Orton south.

Tuesday 5th July 2022

 Country lanes and fields south of Orton from: The Lune Valley and Howgills - Dennis and Jan Kelsall

I reckoned I had walked everything I wanted from that guide having dismissed this one as too mundane with no notable features to give it a lift. I could see on the map field boundaries one after another which would involve many stiles and frequent checking of GPS to keep one on invisible paths across those fields and I wasn't far wrong. According to my son all that should have put me in Heaven; he believes that my perfect walking scenario would be to set off from the start into face stinging hale and gale force winds on an underestimated route having GPS failure and then twisting an ankle.

The walk turned out to be pleasant enough,  in better weather than I've had for some time with  sunshine just after the halfway point.

A hundred yards of busy road from my parking in Gaisgill. You can just see the turn off to the left onto a quiet country lane in the distance.

Bridge over the Lune

A good contouring path

There were MANY stiles like this

Shap granite quarry catching the sun - click to enlarge

Raisgill Hall - a bit pretentious to call it a hall?

The northern edge of the Howgills

The step up was so high I couldn't make it. I unearthed the slab set flat as a landing stone and propped it to provide n intermediate step

Not sure what this grass is but I delight in its pinky colouring and its delicate whispery swishing in the wind

Yet another large field needing accurate navigation to find the exit over by those trees. There was no evident path on the ground

Mowing the grass for silage, I had to cross the rows of cut grass diagonally - no chance of developing a walking rhythm

A supposed stile on a public footpath. Ok, I did climb over but one could hardly call it a stile

?

I took the back road through Orton village. This is their Methodist church. It looks well maintained as is the rest of the village

More of the back road in Orton

This was well placed atop a prominent mound. It looks ancient to me but it is not marked on the OS map: NY 619 072

They are more obliging for photography than birds. Alternative bubble: "Are you looking at me?"

I couldn't see if it had a studded collar and a tattoo somewhere saying "Hate"

A "triumph" of dry-stone-walling

Just another half mile back to Gaisgill - The Howgills in the background

Start/finish: Gaisgill, bottom left, anti-clockwise

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Katie update