Tue 25 Feb 2014
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| Are the sheep dismantling my cairn? |
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| Rebuilt for the second time, less expertly |
Very tired, I stayed abed till after 7:30 and was surprised to find the sun shining brightly when I opened the curtains. So after a quick breakfast I called Andrew, but no answer. I left a message to say I was going on Hazelhurst Fell. I went up by Stang Yule and was surprised to find the going easy. Disappointed to see the 'stone man' had lost height, I went up and rebuilt it for the second time!
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| The waymarker still in position! |
I continued round the back of the fell and saw the marker stone was where I'd left it some weeks earlier. A series of these was erected at the time the so-called 'right to wander' Act was created. Some of them were not prominent enough and one right in the middle of the featureless trek over to Fiendsdale Head has disappeared altogether. The one shown here used to be up on the skyline but I found it on the path below. The path was drier than I expected. A sheep, heavy with wool, looked very weary, but not lame, so I hoped to see a farmer later and tell him. I continued to Fiendsdale Head, and then turned to descend Winny Bank.
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| Recently built cairn in a shelter on Winny Bank |
As I continued I saw a chap ascending and was happy to see it was Andrew! I had
half expected to see him somewhere on the round. He had two pies with him and he
generously gave me one. Not expecting to be out long I had taken only an energy
drink and an orange and it made my snack into a feast. Almost.
We descended together, and at Clough Heads Cottages met a young chap on a
quadcycle, and I told him about the sheep. We had a long chat, he saying
that the estate gathered in sheep six times a year but this one had obviously been missed and had gone unclipped. He said had already spotted her through binoculars and added he'd be up for her later.
How
would he get it down to the road? See the next thrilling instalment - I come up here often!
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| George V postbox at Brooks Barn |
It was a surprise to learn later that this round is almost exactly seven miles, but it never feels like it.
