Warrendale Knotts

May 16, 2021May 16, 2021 beatingthebounds4 Comments

The weekend before Christmas, when we would, in normal circumstances, be gathered together for a wet weekend of overeating, anecdote bingo, and maybe a bit of walking. Obviously that couldn’t happen last year. At least we could meet up for a walk. Sadly, the Surfnslide crew were self-isolating and weren’t able to join us.

20201219_111410 — *Rainbow over Settle. Glad I got that sheet of corrugated iron in the foreground!*

We met in Settle with a view to climb Warrendale Knotts. I suggested we divert slightly from our planned itinerary to take a look at Scaleber Force…

I’d noticed that a small section of woodland here is access land, and that a right-of-way drops down to the bottom of the falls and then abruptly stops.

20201219_120356 — *The EWO and Scaleber Force.*

I think you’ll agree, it was worth a little out-and-back along a minor lane to see it. We found a likely spot, out of the wind, for an early lunch spot, thinking shelter might be at a premium later in the walk. Naturally, once we’d settled down, it began to rain. This seems to have been a recurring theme when we’ve met for walks of late.

20201219_124328 — *Pendle Hill. Plus more corrugated iron.*

20201219_124340 — *High Hill Lane* – *that’s High Hill straight ahead.*

It brightened up and we had a lovely sunny spell back along High Hill Lane.

But it was soon grey and wet again. It was that sort of day.

The route we took up Warrendale Knotts proved to be ridiculously steep near the top, but it was well worth the effort…

20201219_133320 — *Attermire Scar from Warrendale Knotts. The distant big hole in the middle of the picture is Victoria Cave.*

20201219_133745 — *On Warrendale Knotts.*

We spent quite some time on this modest top. It was very windy, but with the clouds scudding across the views were constantly changing and very dramatic.

20201219_134127 — *Warrendale Knotts and Attermire Scar. Rye Loaf Hill on the right.*

20201219_134551 — *Pen-y-ghent and one of the cairns on Warrendale Knotts. Is that Fountains Fell in the cloud on the right?*

Eventually, we had to move on. In fact, the Cheshire contingent had some pressing engagement and we chose to walk with them, initially at least, and so by-passed Victoria Cave.

20201219_135532 — Another view of *Pen-y-ghent*.

The weather deteriorated again, but the Adopted Yorkshire Woman assured us that she remembered a shelter, or possibly a cave, in the vicinity of Jubilee Cave, which would be kitted out with comfortable benches and provide a pleasant dry spot for another lunch stop. Sadly, it never materialised. Hard words may have been spoken about the vividness of the AYW’s imagination.

AT Jubilee Cave, the Cheshire crew left us to take a direct route back to Settle, whilst the remainder of our small party returned to Settle via Winskill and Langcliffe. That’s a very pleasant route, but I didn’t take any more photos, because the rain returned and this time it meant business. We did enjoy a brief dry spell and had a hurried stop in order to drain the dregs from our flasks, but by the time we reached the cars it was chucking it down. A small price to pay for a terrific walk though.

*The day before this walk I uninstalled and reinstalled MapMyWalk. It worked, so here’s the resultant map. I think the numbers are kilometres, although the 4 and 6 seem a bit odd?*

*Warrendale Knotts, not named on the OS 1:50,000 is the trig pillar with a psot height of 440m.*

I’ve never climbed Warrendale Knotts before, and I still haven’t been up Rye Loaf Hill. Looking at the map of the Dales, it also occurs to me that I haven’t been up Great Shunner Fell or Buckden Pike or Fountains Fell since the mid-eighties. Which seems criminal given that they’re all relatively close to home. Aside from the Three Peaks area, the closest bit to home, I’ve been neglecting the Dales. I have a lot of exploring to do!

Not Missing the Point

May 15, 2021 beatingthebounds2 Comments

Photos from three consecutive weekend’s walks around Jenny Brown’s.

This first set are a bit odd, because there’s plenty of blue sky over the Bay, but it’s grey inland and the light is very flat.

Must have been a Sunday morning walk, which is generally when TBH and I chose to have a wander together.

We finished across the sands, which we didn’t often do, and they weren’t quite as firm and dry as we’d anticipated, but firm enough, fortunately – no quicksand drama to report! Hard to tell in the photos, but the Coniston Fells had a covering of snow.

This photo…

…on the other hand, was clearly from a late afternoon walk; the warm light is a giveaway.

I remember this walk well. Unusually, I was on my own, I don’t remember why.

I finished across the sands again and, even close in shore, being out there on a winter afternoon as the light faded and the lights around The Bay came on, felt quite wild and special.

Finally, one photo from another rainy walk around the point. On our regular walks we’d watched Quicksand Pool undercut the high far bank of the channel. We’d often hear the clump and splash of a section falling away. It was interesting to see, each week, how the bank and the channel had changed.

Company on Calf Top

May 13, 2021 beatingthebounds9 Comments

20201205_104025 — *Uncle Fester in Barbon*

The title says it all really. The restrictions were relaxed, some meeting up outdoors was allowed again – at last. So we arranged to meet in Barbon for a walk.

Despite having the least far to travel, we were, inevitably, the last to arrive. Or we would have been, had not the Yorkshire contingent parked in Barbondale, near Blindbeck Bridge I think. Somehow, for reasons I never quite fathomed, this was my fault. Not to worry, we were eventually assembled and ready to embark.

Incidentally, A had driven us to Barbon and would later drive back too. One unexpected consequence of the lockdowns has been that she hasn’t been able to have many driving lessons, so it’s fallen to me to teach her. It was a bit nerve-racking at first, but ultimately, a nice way to spend time together. Hopefully, she’ll soon manage to get a test booked.

Our route took us to the highest point in the Middleton Fells, Calf Top, and then back by the same route. (An alternative plan to drop down into Barbondale and return that way was abandoned because the sun was shining and leaving the ridge would have meant dropping into shadow, which seemed a shame.)

The grassy, lower slopes of Eskholme Pike were decorated with lots of colourful Waxcaps. And also clumps of yellow stalks. I couldn’t decide whether they were also Waxcaps, perhaps in a more or less advanced stage of their life-cycle?

20201205_113228 — *Across the Lune Valley*. *Lakeland Fells on the horizon. Howgills top right.*

The Middleton Fells give easy walking, without any particularly steep climbs, and expansive views.

P1320769 — *TBH takes a nap. Snow-capped Lakeland Fells in the distance.*

20201205_123540 — *Professor Longhair leads the way.*

20201205_125132 — *Calf Top from Castle Knott.*

20201205_125136 — *Looking over Howegill Head to the distant Lakeland Fells.*

20201205_130044 — *A negotiates a boggy bit.*

20201205_132105(0) — *Looking back to Castle Knott.*

20201205_132815 — *Crag Hill. Whernside in the background (I think).*

20201205_135634 — *TBH next to the (unusually) decorated trig pillar.*

20201205_135836 — *Looking down to the Lune valley.*

20201205_140822 — *Retracing our steps from the top.*

20201205_152845 — *…good place for a very belated lunch and brew.*

It would have been a good day’s walking in any circumstances, but throw in the opportunity to see friends with whom we’d missed several regular annual get-togethers, and the fact that I’d not ventured off home territory much for some months and this became a really special day out. When we said our goodbyes, we agreed not to wait too long before we met for another walk.

November: On the Home Patch

May 6, 2021 beatingthebounds3 Comments

20201106_162354 — *Sunset from The Cove*

20201106_163329 — *Post sunset light from The Lots*

People were going further afield for their daily exercise. I knew this. Every day we drove past the Eaves Wood car park and it was full. I could read about it on blogs. People I met on my walks recounted trips to the Dales and the Lakes.

20201106_163333 — *Post sunset light from The Lots*

And I would be doing the same. Soon, very soon.

20201107_134735 — *Tree trunk near the mouth of the Kent.*

But somehow, I didn’t get around to it.

20201107_154159 — *Flooded fields from Arnside Knott*

I wasn’t particularly worried about what might happen, or any potential consequences.

20201107_161645 — *Late afternoon skies from Castlebarrow…*

I’m a creature of habit. I just seemed to be stuck in a rut of sorts.

Still, there are worse ruts to be in!

I was still getting out a lot. Frequent visits to The Cove, The Pepper Pot, and around Jenny Brown’s Point, usually with TBH.

The weather was a bit mixed, to say the least.

20201115_114142 — *“See that storm over yonder, it’s gonna rain all day.”*

This was a memorable walk. The tide was exceptionally high. So much so that we had to turn back and couldn’t get around Jenny Brown’s because the the salt marsh was inundated.

20201115_114215 — *All of this is usually green!*

It was also very windy and squally, with very heavy showers.

We walked across Quaker’s Stang which was completely exposed to the wind off the sea, and made for very bracing walking.

20201115_115951 — *The RSPB car park for Allan and Morecambe hides was flooded.*

20201115_132935 — *Waves (of a fashion) at Jack Scout.*

20201119_163948 — *The lights of Heysham and Morecambe from The Cove.*

20201121_150921 — *Another high tide at Jack Scout.*

20201122_121851 — *The salt marsh when it isn’t underwater! Warton Crag behind.*

20201122_122633 — *Warton Crag again, across Quicksand Pool.*

20201122_155121 — *Towering cloud catching late light from The Cove.*

So – I’ve dismissed November with a solitary post again.

What would break my out of my routine? I needed an external stimulus, an intervention you might say…

Here’s something I haven’t done for a while – a tune for the end of the post. I absolute love the interplay of voices on this Levon Helm track….

October 2020: More Showers, Rainbows, and Big Clouds.

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 beatingthebounds7 Comments

20201020_171042 — *The view from Castlebarrow.*

The title pretty much sums it up. Photos from lots of different local walks, taken during the second half of October. I was aware that some people were beginning to travel a little further afield for their exercise, but somehow my own radius of activity seemed to shrink to local favourite spots not too far from the village.

20201022_162959 — *Crepuscular rays on the Bay.*

20201023_172613 — *Rainbow over The Lots*

This is my mate D and his pug. I often meet him when I’m out for a local walk. I think I’ve mentioned before how much bumping into neighbours whilst out and about has helped during the lockdown in all of it guises.

20201023_172926 — *The sun dips towards the sea, from Castle Barrow.*

I can’t remember exactly when this happened – let’s assume it was October: I bumped into a chap carrying a fair bit of camera gear in Eaves Wood. He asked if he was going the right way to the Pepper Pot. He was. I saw him again on the top. It turned out he’s working on a book, one in a series, about where to take photos from in the North-West. Based in Lancaster, he’d never been to the Pepper Pot before. Funny how that can happen. Cloud had rolled in and the chances of a decent sunset looked a bit poor. I saw him again, a few weeks later, this time he’d set up his camera and tripod a little further West, in a spot I’d suggested. I hope he got his sunset.

20201025_091037 — *A paper round rainbow. Just prior to a proper drenching.*

20201025_132317 — Among all the changes which Natural England have been carrying out at Gait Barrows – raising the water level, felling trees, removing fences, putting up new fences in other places etc, they’ve also renovated this old summer house by Hawes Water. Presently, it’s still locked, but eventually it will be an information centre and a vantage point to look out over the lake.

20201026_105647 — Around this time, TBH started to take a regular weekend walk together around Jenny Brown’s Point. It was interesting to watch the channel from Quicksand Pool change each week and to contrast the weather and the tides each week.

20201026_111023 — *Traveller’s Joy by Jenny Brown’s Point.*

20201026_152607 — *From Castlebarrow, heavy showers tracking in from The Bay.*

20201026_152552 — *Late sun from Castlebarrow again.*

20201026_172136 — *The lights of Grange from The Cove.*

20201027_065519 — *Sunrise from our garden.*

20201027_170908 — *TBH by the Pepper Pot on Castlebarrow.*

20201027_171157 — *Post sunset from Castlebarrow.*

20201027_173213 — *The last of the light from The Cove.*

20201028_080130 — *Silverdale Moss from the rim of Middlebarrow Quarry. It had just finished raining, or was just about to rain, or probably both.*

20201028_080823 — *Autumnal birches with a rainbow behind.*

20201028_092248 — *The Shelter Stone Trowbarrow Quarry.*

20201028_100020 — *Leighton Moss from Myer’s Allotment.*

20201028_152436 — *The Copper Smelting Works Chimney near Jenny Brown’s and more heavy showers.*

20201028_152547 — *Jenny Brown’s Cottages.*

20201029_070809 — *The Bay from The Cove on a very grey day!*

The brown cow at the back here is a bull. I’d walked through the fields on Heald Brow where they were grazing a few times and he’d never batted an eyelid. But on this day he and a few of his harem where stationed in a gateway. I was considering my options and wondering whether to turn back, but when I got within about 50 yards the bull suddenly started to run. At quite a canter. Fortunately, it was away from me and not towards – he was obviously even more of a wuss than me!

*A White-lipped Snail – the rain isn’t universally disliked.*

20201030_130650 — *Clougha across the Bay.*

P1320732 — *The yellow feet are a good distinguishing feature.*

20201030_133958 — *Picnic lunch – apple, mushroom soup and a selection of cheeses.*

I decided that the best way to make the most of sometimes limited windows at weekends was to head out in the middle of the day and to eat somewhere on my walk. This bench overlooking the Kent Estuary was a particular favourite. Haven’t been there for a while now – must rectify that.

20201030_141529 — *The tide had heaped up fallen leaves in a long sinuous line.*

20201030_143533 — *Scot’s Pines on Arnside Knott.*

20201030_144239 — *Birches on Arnside Knott.*

20201030_145301 — *Whitbarrow from Arnside Knott.*

20201030_145933 — *River Kent from Arnside Knott.*

20201030_150621 — *A flooded Silverdale Moss from Arnside Knott.* *Ingleborough in the background*

20201031_162516 — *Clouds catching late light.*

Nicky Nook

May 4, 2021May 3, 2021 beatingthebounds14 Comments

20201016_164637 — *Pedder’s Wood in Grizedale.*

No really, I’m not kidding, there is a hill called Nicky Nook. Just a small hill (215m); a sort of foothill to the Bowland Fells, which aren’t all that big themselves (not height wise anyway). Small enough, in fact, to be perfect for a Friday night post work walk in mid-October when the evening light is fairly short-lived.

20201016_170318 — *Grizedale Reservoir.*

20201016_172041 — *Looking over the Bay. Black Coombe in the distance. Wyresdale lake and Scorton Lake in the middle distance.*

20201016_172715 — *Imaginatively named ‘The Tarn’.*

I’ve been up there once before, many, many years ago, helping a friend to celebrate a birthday as I recall. Must be more than twenty years ago. I’d forgotten how good the views are. A Small Hill with Disproportionately Magnificent Views – one for the book Andy. It’s a shame that the light was going when I reached the top. I shall have to come back another time. Damn! (Spoiler alert – I already did. Expect a post sometime before 2030)

*Oh, the route: park on the minor road west of The Kennels. Walk along the road to Slean End, up Grize Dale to the reservoir, up the hill and back down to the car. Simple.*

October 2020: Rainbow Days

May 3, 2021 beatingthebounds4 Comments

20201004_154536 — *If you click on this image and then zoom in, you’ll see that the Howgill Fells had a dusting of snow.*

Last year, when I got behind with the blog, I dealt with the previous October with a single brief post. Not this time. Last October deserves at least 2 posts.

So, what did I get up to last October? Well, I certainly got out for a lot of walks; almost exclusively from home. I took a lot of photos, generally of cloudy skies, often with a rainbow thrown in for good measure.

My brolly became my constant companion and my favourite bit of walking kit. It was windy too mind, and my umbrella was turned inside out on a couple of occasions. Which trauma it seems to have survived without any noticeable loss of function.

20201006_165659 — *Challan Hall and double rainbow.*

B took over A’s Saturday morning paper-round, then offered to stand in on Sundays too for his friend E, at which point an ongoing knee problem flared up leaving him unable to walk, requiring surgery and a lengthy convalescence, so muggins ended up doing both rounds. At least I got an early walk in at the weekends. And often an early soaking. I was initially at bit slow finding all of the houses on the rounds, so much so that, on one occasion, the Newsagent sent out search parties. I think I was eventually forgiven – she took pity on me after seeing me doing my drowned rat impression so often.

20201006_170143 — *Hawes Water and rainbow.*

20201008_171337 — *Eaves Wood from by Hagg Wood.*

20201009_174705 — *The Bay looking moody.*

20201009_182239 — *Sunset from near Hagg Wood.*

20201010_101814 — *Rennie’s Aqueduct, taking the Lancaster Canal* *over the River Lune. Why was I in Lancaster? I can’t recall.*

P1320719 — *Early mist rising off Hawes Water.*

20201011_083723 — *Clearly, it wasn’t always cloudy.*

20201011_091127 — *This has become a bit of a new favourite view, with the Lakeland Fells seen over the woods of Gait Barrows.*

Rugby training, without contact, resumed for B, until the knee injury put a stop to that, which is why I was in Kirkby Lonsdale.

20201011_120839 — *Fungi intent in taking over a Luneside park in Kirkby.*

20201011_145208 — *Looking toward the distant Howgills.*

20201015_173838 — Usually when I take photos of Roe Deer in the garden, I use my camera’s zoom to bring them closer. This was taken on my phone, since I hadn’t realised that the deer were there. They eventually hopped over the fence, but were unusually nonchalant about my presence.

Getting About

May 1, 2021 beatingthebounds4 Comments

These photos are from another end of September autumnal walk. It was the Sunday after my longish walk in the Bowland Hills, but the weather was much nicer and I was joined, at least initially, by TBH and Little S. (Who is, of course, now much taller than me).

We took our usual preferred route around the coast to Arnside. I think this might have been the weekend when this usually quiet route was thronged with people, presumably all enjoying the slight relaxation in the lockdown restrictions.

I have to confess to being a little jealous of the three people sailing small dinghies on the Kent estuary. It looked like great fun. I’ve done a bit of dinghy sailing over the years and have always enjoyed it. TBH and I are contemplating joining Arnside Sailing Club, although I suspect she is most enthused by the fact that they own a few stand-up paddle-boards.

After an alfresco lunch in Arnside, TBH and Little S left me for a direct route home, but, it being a beautiful afternoon, I was keen to prolong the walk.

P1320657 — *A distant Ingleborough from the south side of the Knott.*

P1320658 — *Looking South, Eaves Wood, Warton Crag and Ward’s Stone, where I’d been the day before.*

P1320661 — *The Fells of the Lake District from near the Toposcope.*

P1320662 — *Looking South down the coast from Heathwaite – notice the edge of the firm sand and the channel beside it.*

The hedge on the coastal side of the caravan park at Far Arnside was full of Buddleia and Bindweed and they, in turn, were festooned with bees and butterflies, which kept me distracted for quite a while. Since I was on my own, there was nobody to moan about my entering ‘Butterfly Mode’.

The sands had looked so attractive from the Knott that I decided to drop down that way and follow the edge of the firm sand to Knowe Point.

Overhead, two people were flying powered paragliders. Apparently, this arrangement is called a paramotor. Makes sense I suppose. It certainly looked exhilarating.

I was intrigued by the potential of this mode of transport and, as is often the case, found myself lost down a rabbit-hole of Youtube videos. I have to say that low-level flying looked like terrific fun. I’m not much good with heights though, and this feat of daring gives me sweaty palms even when I think about it.

20200927_174028 — *Looking back to Arnside Knott and Heathwaite.*

Meanwhile, at work, a new colleague has been talking about her husband’s love of land yachting, which looks more up my street and which these great expanses would no doubt be ideal for. The problem, of course, with paramotors, land yachts and sailing dinghies, is that they all require kit and cost money. With Shanks’ Pony you can get away with a cheap cag and a pair of shoes which is why I think it’s always destined to be my favourite way of getting about (although, of course, some people do seem to rather obsess over their endless gallimaufry of expensive gear).

Littledale and Ward’s Stone

April 8, 2021 beatingthebounds10 Comments

Proper Fell walks have been few and far between for me, since the various lockdown restrictions began. This walk, from back in September, was a notable exception. To be honest, I don’t remember what the rules were at the time, and I was probably a bit vague about them even then, since the rules have always lacked clarity. I didn’t see any other walkers all day, just two mountain bikers in the afternoon, which makes me think that I must, at the very least, have been pushing the envelope a bit.

20200926_112859 — *Footbridge over Udale Beck*

Anyway, it was a windy, overcast day. Cool with a few flecks of rain in the wind from time to time. But despite that, I enjoyed myself enormously.

P1320653 — *Gregareth, Whernside and Ingleborough.*

P1320652 — *Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent.*

I’d been perusing the map for quite some time the night before, always a dangerous occupation, and had hit upon the idea of combining two cherished ambitions – one was too explore the valley of Artle Beck and the other to have a walk along Hornby Road, a Roman Road which traverses the Bowland Hills

The first part of the walk took me firmly into the territory of my ‘Lune Catchment’ project. Sweet Beck, Udale Beck, Foxdale Beck, Artle Beck, Ragill Beck, Closegill Beck (streams tautologically named both gill and beck seem to be a speciality of the area), Bladder Stone Beck, Mallow Gill, the River Roeburn and Salter Clough Beck (again – aren’t clough and beck synonyms?) were all ticked off on my nominal list of tributaries of the River Lune.

I was quite surprised by Littledale Hall. It’s a Grade II listed building, dating to 1849 and possibly designed by Lancaster architects Paley and Austin. These days, it’s a residential centre for the treatment of addiction. I guess that it’s remote location makes it ideal for that purpose. It looked to me like a Victorian railway station marooned without a railway line.

20200926_122702 — *Looking down towards the confluence of Ragill Beck and Closegill Beck.*

20200926_125713 — *Not sure what these are, but they were by the stile adjacent to Bladder Stone Beck.*

A fallen tree in Melling Wood, on a slope much steeper than the photo suggests, was quite awkward to navigate. It seems odd that nothing has been done about it, given how much care has been taken with the path nearby…

20200926_133425 — *Either the River Roeburn, or Salter Clough Beck.*

Given that I’d set off with fairly ambitious plans, I hadn’t started very early. I think I dropped off one or other of the boys, somewhere or other, before starting the walk. Anyway, I soon realised that I was quite short of time. I’d originally intended to stick with Hornby Road until I could take the path onto Wolfhole Crag, partly because I don’t think I’ve ever been up there. But that will have to wait for another day, since I decided instead to take the track from Alderstone Bank down to the River Roeburn and then back up via Mallowdale Fell. You can see the track on the photo below…

20200926_152211 — *Looking toward the three peaks again.*

20200926_152225 — *Shooting Cabin on Mallowdale Fell.*

20200926_153637 — *Three Peaks and the hills above Kirkby Lonsdale.*

From Ward’s Stone the walk was on more familiar territory – over Grit Fell, past the Andy Goldsworthy sculptures and back to the Littledale Road, where my car was parked, via a stalker’s path and back to Sweet Beck.

20200926_164829 — *Morecambe Bay from Ward’s Stone.*

20200926_164841 — *Looking towards home from Ward’s Stone.*

I even had some occasional moments of sunshine, and the light out over Morecambe Bay was absolutely superb. My photos don’t really do it justice, but it was lovely to keep getting views of it as I descended.

20200926_174541 — *Looking back to Ward’s Stone.*

20200926_175007 — *The River Lune and the Bay from Grit Fell.*

20200926_180329 — *Spoil heaps on Grit Fell.*

20200926_180522 — *Andy Goldsworthy sculptures on Grit Fell.*

20200926_185833 — *Arriving back at the car park with not too much daylight left.*

The route was around 17 miles, with a fair bit of up and down. I wish I could provide a map, but although MapMyWalk worked on the day, it subsequently lost the data. I’ve since uninstalled and reinstalled the app, which, touch wood, seems to have had the desired affect.

A great leg-stretcher, on a mostly gloomy day, which has left me with a number of ideas for further routes.

September Colour.

March 29, 2021 beatingthebounds6 Comments

The day after my Arnside Knott walk was another cracker. I was out three times, twice around home and also for a short stroll in Kirkby Lonsdale whilst B was at rugby training.

I was revelling in the abundance and variety of the wildflowers on my home patch after the relative dearth beneath the trees in the Tarn Gorge. I took a huge number of photos, of which just a small selection have been chosen for this post.