BC visits my domain.

Friday 13th June 2025 

A call from Bowland Climber with a plan to visit my local area.

We covered just short of five miles on local paths I have visited many times over the years but not so much in recent times so it was an enjoyable re-acquaintance for me. I noted some newly formed paths leading off here and there that I made a note of to explore later.

As we set off from Yesland Storrs I realized I had forgotten my camera. I deployed my iPhone and after getting my finger in front of the lens, then the flap that closes its case, and then not being sure if the "shutter" had clicked, and not being able to see the screen in the bright sunlight, I managed a shot of our departure point. Trying to create a continuous record of the walk with all that faffing was only going to spoil the day, so I only took two more photos during the walk.

The highlight, halfway round was to visit our old climbing venue, Trowbarrow Quarry.  Quarter of a mile of limestone crag at around 30m in height is an impressive sight containing many routes with good choice throughout the grades. We are told by archaeologists that these vertical cliffs were once flat seabed which is difficult to comprehend, but they are littered with fossils and other features to excite budding geologists. As we approached we saw about half a dozen folk wafting insect nets around and a chat with one proved to establish a connection with a mutual friend of BC. We had a good look round and sat on boulders for our sandwich watching a couple climbing what BC thought was one of his own conquests, Javelin, E1. We must have spent about an hour all together including a search for a coal seem in the rock known to BC, but elusive today.

As we were leaving one of the more tech members of the insect collectors from the trip organized by Liverpool University was sporting a noisy hand held vacuum cleaner to capture his samples. Given much longer I don't think there would have been many insects left at Trowbarrow. I imagined the net manufacturers worrying about he small return they were getting on the sale of their nets and coming up with a plan to produce something more "value added" for these entomologists. Each to his own.

Further on a geological hollow at the summit of a primeval forest contained an unlikely pond  indicated on the map. We descended into this eerie lost world and found the pond was mostly an area of swamp where one imagines the foot of humans had never trod.

Looking closely at the map the pond is encircled by a contour line on the 1:25 map. The immediate conclusion is that this is a continuation of height gain relative to its contour neighbors, but it indicates descent into the hollow.

A most enjoyable day, thanks BC.

Our starting point finally captured after taming my iPhone. 

For Alan. I know it's not rare but at least it is a Massey

Couldn't resist continuing my lifelong ranting about farmer's hairy orange string.

 

This was actually pink but of similar ilk, and being used intensively at its limits of 

capability to create a gate hinge. By now I had managed to faintly touch something on the iPhone and found that I had taken three versions of this photo. Blogger has taken over here with this caption. Couldn't sort it.

Anti-clockwise from Yealand Storrs. The pond is at the bottom right corner

Bampton, Haweswater, and hospitality on the way

Sunday 8th June 2025

I have come through another period of medical appointments, missed weather window opportunities and also changing my car , and at last a chance for a decent walk, not for the want of trying.

I swapped the lumbering manual Kia Sportage for a nippy little automatic Kia Picanto Sport. The contrast in handling is revelational.

So off I went up the M6 to explore more of the Haweswater hinterland albeit partly on previously walked ground. Parking south west of Bampton Grange had been researched on Google Earth. In that network of narrow lanes parking is problematical. The first half of my six mile walk was uphill, first on tarmac then across pleasant undulating pastures and stoutly built through stone stiles. My breathlessness does spoil things to some extent but tiny uphill steps and frequent rests had me arrive at the Standing Stones marked on the OS map affording a splendid surprise view down to Haweswater. It was now downmhill all the way to arrive at the well made wooden footbridge over the  lively Measand Back. Many walks fade in the memory but my previous visit here is ingrained and worth repeating, I think. From my blog post, 18th May 2021:

https://conradwalks.blogspot.com/2021/05/an-important-forty-minutes.html#comment-form

"I crossed the bridge as it started to spit with rain. I stopped to don my waterproof. The rain came heavier as I raced to get the waterproof from my rucksack before getting soaked. Mission accomplished, but there was resistance to picking up my rucksack The plastic buckle had lodged between the wooden sleepers of the bridge and because, now suspended, it opened out at one hundred and eighty degrees to the strap like one of those fixings for plasterboard. The rain was coming heavier. I fiddled to no avail. I found a stick to poke but it broke - the rain was heavier. I would need to search again for a better tool. To work properly, because I can't kneel, I would need to lie flat on the wet planking. There was no easy way it was coming out. The top pocket of my rucksack - Swiss Army Knife - strap cut, and off I went up my steep ascent now relieved to be moving again. "

I crossed that bridge and continued alongside the beck and its steep descent  to Haweswater, The beck is present to your left running through a gorge only a few yards wide and fifty feet or more in depth, the water more heard than seen as it rushes over rocks and waterfalls. There are a few places where you can look with some apprhension down into the torrenting depths.

Walking back along the side of Haweswater two Coast to Coast walkers caught me up and after a brief chat they carried on. As I was entering the village of Burbanks I came across these two again. They had stopped opposite a house and the lady there had made them a sandwich. I told them of the bench I knew of on the village green a couple of hundred yards further on. We walked there and we all had our sandwiches together, a pleasant interlude. I wish them well on the rest of their Coast to Coast and harbour some envy for long distance walking. They continued on their way to Shap and I on the road for a couple of kilometres back to my car.

The village of Bromby consists of houses that were built to accommodate workers during the construction of Haweswater between 1929 and 1935. Water now feeds the Greater Manchester area by a gravity pipeline, another marvel of construction.

A recent post by my friend Bowland Climber where he was offered a drink at a pub by a friendly family, and the offer of sustenance here for my two acquaintances prompted me to comment on BC's post:

" I was amused to see you getting a drink. As you know I have had a reputation for cups of tea and home invites. I think those instances occur when you are on an extended project rather than just a day walk. Your acquaintances are attracted by the concept of a long distance haul. Maybe they have not previously been aware of such exploits and either want to know more, or at worst just take pity on you?:

At the start, my new (s/hand) car in proud red awaiting my return

Steady uphill for the first half of this six miler

Beehives. At least something else other than landscape to photograph

There were several of these well made stiles, but lacking the desired extended pole at the top

Littlewater

Note the long line of the Pennines on the horizon. Even more of that in view in real life. Quite impressive - click to enlarge

The Standing Stones and Haweswater. All downhill from here

Where I got the buckle on my rucksack stuck between the planks of the bridge on a previous visit.
My route crossed over and followed the stream and steep descent down to Haweswater

Lunch break here with the two coast to coasters I had met. A pleasant interlude. They went off down through the gate to Shap, and I up the road to the left

Looking back the way we had come

Anti-clockwise from top right

Ignore red route from a previous visit