When I was a youth in the Fifties/Sixties I was one of an assemblage who, during the week drank beer together and frequented the various jazz venues in the Bradford area where we lived, and most weekends made our way to The Lakes, to drink more beer and rock climb.
One of the group was Pete who now features in this post.
After the loss of my wife Ann I moved to Arnside in 1999.
In Arnside I joined the gym, and one day found myself sat on a rowing machine conversing with another member who turned out to be Pete. We had not seen each other for the best part of forty years, and neither of us recognised the other until conversation enlightened us.
Pete and his wife Liz bought a house in Arnside, and in the intervening years Pete and I have walked together, and he climbed thirty or so Munros with me.
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| Garnett Bridge |
Yesterday was just another local walk we did together, continuing my exploration northwards up the river Sprint from Garnett Bridge.
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| The Sprint from Garnett Bridge bridge |
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| Lower Long Sleddale |
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| The path/track does not follow close to the river, which was a bit disappointing, but the views were good compensation |
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| Pole Position? |
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| Getting back to the river |
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The river is less vigorous here, but it bubbles along like some kind of brown Champagne
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| Click to enlarge |
There is another 2.5km of the Sprint to arrive at Sadgill where the tarmac road ends, and a rough track climbs to become Gatesgarth Pass which then descends to Haweswater. I have often walked up that track looking down at the tumbling and hugely inviting river, much more exciting than the stretch walked on this post. I have it in mind to try and walk up the river itself rather than the track on my next visit, but I am not sure if this will be feasible - there is no footpath shown on the map, but I will give it a try.
Well, darn! The new Blogger won't permit me to enlarge the map.
ReplyDeleteNever mind, though. The rest of the post was a good read. Enjoyed the photos of your countryside, Conrad.
my vicarious out-door life has just been raised to a new plane - as I said, when I can get back on track, I will aim to make this glittering stream my first delight
ReplyDeletenow I know what is meant by 'weeping by the waters of Babylon' !
Take out the bits that don't matter, that blur things. Add in bits that enhance and explain. And shape it so that what starts with "Bradford" and ends with "Perhaps" is a story.
ReplyDeleteBradford, fifties - sixties. We drank beer, took in jazz, did rock-climbing in the Lakes at weekends. Along the way I met Pete.
Marriage took me away from Bradford. When my wife, Ann, died I needed to be back near the mountains and moved to Arnside, living on a hill with a view of Ingleborough from my living-room window.
I joined the gym. Using the rowing machine I found myself chatting to another member. Pete! I hadn't seen him for forty years, didn't recognise him. Chat alone peeled back our identitities. He now lived in Arnside with his wife, Liz. Pete and I started walking together again and he accompanied me on about thirty of my Munros
These days the walks are less ambitious. Yesterday we continued to explore the river Sprint, going north from Garnett Bridge. There in our dotage we stopped.
After a further 2.5 km the tarmac ends and a rough track climbs up to Gatesgarth Pass and drops down to Haweswater. I've done that track often and there's a tumbling, hugely inviting river for company - much more exciting than the stretch we'd just done. Rather than use the track I'd like to walk up the river but I'm not sure it's feasible. The map shows no footpath.
Perhaps.
The Crow - Pity about the map. I might try to do something about that.
ReplyDeleteGimmer - We don't want any weeping!
The next instalment has gone through the planning stage. I have scanned, enlarged and printed the OS 1:25000 map from Sadgill up to the start of Gatesgarth Pass so I can see the field boundaries adjoining the stream, and I will be up there as soon as commitments permit, but I do want a good weather day.
RR - I can see your version carries a thread whilst mine is more disjointed, and you have been able to edit some of the superfluous stuff. The gym was not in Arnside, but Silverdale, and I purposely avoided that explanation, but your ”...I joined the gym” is even more concise - I liked that.
I am interested in your, “There in our dotage we stopped”.
It worries me that my version was not clear. I didn’t say where we stopped, yet you say “there”. Perhaps your sentence has another meaning, but if so it is not clear to me. Whilst I go along with your plea for conciseness there can be a danger of clipping to the point of obscuring meaning.
i prefer yours - it has immediacy
ReplyDeletethe other sounds like martin amis on a good day or Chandler on a bad one
(pacé, RR)
psalm 137 - an allegorical reference - let the Thames be a Tigris (or Euphrates, if you prefer)
I understood your post completely. I like your style. The rest is window dressing.
ReplyDeleteHaving someone correct your stuff increases the number of comments. Can't be bad.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a pleasant outing. I've never walked these lower reaches of the Sprint, only upstream from Sadgill Bridge. It's a shame that more Lake District rivers don't have river bank paths.
ReplyDeleteMark
I like your style Conrad - keep it up.
ReplyDeleteBeating the Bounds and Afoot - Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDelete