For newcomers

At the bottom of each post there is the word "comments". If you click on it you will see comments made by followers, and if you follow the instructions you may also comment and I always welcome that. I have found many people overlook this part of the blog which is often more interesting than the original post!

My blog nick-name is SIR HUGH. I'm not from the aristocracy - my middle name is Hugh which relates to the list of 282 hills in Scotland compiled by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891. I climbed my last one (Sgurr Mor) on 28th June 2009

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Friday, 29 November 2013

Beware the Yellow Peril

At 9:45 am on Thursday, my erratic brain suddenly triggers “Christmas cards”.

Thursday is my walking day with Pete, I pick him up at 10:00. We both attach importance to punctuality and what my mother called, “a proper going on”.

I buy Mountain Bothies Association cards, and realise I had missed the order form in their last magazine. I raid the pile of unread magazines, can only find the one before, asking for photos for the cards.  I email the guy for an order form, then look again and find the form, and send a cancelling email. I hastily complete the form and write a cheque. It is now 10:05 and it takes five minutes to get to Pete’s. My reliability rating is under threat - panic.

Another delay at the post box and I arrive at Pete’s where he watches for me from the window. I aplogise, and he says “ok, it’s not as though I was standing outside”, hinting that if that had been so I would have been in trouble.


Our walk from Haverthwaite had a strange occurrence. Look at the map in the south-west corner. I have plotted the route on a yellow road running south-east to Greenodd. Look further north on that yellow road and you will see that it is not a road but a blue river - the yellow Lake District National Park boundary line has re-coloured the river yellow. Arriving at that point I was expecting to find our yellow road, very unusually, crossing over the top of another yellow road. If things don’t fit you should always stay put until you have worked it out. I have rarely been so perplexed with a map, and was well relieved when I sorted it.


We have been avoiding footpaths recently in view of wet weather. Thankfully this one was not part of our route

Bouth

Greenodd and the Leven estuary 

Zoom to Greenodd

Footpath ostensibly crossing river

The Leven bridge at Haverthwaite - it is still tidal a few hundred yards downstream
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11 comments:

  1. The Crow29 November 2013 at 14:38

    A pleasure to read this, Conrad, and to view your photos. I especially am taken with the one of the dead tree - spooky but educational at the same time.

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  2. mike M29 November 2013 at 20:13

    It is so beautiful there. Is that a recreational slide pictured in Bouth?

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  3. Roderick Robinson30 November 2013 at 07:40

    This is the time of year when human artefacts can no longer hide behind lush greenery and are seen according to their true aesthetic. It can be bad cess for farms where corrugated steel barns are revealed in all their unglory.

    Hey, I pleased the Blondes didn't I? They quoted me. Can die happy now.

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  4. Sir Hugh30 November 2013 at 08:47

    The Crow - Thanks for your comments - I always find myself in tune with what you say.
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    Mike M - The location is on the fringes of our Lake District National Park which has a global reputation for its unique beauty, but unfortunately it is now becoming overcrowded with visitors. Our walks round the edges are less populated.

    That is a children's slide. I think this one has been fixed by the village community, and it is in a small playground with other facilities. This is the sort of thing often attached to our English pubs, one of which is just across the road from the slide; children can play whilst parents imbibe. I am sure you know something of our English pubs, but if not let me know and I will, as you might say, wise you up.

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    RR - I'm afraid most of the farming community make no attempt to merge their eyesore buildings into the landscape at the best of times. I know farming is a mucky business, but most of them are disgustingly untidy with rusting machinery, piles of old building material, car tyres and the like scattered all over the place.

    The Blondes had a little prompt from me.

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  5. Blonde Two2 December 2013 at 18:07

    What fascinates me about your Blue/Yellow mix up is that our Dartmoor National Park Boundary is purple. Much more sensible due to the lack of purple roads.

    Are they all different?

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  6. Sir Hugh3 December 2013 at 09:26

    Blonde Two - Purple is the colour used on the Explorer 1:25000 maps for, "private land open to the public with the owner's permission". I have two relatively modern Explorer 1:25000 maps where one shows National Park Boundaries in pink, and the other in yellow, the same as the yellow on the 1:50000 map I showed on my post. All very confusing. Another problem with that yellow with its broad graduated appearance could also be confused with a highlighter pen if one had been used to draw on a route, which I often do on a printed off sheet. Choice of colours for indicating routes either with computer software, or a highlighter needs care.

    I am sure you semi-professional blondes will be using the 1:25000 maps, but I'm afraid I have never liked them; their only merit is that they show the field boundaries.

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  7. Blonde Two3 December 2013 at 21:57

    Sir Hugh - We have lovely rainbows over Dartmoor. Maybe the next 1:25000 maps (spotting field systems is a particular favourite Blonde pastime) could show these rainbows to add to the confusion of colours.

    As long as they keep the location of the crock of gold secret!

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  8. Roderick Robinson7 December 2013 at 08:16

    Hey I like the fact that the Blondes haven't taken the Outdoor Oath Of Solemnity. The rest of you need them. Joking about 1:25000 maps, what next? Reminds me of the outrage expressed by those walkers who'd read the Hunter Davies Lake District book and said he didn't know his ass from his elbow. "Disguised outrage" I should have said; what really appalled them was HD did his trekking in wellies. Fellow's a cad, sir! Deserves to be horse-whipped! Why if those people had had shotguns in their hands at the time they'd have shot a pheasant. Is that sufficiently enigmatic?

    Called yesterday to ask you something dull about ebay. No reply. But, I told myself, he's always in at this time; panting round his kitching, multi-tasking himself to destruction. Later I realised it was your birthday. A chance to break the routine. Hope you took it. Happy advanced age.

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  9. Sir Hugh7 December 2013 at 08:48

    RR - I am back chez moi - climbed a hill in the Lakes with Gimmer yesterday - set off from here before 8:00 - was treated to a birthday meal afterwards.

    Thanks for your greeting.

    I was one who slated the HD book many years ago, I've just pulled it off my bookshelf and had another dip and I can't understand why. After reading HD's biography of Wainwright some years later I remember totally revising my opinion of HD anyway.

    With a new post every day, maintaining a high standard, The Two Blondes brighten each breakfast morning.

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  10. Blonde Two8 December 2013 at 12:02

    Am beginning to realise that Sir Hugh and Mr Robinson are almost as mysterious as the Two Blondes. Maybe more so as surely achieving mystery whilst using your name is an achievement?

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  11. Sir Hugh8 December 2013 at 13:52

    Blonde Two - I am amused to hear the we have created some kind of mystery - can't think why? My brother, and senior, RR, is the full time intellectual whilst I only have occasional forays in between walking, geocaching and watching trashy stuff on tele.

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