Barbon - November covered

 Saturday 11th November 2023 circuit from Barbon

At tis time of year you have to snatch a weather window otherwise walks would be even more limited. The forecast for Saturday 11th November was better than Remembrance Sunday.  I persuaded myself that it would not be disrespectful to walk on Saturday even though that was actually the 11th. As I write this I hope it shows that I do care and respect the importance of honouring so many. When I look back at the media, and from fiction and non-fiction I read, I become more overawed each time by the shear scale of WW2 and the country's ability to get so much done so quickly. Just one example: from information I have just gleaned from the Internet, one hundred airfields were built between 1935 and 1940 and I think a another hundred or so after that. Ok, the Government had free reign under wartime legislation, but it is still a  contrast with how much bungling and delay is involved  in getting anything done these days. Alice Roberts fronted up a programme on BBC TV last night thst highlighted much more of the incredible amount of infrastructure and preparation for invasion that was carried out - astounding.

As I browsed the map to find some unwalked paths within reasonable radius I came across Treasonfield Farm. Now I had another November connection and a must-go-to destination.

I shopped at Booths Supermarket in Kirkby Lonsdale for a sandwich. National news covered the story of this northern version of Waitrose yesterday telling us that they were dispensing with automatic checkouts and going back to manned tills resulting from their analysis of their northern customers who they say prefer to have the benefit of a chat with a friendly till operator. Well there was only one till manned with three people in front of me and I had to listen to snatches of banal weather and holiday conversation while I suffered my probably overdeveloped aversion to queuing - the grumpy old man strikes again!

My November theme was continued by my arrival at Barbon where I parked  next door to their war memorial. It is a splendid stone structure and a fine tribute to the less than half a dozen from each of the World Wars who had not returned to this tiny and peaceful village.

There had been a heavy frost but the sky was all blue with a nip in the air. After half a mile on the familiar road section  I stopped to dig out gloves from my rucksack that have hibernated there since last winter. I found  they were not the ones allowing screen manipulation. My faithful Swiss Army Knife was deployed to cut a tiny hole in the forefinger for my iPhone operating digit to perform, so there was then no interruption removing gloves each time I wanted to consult Memory Map. Only one car passed me before I arrived to cross the A683 to pick up the tarmac track to the intriguingly named Treasonfield Farm. That proved to be converted to holiday apartments as so many of our farm buildings are. I have since searched long and hard on the Internet but can find no reference to the derivation of that name - there must be a story to tell? I welcome any reader's attempt to find out more.

Going back a year or so there was some speculative discussion here and on other blogs about the sudden appearance of yellow paint on footpath gate latches but since then all has gone quiet on that subject, but Bowland Climber's last post had a sub-theme of yellow CLICK HERE and as I exited the curtilage of Treasonfield onto a grassy bridleway I was brought up sharp by the yellow latch on the gate and I found myself wondering at the significance of yellow coming to the forefront again. I would add tat I am also making a model of a Lotus 7 and the front end of the bonnet is painted yellow, a colour that is known to be difficult to achieve good cover, the secret being to apply an undercoat of white first.

 

The bridleway skirted round a golf course. Eventually on the ladies tee for the 17th hole there was a bench and I munched my "Ham Hock, vintage Cheddar Cheese, traditional mayo, and other lavishly described ingredients upmarket Booths sandwich along with coffee from my flask. I was well placed to see golfers approaching upstream to their men's tee and I sat in peril as two parties teed off in my direction, fortunately with enough skill to avoid slicing one in my direction.

I followed Barbon Beck to the A683 crossing over by the road bridge to follow another pleasant and quiet road back into Barbon. All in all a pleasant little four mile trip.

Barbon war memorial

..

This is some exotic breed of sheep I had seen walking this road with Pete but I can't remember the name. I m using the Olympus TG 6 with only a short zoom - this is as close as I could get.

Calf Top in the background.

Frost still lingers before the sun arrives

Magnificent holly tree in full pomp. At that size it must be ancient

Calf Top.

 Over and down the other side is the road from Barbon up, and then down to Dentdale

The much anticipated Treasonfield Farm

I

I was thinking I may have to get my feet wet but...

...there was a bridge. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a clapper bridge being made from three separate slabs supported underneath by stretchers rather b than being a single stone slab span.

'nuff said.

Beckfoot Farm

Old cottages well restored on the way back into Barbon