Wednesday 28th March 2018
After churning through pathless, cow trodden quagmire a few days ago on Hollow Stones I vowed that future walks would be restricted to public footpaths as shown on the OS map in consideration of my knee recovery.
Today, with the best intentions, I set off on a circuit of Wet Sleddale. From the cattle grid start I walked up the Tarmac road and continued on the footpath to the north of the access road to Green Farm and Sleddale Grange. It was a completely pathless, knee twisting reed and moss swamp demanding careful navigation to find access points at the various field boundaries. I emerged at Sleddale Grange and thankfully picked up the access road continuing to Sleddale Hall.
Sleddale Hall is famous because it featured in the film
Withnail and I. I have visted before on several occasions. It seems that the buildings have been perhaps re-roofed and secured. As far as I could Google they are in private ownership and there seems to be no immediate plans for further refurbishment.
I descended to the stream where OS indicates the public footpath crosses. Here is a line of large boulders making for stepping stones, but with the final step at the other side missing. The stones were wet and green and projecting more than a foot above the fast flowing water and with not very flat surfaces. I had an immediate picture of me teetering from one to another then having an unpleasant fall into the stream which could have been more than serious. I opted for a Nick Crane and found a spot a bit higher up where the stream was not flowing so fast and just waded across at knee height. So much for my intentions of walking on benign footpaths.
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| Victorian post box at the end of the public road leading on to Green Farm |
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| Across to the A6 and the Tata limestone crushing plant and the northern Pennines in the distance |
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| Wet Sleddale reservoir from near Sleddale Hall |
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| I think this is the actual current owner of Sleddale Hall. That sign has been there for years. |
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| Sleddale Hall |
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| I waded across avoiding almost certain catastrophe |
You must be mad. How to plan a walk that is as difficult as possible for a septuagenarian with a new knee. Just relieved you survived.
ReplyDeleteWalk along your prom or come down and walk with me on the forest tracks on Longridge Fell.
Take care.
Your guardian angel.
bowlandclimber - Oh dear. That is a dire warning which if it had come from almost any other source I would have pooh-poohed, but coming from you I will try and take it on board. BUT, I remember it was on a "forest track" that I caught a small branch across my ankle causing a wound that took six months to heal bringing with it other serious related afflictions.
ReplyDeleteConrad.
ReplyDeleteYou will be glad to hear there is a new campaign ongoing - Clean up our forest tracks.
Specialised council cleaning vehicles are sweeping and hoovering up on Longridge Fell at this moment. Unable to upload a picture here.
There are plans to start on footpaths soon if finance can be arranged.
Ribble Valley Council are to be congratulated on this initiative.
I presume that campaign will cease tomorrow (2nd. April)
ReplyDeleteI've only been to Wet Sleddale once I think. I remember the walk as being very hard going and also having to wade across that stream. It is one of only a handful of places where I've seen a Short-eared Owl though.
ReplyDeleteBeating the bounds - Hi Mark,
ReplyDelete28th July last year I saw a short eared owl on the slopes of Widdale Fell - SD 789 888
http://conradwalks.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=short+eared+owl
"In the dim distance I spotted an unusual sized and shaped bird perched on a fence post and managed to get a quick zoom shot. The bird took off and came straight towards me, gliding superbly completing a detailed examination of this rare human - I must have been as strange to this Short Eared owl as the bird was to me. That kind of sighting is the sort of thing that makes a particular walk memorable - not a bad start to the day eh?"
I must admire your ability and perseverance in finding worthwhile walks in the most uninviting of terrain: whenever I drive down the M6 or A6, I glance across at the Wet Sleddale valley and 'wonder' - I cannot recall any time when even the slightest desire to walk there ever occurred - the opposite, actually! To do so in current conditions and with your still mending limb is, perversely, both admirable and, as others have commented, not necessarily particularly wise - and, particularly, considering your prior knowledge of the terrain. Sun Tzu might have had something to say about the strategy!
ReplyDeletegimmer - I had a look at Sun Tzu and learned that he was supposed to be the ultimate military strategist, but then reading further I found that he seems to be a professional purveyor of quotes - one in particular that may be appropriate as I take on board criticisms from people whose qualifications should give me cause to take notice:
ReplyDelete"man know thyself."
indeed
ReplyDeletetouché
I dare say I'd have been equally discouraged by the slimy stepping stones. But what about your walking sticks? Might they have helped? Have held you in balance?
ReplyDeleteRR - My poles would have been helpful but not sufficiently to put the odds in my favour against falling in. The poles were still massively influential in ensuring a successful wade across.
ReplyDelete