our newest member who joined the group that day, had driven from York. There was Geoff who had driven from Pickering in his own car, as after the walk he was returning to his home in Malvern.  In my car I had our other new member Annie from Rosedale, Club Membership Secretary Nick from Scarborough and Robin from Kirkbymoorside. In the other car driven by Steve our Club Website Manager from Bulmer, we had members Pam from Scarborough, Ann from Malton and prospective member Becca also from Malton.  After leaving Pickering at 8.15am we arrived at Horton, parking in the Golden Lion Pub Car Park (Honesty Box £2 per car). Before venturing on to a wet hillside we visited the Pen-y-Ghent cafe, home of the Yorkshire Three Peaks Club. We were surprised to find that the establishment does not have a  toilet, which meant we had to use the public toilets near the bridge about 200m away.

Archive photo Ryedale Walking Group as it was in 2008 on Pen-y-Ghent

Walk Leader Geoff on Little Mell Fell in January 2012

The idea behind this walk was to give members of the group an idea of how difficult the first part of the climb is on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Walk. This is a 25 mile walk over the summits of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough which should be completed within 12 hours. 

We left Horton at 11.10am in rain, and it never stopped raining throughout the walk with gale force winds once we were above 1500 feet.  We had agreed that Geoff would lead the walk up to the summit of Pen-y-Ghent, whilst I would back mark. At the top we would then change roles.

The leading group reached the summit within 67 minutes, with me and the last straggler bringing up the rear in 95 minutes. After Radio Hams Nick, Terry and Phil had made a few contacts on amateur radio for SOTA from the summit we continued down to Hunt Pot which provided a little shelter to have our lunch.  It was too wet to take photos so I will have to rely a picture from the archive from when we were last here in 2008:

RWG at Hunt Pot in October 2008

We continued on to the path junction north of Tarn Bar and made our way from here up to Hull Pot. Despite how wet it had been there was no water flowing into the hole which was most surprising. The previous times I had visited here there was a good flow creating a spectacular waterfall, but not today. This lack of water in Hull Pot Beck means that Horton Moor must at present be acting like a massive sponge. 

L-R: Phil-Annie-Robin-Terry-Nick-Geoff-Becca-Pam-Ann (Thanks to Steve for taking the photo)

The walk from Hull Pot back to Horton is a walled track and we were back in the cafe for tea (some had pint mugs) at 2.40pm. We said our goodbyes on the car park of The Golden Lion with five of us heading back to Pickering in my car for fish and chips in Capplemans Cafe, where we were joined by my wife Judy who was unable to walk today due to her heel blister, earned on Wainwright's Pennine Journey a few weeks previously.

We'd got well soaked on our walk over Pen-y-Ghent but this did not put off Terry and Annie joining Ryedale Walking Group on the day. I guess they must have enjoyed it. Thank you to Geoff for leading the first section of the walk. 

Ryedale Walking Group AGM

I attended the Annual General Meeting of Ryedale Walking Group on Saturday 27 October and was re-elected to the committee for 2013 as their Walk Programme Coordinator. Our group walk at least fortnightly and we currently have 65 members. You can find out more about the group on our website.

Wainwright's Pennine Journey restarted

Pennine Journey Day 8 Wednesday 10 October 2012

High Force Hotel to Westgate in Weardale (12.4 miles - 1700 ft ascent)

After finishing off the previous section of Wainwright's 247 mile 1938 Pennine Journey in April we restarted on  Wednesday 10th October from the High Force Hotel. We planned to walk for five days up to Hexham, on to Hadrian's Wall and then across to Once Brewed. As it happened we got further than that and on to Greenhead on what was an eventful walk. Jennie who accompanied us on our previous legs, had to back out on this section due to her work commitments  so her place was taken up by our good friend Chas. So for this section it was Phil, Judy, Geoff, Yvonne and Chas who restarted from High Force on a sunny morning making for Westgate in Weardale. It was after 11.00am when we started our walk. We had driven to Lands Farm (B&B) at Westgate in Weardale in two cars, parked Yvonne's car there and then had driven down to the High Force Hotel in mine.

Yvonne - Chas - Judy - Geoff - Phil (Writer)

To get back to the point where we had left the route in April meant we had to walk just over a mile to High Force and pick up where we left off. This was great for Chas who got a chance for the first time to see High Force in spate (see earlier picture). The area around the force contains Juniper and to prevent  contamination by a disease walkers are required to disinfect their boots when entering and leaving the site.  Here you can Judy and Chas cleaning theirs:

After the boot wash the route followed the River Tees up to cross it at Cronkley Bridge. When we reached Saur Hill Bridge we left the Pennine Way as the Pennine Journey continued east to Hanging Shaw, a deserted farm which was still inhabited with hens. We were to see many more derelict farmsteads on our way through the North Pennines up to Hadrian's Wall. 

An old water well pump at Hanging Shaw - a derelict farm

 At Scar End a minor navigational error was made which was soon corrected and we proceeded north over the pathless moorland towards the hill called Black Law (576m). Our Pennine Journey guide book written by David Pitt suggested that we look out for a ruined shooting hut of stone and rusty red corrugated sheeting. We found it:

Yvonne - Chas - Judy - Geoff at the "Shooting Cabin" below Black Law

And so we continued across the pathless moor to the public road at Swinhope Head, this was easily picked out by the prominent power line with two poles located by the cattle grid at Swinhope Head which made navigation easy.  We then used the road and a short section of track near a remote shooting clubhouse south of Swinhopehead House to take us to Westgate. Chatting to locals later we discovered that the much of the grouse moor in the area is owned by shooting enthusiasts from the middle east! Most surprising. 

At 4.50pm we arrived at Westgate. I crossed the River Wear by the ford (as you do) and took this picture of the other members of the group on the footbridge above it:

Westgate is a strip village which dates back to the old lead mining days. Today there are cottages, farms, a couple of camp sites, a pub and a small Co-op. The pub is the Hare and Hounds and we had an reasonable pub meal there later that evening.  The pub no longer offer accommodation - this is down to the increasing "red tape" and fire regulations relating to offering guest accommodation. It is simply too expensive for small pubs to meet the requirements and still make a profit.  This worked in our favour as we found a super affordable B&B at Lands Farm less than half a mile south of the pub. Read my review here on Trip Advisor. 

A good pub at Westgate in Weardale

Barbara Reed at Lands Farm looked after us well and made us some sandwiches to see us through the second day of our journey north to Blanchland.  Once again we were making use of the bag carrying services provided by Brigantes who provide an efficient service. They collect the bags at 9.30am or later and guarantee to have them delivered at your next overnight stop before 4.30pm. 

Day 9 Thursday 11 October 2012

Westgate in Weardale to Blanchland (11.5/13 miles - 1450 ft ascent) 

The expected mileage today was 11.5 miles however as can be seen above we managed to complete 13 miles. The writer lost concentration after we climbed the Boltslaw Incline and we went staright on. More on that later.....

The further north we walked the more interesting the walk became. Today we saw many industrial relics of the past as we moved from the Durham Dales to enter Northumberland at Blanchland. We climbed out of Westgate in good October weather, perfect for walking. Leaving Lands Farm at 9.30am very well fortified after an excellent breakfast we reached the busy Heights Limestone Quarry, where the path (Pennine Journey & Weardale Way) had been safely diverted and well marked out:

Heights Quarry above Weardale

I think I will add the 77 mile Weardale Way from Killhope to Roker to my "to do" list. This section was lovely as we now made our way with the far reaching views to our right along a former tramway with woodland, cuttings and embankments on our way to the (partly ugly) village of Rookhope.  Maybe I am being as unkind to Rookhope as Wainwright was to Weardale when he wrote about it in his 1938 work Pennine Journey. 

When we reached Park Burn at grid ref 921388 we were surprised to find a deep gorge, obviously previously crossed via a tramway bridge, now gone. We diverted to the right and crossed the gorge with little difficulty. After crossing I checked David Pitts guidebook and he suggesting crossing to the left....I'm now sure that either side of the gap will enable progress to be made!  Going NNE we passed an area called Hanging Wells - there must be some history in that name. Once again the occasional derelict farmstead appeared. This one is shown as High Bishopseat on the OS Map: 

After passing an engineering business we crossed Rookhope Burn via a road bridge to enter the village centre of Rookhope (locally pronounced as Rookup), which was quite pleasant, with a pub which also offered tearoom facilities during the day. We had our own provisions and so we sat in the village bus shelter where we had a coffee break.  There are also clean public toilet facilities available in the village.  The former mining tramway is remembered by one of the wagons which is mounted in a prominent position in the village:

We now made our way now on the Sustrans C2C cycling route up the Bolt's Law Incline which took us to an height of almost 1700 ft. A lone cyclist passed us as we started the climb from Rookhope but he had to dismount shortly after passing us as he wasn't up to climbing the incline. We were going well with our "pilot" Geoff well ahead of us on the ascent. At one stage I thought Geoff would catch the walking cyclist as he had him in his sights, however the rider got back on his bike when the incline shallowed off and he disappeared over the top out of view. 

Information board - top of Bolt's Law Incline

I didn't take a photo of the remains of the engine shed for the Bolt's Law Steam Engine, but it is worth a look around if you have an interest in our industrial heritage. The substantial walls of the shed and terminus have been restored over the last few years. The walls would make a good windbreak and lunch spot.  We decided not to go over the summit top of Bolt's Law (I now wish we had done!) but instead continued on to see what was going on ahead. From Bolt's Law a track continues east to join the Blanchland to Stanhope road at Dead Friar's Stone.  There was serious work in progress here so I put away my map and PJ guidebook as Geoff chatted to the foreman of the team working on the track.  We discovered that the team of men were excavating stone from the nearby Dead Man's Quarry and bringing it back to rebuild the road surface. The foreman told us that the estate owner was investing in improving the access to the grouse moor. Well, the grouse were certainly there - we saw lots. 

 

We proceed - but not on the Pennine Journey route!

After continuing on the track for about 3/4 of a mile I decided to check the map and my GPS compass and realised we were heading east - the wrong direction, a mistake which cost us 40 minutes and down to me as the leader of the group. After checking Pennine Journey I realised we should have turned left at the Sheepfold where Geoff had chatted to the foreman, rather than continuing on the improved track.  As we returned to the correct route we caught sight of the former Silkhead Lead MInes western chimney, a prominent landmark on our route which we made for.  It was getting colder now and it had started to rain a little:

Near the west chimney at Silkhead lead mine

From the west chimney our route was less clear and I couldn't grasp the instructions in our Pennine Journey guidebook. My Garmin Etrex GPS wasn't much help either. I had downloaded the route from the LDWA website and their version of the route was not in accordance with the guidebook.  We could see several derelict farms and buildings below us and what looked like a railway goods wagon top, so we made for that. This turned out to be a sealed off mine shaft and this was shown on the OS map as "shaft".  We had detoured west of our intended route by a few hundred metres, however after climbing over a low fence we joined a track going north for 200m to recover our intended route at the derelict building on the mine road which is mentioned in the PJ guidebook.  We then stopped for lunch under the shelter of some trees as it was still raining lightly. 
The public road is joined at a hairpin bend and followed for some distance before we turned off to continue in woodland for almost two miles into Blanchland. Initially the woodland path above Bolt's Burn was quite waterlogged in places. 

Judy looks quite shocked as we enter Northumberland at Blanchland!

I had previously read that Blanchland was a lovely village.  Ancient, almost medieval and rather like the Cotswolds. and this proved to be correct. 

Entering Blanchland

We made for the White Monk Tearooms at the top of the village for a cream tea, passing the now closed Grade One Listed Lord Crewe Arms Hotel.  A local told me with a degree of scepticism that the new owner of the hotel lives in the south and that he wanted to make improvements to the hotel to bring it up to a very high standard which would appeal to the shooting parties who visit the area for the grouse and pheasant shooting. If this proves correct the hotel won't be much use to walkers passing through on Wainwright's Pennine Journey - too expensive and totally inappropriate! 

The now closed (Pictured in October 2012) Lord Crewe Arms Hotel

We had arranged to stay at The Punch Bowl (Trip Advisor link) in the village of Edmundbyers, five miles towards Consett from Blanchland. The fine landlord there, Chris Brown had offered to collect us and return us to Blanchland the next morning, so we needed to phone him. Blanchland is a black hole for mobile phone reception. Neither, Vodafone, Orange or O2 worked. The phonebox was also out of order and it looked like it had been for some time.  Our only option was to return to the tearoom and offer them a 50p tip and ask if we could use their phone, which they kindly allowed us to do.  Chris Brown was with us within 15 minutes and I volunteered to ride in the 4X4 car's boot as we were six up. It was a rough ride....experienced by Geoff on the return trip.

The Punch Bowl Edmundbyers

The Punch Bowl Inn was an excellent pub and we hit it on a busy Thursday - the quiz night! This was great fun. We managed to get 27 out of 40 questions correct but didn't win unfortunately!  Our meals were excellent, you don't get better in a pub. Next morning the breakfast passed muster, only the best local produce being used.  The rooms were adequate although on the small side. Read my review on Trip Advisor (Pending).  

Day 10 Friday 12 October 2012

Blanchland to Hexham (12.2m - 1250 ft ascent)

Punch Bowl landlord Chris Brown bid us farewell after returning us to Blanchland at 9.55am  - what a great guy. We headed northwest on a sunny day up the tarmac drovers road to Hexham.  The hamlet of Shildon is soon reached, a cluster of former lead miners cottages. Shortly after Pennypie House comes into view - an old Coaching Inn set above the road. Here the tarmac ends as you reach the track crossing Blanchland Moor.

Geoff approaches Pennypie House

The two mile walk over Blanchland Moor was enjoyed by us all. The grouse were prolific, the track was good and we had excellent views to Derwent Reservoir to the east. We entered Slaley Forest, a place I had visited years ago. Around 1980 I recall meeting Lionel Blair in this forest. I was up there watching a car rally in the forest. Around that time Lionel was navigating on car rallies in a Triumph Dolomite. It happened that the car broke down right in front of where four of us were spectating and we gave the crew a push!  I've met very few famous people, but I met another two on this trip.  You will have to wait until Day 12 to find out who they were, so read on! 

Judy - Yvonne - Chas - Geoff in Slaley Forest

Our walk continued through several miles of woodland. Part of Slaley Forest has been felled, but there were more woodland paths through to Redlead Mill and onwards towards Hexham. 

Track going west in Slaley Forest

Navigation needed to be perfect today after my error the previous day, so the map was never out of my hand as we searched for somewhere to eat our lunch.  Redlead Mill was found after we emerged from Steelhall Wood. There was no mill there, just a rather nicely sited cottage. Our guidebook said we would shortly come across some gothic arches - a remnant of the Dukesfield Smelting Mill. Sure enough we arrived there for lunch just before 1.00pm.  This marvellous piece of decaying architecture is at grid reference NY 941580 and is not named on the map. It really is worth visiting and is sited near to where Hall Burn meets Devil's Water. 

One of two Gothic Arches - Dukesfield Smelting Mill

A climb through National Trust owned woodland brought us to the village of Ordley were some modern stone built houses had been built. The path here was hidden and ran down the side of one of the houses. There was no waymark. The path existed long before the houses were built. Hopefully when the Pennine Journey Supporters Club waymark the route in 2013 this point will receive attention.  A road section came next and an interesting path which was routed to the side of Hole House, where we paused for a drink. Soon we were crossing a road near a covered reservoir and there was Hexham below us.

Field path downhill to Hexham

Hallbank Guest House Hexham

The final path down to the road running into Hexham was extremely muddy. The wet summer and grazing cattle make for heavy going, but we got through the mud and had walked most of it off our boots as we entered Hexham.  Judy bought some walking socks in Mountain Warehouse as we strolled around the town until we found a cafe that was happy to allow us in despite our filthy boots.  We enjoyed chatting to some locals who were genuinely interested to hear about the Pennine Journey so we did a little PR. The cafe owner told us about an nearby Italian restaurant called Quattro Mori and we eat there that night and the following night. It was excellent in every way.  The same cannot be said of our experience at Hallbank Guest House, where we stayed for two nights. You can read my reviews on Trip Advisor. 

Day 11 Saturday 13 October 2012

Hexham to Housesteads Fort (16.2 miles - 2000ft ascent)

The River Tyne at Hexham Bridge

We left Hexham to cross the River Tyne at 0940am in good weather on our way up to Hadrian's Wall at Planetrees.  Our initial plan was to walk around 11 miles to Brocolitia Fort and then catch the AD122 bus back to our guest house in Hexham. The plan changed however during the day. We walked through the old part of Acomb village, north to Fallowfield and took a path to east of Crag House where they farm Alpacas. These delightful and most curious creatures came to greet us as we used the path running alongside their field.

We were greeted by around 30 Alpacas at Crag House!

As we left the Alpaca field we could now see the wall. It had been a long time coming - 11 days, a slower schedule than the one travelled by AW in 1938, but now we were at last about to invade the wall! A section was visible at Planetrees but this soon disappeared as we made a detour towards the village of Wall before heading for Chollerford on the North Tyne where we crossed the bridge by the weir. 

Chollerford Weir on the River North Tyne

Interesting fungi by the wall

At Chollerford we stopped off at the Riverside Tearooms for refreshments, before continuing along the B6318, which is the road which runs alongside this section of Hadrian's Wall.  We rejoined the Hadrian's Wall footpath beyond Walwick when the going got rough. With having had such a wet summer the conditions of the footpaths was bad, and this was mainly due to poached ground caused by cattle grazing on the land adjacent to the wall. We soldiered on though towards our intended destination of Brocolitia. As we had made good progress we decided to review the bus timetable.  A unanimous decision was reached that we should continue onwards to Housesteads, and then catch the 5.34pm bus back to Hexham from there. This would mean that on our next and final day for this leg we could reach Greenhead, which is the point where the Pennine Journey leaves the wall and goes south to Alston.  As we had all enjoyed a toasted teacake and tea at Chollerford we were able to continue and have our lunch at 2.00pm when we arrived at the Brocolitia Fort. 

We walk past the remains Brocolitia Roman Fort

At Sewing Shields we could see why Hadrian had built the wall here. For some distance the wall sat upon natural crags with a considerable drop to the north - a natural defence and we found next day that this continued on and off right through to Greenhead. 

Saturday on the wall Geoff - Chas - Yvonne - Phil (Writer) - Judy

We reached Housesteads at about 4.30pm and found that the attendant had knocked off for the day. This also meant that when we reached the visitor centre and car park the toilets and refreshment counter were also closed. Come October they close at 4.00pm.  On this day they had undoubtedly lost some considerable trade as there was a large group of around 20 foreign students waiting for the bus and several car loads of people who were setting off to look at the fort and wall, which lies about 500m from the car park. 

Information board at the bus stop on Housesteads Car Park

Our return to Hexham was later than anticipated so we rearranged our meal booking at Quattro Mori for 7.30pm. The AD122 bus drops off on the car park adjacent to Waitrose in Hexham so we all nipped in and purchased sandwiches for the following day before returning to Hallbank Guest House to get cleaned up. 

Day 12 Sunday 14 October 2012

Housesteads to Greenburn (10.6 miles 1500 ft ascent)

Bill Bryson

An early breakfast was ordered at the Hallbank Guest House for 7.30am. The timing was essential as we had to vacate our rooms and catch the 0905 am bus from the Hexham tourist back to Housesteads.  I noticed a familiar face at breakfast, someone who was famous. It was Bill Bryson OBE, the best selling American travel writer, and yes, he was actually writing as he enjoyed his breakfast.  We got a "good morning" and a smile  out of the author and let him get on with his breakfast. Bill wasn't the only famous person we saw this day - we encountered Stephen Gough, otherwise known as the naked rambler, who came up behind us on the wall near Once Brewed!

The section of the Hadrian's Wall National Trail from Housesteads Fort to Greenhead was very well maintained and unlike the previous day, few animals had been grazing along it, so our route was in better order.  As it was Sunday there were plenty of people walking on the path, which again followed the top of crags over much of its length. This meant the walk was quite challenging with lots of dips to descend and banks to climb. There was a sponsored walk taking place with walkers from the Newcastle area.  We also met two very large groups of young army cadets being guided by experienced walk leaders.  The sponsored walkers had started from the Once Brewed Visitor Centre, which is some distance away from the wall and a place which we must visit another time. Half a mile west of Housesteads we again met The Pennine Way near Cuddy's Crags,  where the PW turned north to head to its destination of Kirk Yetholm. We were to stay with the PW until the end of our day at Greenhead.  

Hadrian's Wall Trail meets The Pennine Way near Cuddy's Crags
L-R: Geoff, Phil (writer), Judy, Chas, Yvonne

We were doing well although Judy was suffering with a large blister on her heal. She had been brave enough to tackle this last day, albeit with some trepidation, by applying two Compeed blister plasters, although she was experiencing some discomfort it has to be said.

The area around Crag Lough was impressive and very picturesque, and the wall had been rebuilt here, although it was less substantial than the sections we saw the previous day. 

Hotbank Farm and Crag Lough

We stopped for refreshments and took stock of the things we had found on this 5 day 64 mile section of Pennine Journey:

• A Cardigan
• A £1 Coin
• A bin liner under a hedge containing about six "mucky video's" 
• A Hat
• A Scarf
• Two pairs of socks (found in different places)
• A dog lead

The naked rambler
leaving the wall 

All the above were left were we came across them, apart from the £1 coin which was found and kept by Yvonne at the Housesteads Fort bus stop!  A short distance from Caw Gap where the wall crosses a minor road I heard a walker approaching from behind. I turned round and to my amazement it was The Naked Rambler. I just said "Good Morning, it's the Naked Rambler" to warn the others in the party. The ladies glanced round briefly and got an eyeful as we continued on our way, with me chatting to the activist, about how he washes his socks, the use of walking poles and his problems with the police. He told me he had come down from Edinburgh and was going south.  I later found out he had been released from Edinburgh Prison the previous week where he had been serving yet another term for breach of the peace. Prison is something he has grown accustomed to in his determination to exercise his right to walk naked around Britain, having served around six years in custody! As we dropped down to Caw Gap our pace increased as the two ladies did not wish to be overtaken by our new found friend. In her efforts to descend quickly Judy slid sideways and barrel rolled once, fortunately without injury. When we reached the lane at Caw Gap the naked rambler turned left to head for the B6318 saying he was "cutting a bit off". It was quite an experience meeting him as you can imagine. 

Looking back to Crag Lough

Our Pennine Journey Guidebook mentioned that there was a picnic area at the former Cawfields Quarry and it was a good place for us to stop for lunch with picnic tables and toilets. 

As pathfinder I made a  minor navigational error just west of Walltown Crags near a car park and left the wall to follow a track for 300m. We rejoined the national trail as we approached Hole Gap where there was another old quarry with a lake, and cafe.  It was after 3.00pm when we arrived here and with our taxi booked at Greenhead over one mile away for 3.45pm we did not have time to stop for refreshments.  Continuing on we reached Greenhead in the middle of a heavy shower at 3.40pm with our taxi (Advanced Taxis of Hexham - good service and price) already waiting for us, which meant we could not sample the tearoom at Greenhead either. 

Our journey by taxi back to Westgate was via Hallbank Guest House in Hexham to collect our bags. We then proceeded through the now familiar Northumberland and Durham country and moor to Lands Farm at Westgate where we had parked our cars four days previously.  After saying our goodbyes to Chas and Yvonne,  Phil, Judy and Geoff motored down to The Three Tuns public house in Thirsk for a roast dinner before proceeding back to Pickering. Geoff returned to his home in Malvern the following day. 

We plan to continue our Pennine Journey in April 2013 by walking south from Greenhead down to Appleby. Our intention is to complete the 247 mile walk before September - 75 years after it was walked by A Wainwright.