However on Monday last I made a foray into the Lakes to bag Stony Cove Pike, another Marilyn. Albeit ascent was from the top of Kirkstone Pass at 454m, it is still over a thousand feet of climbing to reach this summit - note the change from metres to feet; the latter always sounds more impressive, and it is quite a tough little climb at that.
Very strong wind prevailed with hints of rain. Visibility was like peering through butter muslin.
Looking at the photos afterwards and recollecting the trip I wondered if my exploits in Scotland over the years would be enough to allow me to use the word dreich.
Here are a few more:
mochie - warm and damp
smirr - very light rain (I suspect that stuff that has more penetrating capacity than WD 40)
snell - biting, cold, sharp
For friends of Gibson: this post is to wish him well and we all hope to see him blogging again.
Lang may yer lum reek!
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| Stony Cove Pike from St. Raven's Edge - the summit is well beyond the skyline hump. The paths were semi-frozen, so not so much gloop wallowing as of late |
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| From S/C Pike summit - zoom to Thornthwaite Beacon; the pillar well visible on the horizon |
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| From S/C Pike - Froswick, Ill Bell and Yoke the western part of the Kentmere Horseshoe. Kentmere Pike in background left |
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| Brotherswater and the bottom end of Ullswater |
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| No! It wasn't coming for me. Red Screes in the background |
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| Looking down to The Kirkstone Pass Inn and my car. The slope is much steeper than it looks here |
Thanks Conrad. This is an incredible coincidence: Lynne and I are having coffee discussing The Scots Language and Billy Kay's 1996 book 'The Mither Tongue'. I think your Scottish credentials are sufficient to allow you to use 'our words'!
ReplyDeleteMy absence from blogging may well be short-lived since I'm already missing the friendship of those, like your good self, who have been so generous with their comments.
Afoot - that sounds encouraging.
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I have had a comment from Gimmer who had difficulty in posting so here it is:
For some reason my ID is not working so I cannot post to your blog. Herewith what I was trying to say!!
'Feet' are a human scale measurement - dating back to pre-Roman concepts - with a direct relation to limb dimensions and effort.
Metres are, by contrast, a mathematical construct derived originally from global 'data' unrelated to individual human or other animal experience.
Thus one can quite naturally 'step up' a foot, but never a metre (unless a gymnast - or rock man well supplied with holds, cracks and/or good runners and a doughty second) so I wholly applaud your usage - both as a blow for nature and for history!
I'm sure the bible or shakespeare would have had a word for it - if metrics had been 'out' then!
A bit of favourite for a short day with altitude this one. But preferably not when it's dreich. I'm guessing it wouldn't have been very busy?
ReplyDeleteHad a very quiet walk myself on Tarn Crag on Saturday in superb weather.
Mark
I saw two parties of two and one of three.
ReplyDeleteMemory Map tells me there are 8 Tarn Crags in Cumbria.
If you mean the one in Long Sleddale that is where I had a bit of an adventure a month or two back. See my post:
WEDNESDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2012
"A day of good and bad bits (River Sprint 3)"
Gimmer - I always knew you were a conservative.
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