Sun 4 May 2014
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| Stoodley Pike from the Pennine Bridleway |
To the Todmorden-Hebden Bridge road to park, before the
walk up to Stoodley Pike with Andrew. It seemed a long uninteresting plod up
through Callis Wood. Although this is the third time I have walked up this way
I could remember very few details of it. When we reached the track below the final climb to the monument
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| Stoodley Pike Monument |
Today there was a cool
wind, and grey skies with no sun, but pleasant enough for our walk. Before we set off over over
the tops Andrew climbed the dark stair in the monument and appeared on the balcony to wave to the crowds. By this time they'd all wandered off on their sponsored walk.
The inscription above the entrance is worn and covered with lichen but it is legible and reads:
STOODLEY PIKE
A BEACON MONUMENT
ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION
COMMENCED IN 1814 TO COMMEMORATE
THE SURRENDER OF PARIS TO THE ALLIES
AND FINISHED AFTER THE BATTLE OF
WATERLOO WHEN PEACE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1815.
BY A STRANGE COINCIDENCE
THE PIKE FELL ON THE DAY THE RUSSIAN
AMBASSADOR LEFT LONDON BEFORE THE
DECLARATION OF WAR WITH RUSSIA IN 1854.
WAS REBUILT WHEN PEACE WAS RESTORED IN
1856
RESTORED AND LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR FIXED
1889
We then started our trek over the moor, following the Pennine Way. Along the route just before Withens Gate we passed a stone with an old inscription which reads: THIS COMMON DOTH BELONG TO - and the next word has been chiselled out, but it is easy to see it was LANCASHIRE! This is a reminder of when there was some dispute regarding the boundary between the counties.
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| The 'disputed boundary' stone |
We continued on, sometimes overtaking or being overtaken by the sponsored walkers following small yellow flags posted at intervals along the path. When we reached Warland Reservoir we stopped for our lunch.
[Unfortunately at this time I cannot include any photos of this area as today I didn't take any (why?) and the ones I already have were taken when I was walking this section of the Pennine Way on 3 December 2000BD*. I shall post some later when I have digitised the film.]
During the trek back towards the monument we continued to meet sponsored walkers who still had some distance to go. Later I was surprised to find, on measuring the length of our own walk, that we had covered eleven (11) miles without realising it! Altogether this week I have covered about twenty-five miles. Not bad.
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| Mmm...looks a long way back |
* BD: Before Digital
