Trigs 103 - Singing Tree plus three

Wednesday 18th  August 2021

Thieveley Pike      SD 872 271     449m.

Merrill Head          SD 884 297    329m

Black Hameldon    SD 914291     479m

I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to read that I've ticked off another three of the 66 trig points on OS 1:50 - Sheet 103. That leaves another 49 still for your enjoyment.

Feeling masochistic and annoyed with myself for missing Tuesday, the only good weather day this week I set off for an hour's drive just to do these three trigs each only around one kilometre from a road. All three were visited in low cloud, eighty yard or less visibility and with on and off drizzly rain.

Thieveley started from one of those typical Pennine farm buildings on a lonely road side with piles of stone, other building materials and broken down vehicles from projects long abandoned. A path involving four stiles and two gates within one kilometre rose gently through rough moorland with reeds predominant. There were several places where disused fencing wire had been left half concealed in the vegetation, something of which I am particularly wary having broken my arm as a result of something similar. Within  five minutes I found my current waterproof boots were no longer waterproof and I spent the rest of the trip with wet feet.  My son speculates that this is my ideal kind of day - the more suffering the better - he may be right. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I did have a sneaky feeling of guilt for using the car to drive between, and only walking less than three miles overall. I had a small reward at Thieveley trig, it was inscribed with a woefully cribbed version of "Once more unto the breach..."which I suspect was put up before England lost in the final.

Having walked close to the Singing Tree ( a sculpture that blows music in the wind) on my  Berwick to Castle Cary walk and dithered before deciding it was too far off route, and having driven close by several times within the last few months I decided to have look in between the first two trigs. See photo below and also a shaky video I took, mainly so I could capture the sound. If you want to know more and see some splendid photos  CLICK HERE

Thieveley Pike - you can just see the quotation top left of left side and see close up below. The surrounding terrain sums up the atmosphere of this dreich day

On the way back - a makeshift sheep shearing station. There were daggins of wool scattered far and wide around here. In my youth in Bradford I had friends who worked with wool in its raw state and the word daggins was often used. I was mildly surprised to find it under "dag" in my Chambers dictionary. 

The Singing Tree. I'm thinking of entering some of today's photos for Photographer of the Year

Merrill Head - exciting?

Looking back down to my car from Merrill Head - this could be my entry for the photo competition.

At the lay-by parking for Black Hameldon Hill. I've not seen one of these before on my recent travels in this area

Hameldon Hill.  There was a good but splodgy track all the way. Heather was well in bloom and seemed to glow in the strange light of this dismal day.A quick touch, turn around and off back -easy? For a couple of minutes I couldn't find the path I had approached on.

You will see that I have made no attempt to edit this. At least you do hear the sound now and again against the roar of the wind. The first few seconds are priceless