Sunday 21st June 2026
A strange and exhausting day.
I have perviously ascended Flinter Gill from Dent.
Where it forms a T jinction with Green Lane, an old dales briddleway, I had turned left to complete a circular back to Dent. We so often see an alternative on our walks and it is something of a cliché when we posit a return visit at some time. Well today I acted on my posit opting to take the right turn on that bridleway.
I wakened early to the miaowing of Pancake, my son's cat, now my adopted companion since son has found his own lodgings. Pancake is allover black and that combined with her feline stealth makes it difficult to keep track. It seems that somehow she had locked herself in the spare room where I do my scale modelling. All of that had upset my precisely detailed morning routine which makes that Morecambe and Wise breakfast sketch seem like a shambles but eventually I was off at 8:00.
Dent's car park charges £5.00 for 4 hours, then £7.00 for 24 hours. My walk estimate was 4 hours. I paid the £5.00. After messing about putting on boots and other faffs quarter of an hour had passed since I fed the machine, so I was now under stress hoping to be back before I got a ticket.
Flinter Gill climbs steeply on a rugged stony path with the gill deep down on the left and hidden by trees, but quite audible today. Memory Map gives my route 907ft. of ascent which is mainly accounted for by this ascent, but I went well in the shade. There is a welcome bench a few yards before joining Green Lane and I sat looking at extensive views back down Dentdale and across to Aygill Pike, it was great to be bak in my limestone dales.
Levelish and pleasant walking on the old bridleway was now welcome in the increasing heat. Middleton Fell and Calf top above Barbondale reared ahead. I joined the Barbondale road for a stretch before branching off on a footpath back to Dent.
That path went through more fields than I can now enumerate. At one point a rotten stile overhanging back towards me created a tough problem and to start with I thought I may not be able to conquer it, but after much precarious effort and expended energy I was over, but now beginning to feel the heat and also some apprehension about my time schedule. Further on yet another field had a herd of sbout twenty mature bullocks rampaging up and own as a combined pack as if trying to find an exit from this steeply inclined and hillocky field. There was no way I was going through that gate. I followed the wall downhill to a corner where acouple with a baby were just ascending. They had seen the bullocks and diverted lower down round the bottom of some rrees well out of way and sight of the bullocks now back up at the top of the field. With some trepidation I manged to reverse rheir route and crossed the field without being seen by the herd.
Further on the path became obscure and I wasted more time searching and making minor corrections until I arrived at a substantial ribbed concrete farm road descending steeply to the farm before my uncertain path would branch off for a short stretch back to Dent village. As I was rejoicing at the firm grip of my Vibram soles on the concrete path I hadn't noticed a patch of wet from water seeping across the path from the right. My first step onto that patch was like butter off a hot knife. I landed hevily on my forearm and jarred one of fingers quite badly and I was lying with the water soakng into my pants. I managed to shuffle to the edge of the concrete where the grass descended giving me the ability to get back up - that is not easy with my two replacement knees which I am loathe to kneel on.
The combination of being shaken up, the heat, the car park problem, snd the number of difficulties crammed into that short part pf the walk after leaving the Barbondale road had me whacked. I got back to the car fifteen minutes after parking expiry time and thankfully no ticket.
P.s. I had not eaten my prepared sandwich or partaken of my coffee. The sandwich formed the substsnce of my evening meal back home later.
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| A short bit of tarmac leading to Flinter Gill, and below |
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| Now onto the path proper, climbing steeply |
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| Lime kiln. seems an odd locstion |
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This amd below. Flinter Gill just before it drops steeply into the goge - good looking imestone country
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| The welcome bench - Green Lane bridleway just through the gate, and from the bench... |
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| Aygill Pike, and... |
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| ...looking back down Dentdale. The village is hidden |
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| Starting on the righthand branch of Green Lane |
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| The agressive herd of bullocks charging around en-masse |
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| On my forearm just below my elbow |
Hope you are recovering.
ReplyDeleteThat was quite an outing.
I can see from the map that Flinter Gill is the obvious way up to Green Lane, but it is a pull-up, well done.
That Green Lane goes right across the moor from Barbondale to Kingsdale - an interesting traverse using two cars?
ReplyDeleteBC - I walked the other half of that bridleway back in July 2022 setting off down Deepdale from its meeting with the road and finishing with that section of the bridleway, My remarks about the going on that track are not complimentary.
It was a few months later in October when I first went to the GP about breathlessness so the blood clot that I was never aware of must have happened somewhere prior to October 2022 not that is now of any significance, just thoughts.
https://conradwalks.blogspot.com/2022/07/deepdale-off-demtdale.html
That was a good walk too. Must explore that area more.
ReplyDeleteHope no lasting damage. I also showed discretion with a herd of cows with calves on my latest walk, after a couple with a dog had riled them up before me. I had no chance of pushing through them to the tiny kissing gate.
ReplyDeleteTony - Having walked for well over alf a century most of that time I was not much phased by cows but in recent years there seems to have been much more publicity and I have become more wary. I have had two long lived springer spaniels over the years and have had no qualms at meeting dogs, but again with that I am now more wary after several close encounters. I despair at being told by incompetent dog owners "It's because you're wearing a hat" or "It's because of your rrucksack," or occasiomally "It's because you're a man."
ReplyDeleteHaving worked on many farms i’m not too concerned about cows. As you will have read on my previous posts. Having said that you do have to appraise the situation. When you take a tumble Conrad you certainly make a good job of it. I bet that arm stung. I hope you are otherwise ok.
ReplyDeleteAlan R - That tumble was not what many expect from a geriatric caused through impaired balance and general degeneration. Anybody can slip on an unseen and unexpected slippery surface, so I have given myslef a little comfort with that thought. Like you my friend Bowland Climber came from a farming background and had experience of fellow farming folk having serious encounters with cattle. BC is certainly more wary (and I'm sure wiser) than me when we come across cattle and I think my increased consideration has resulted from my respect for BC's fact based prudence. - better ssfe than sorry.
ReplyDeleteBetter safe than sorry is a wise thought. I only ever got kicked once by a calf and that hurt for days. Other than that i havnt had any bother with cows but you should avoid them if possible or if you are a bit fearful.
ReplyDeleteMy theory is that because the cattle spend so much of their lives in 'sheds', they have become more hostile and excitable when let out in the fields.
ReplyDeleteWe don't really have all the facts.
https://theconversation.com/when-cows-attack-how-dangerous-are-cattle-and-how-can-you-stay-safe-around-them-79524
Of course, dogs and bees kill as many people as cows.
As you say, be careful.
BC and AlanR and Tony - I read the report on cow staristics linked by BC above. I came to no definite conclusion. Statistical chances of a problem appear to be rare. But If your encounter for instance included say two of the factors, e.g. with dog and cows with calves your statistical chance of a problem would be hugely increased. Suffice to say for all of us here let's just contnue with old fashioned common sense.
ReplyDelete