Looking up Troutbeck valley. The Tongue in the centre then Froswick, Ill Bell, Yoke.
It’s a bit of an oddity that even though I’ve visited Troutbeck countless times and have often climbed nearby Wansfell, until last October, I’m pretty sure that I’d never been up Troutbeck Tongue. This walk was chosen to put that right, but also because the forecast wasn’t very promising and because after a couple of successful longish days on the hills, my knee had flared up again and even plodding around at work was giving me trouble. In those circumstances, I thought it might be wise to choose something relatively modest.
Looking back down the valley.Wansfell.Looking to Red Screes.Stony Cove Pike, Threshthwaite Mouth, Thornthwaite Beacon.A nice green track down.
Up until this point, I had been really enjoying my choice. I done almost all of the up and down, it should have been a nice easy stroll from this point, but for some reason, along this next section of track…
The track by Hagg Gill.
…my knee repeatedly locked in a fairly excruciating way. I’ve taken to carrying a pain killing gel pretty much everywhere and applied some and hoped. It took a while, but eventually it kicked in and progress became bearable again.
Troutbeck Tongue.Another view of Troutbeck Tongue.Yet another view of Troutbeck Tongue.Jesus Church, Troutbeck.
I don’t know how many times I’ve parked close to Jesus Church before, without ever getting round to having a peek inside. My loss.
“Once inside the nave, you will be impressed by the massive roof beams, which are almost certainly the original beams of the sixteenth century church, and the splendid east window which seems unusually large for a comparatively small and simple church.”
from ‘Lakeland Country Churches’ by Sheila Ricketts.
On this occasion, I stayed for a while so that I could sit and have a proper look at this…
East window.
“The window is the work of three nineteenth-century Pre-Raphaelite artists. Local tradition has it that William Morris and Ford Maddox Brown came on a fishing holiday while Burne-Jones was working on the window and they stayed to assist him. The figures of the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St. John and St. Paul flank the figure of Jesus, with other incidents from the Gospels being depicted in the smaller frames above and below. It is a real treasure.”
Another stained glass window.
“Other windows, the carved reredos and low chancel panelling are all worthy of note”
Black Combe, Coniston Fells, Grange-over-Sands and Hampsfell from Heysham.
The day after my Wet Sleddale walk. TBH and I decided to venture out on another walk from ‘Boots and Brews’, Beth and Steve Pipe’s excellent book of walks in various spots around the coast of Morecambe Bay. Originally, our intention was walk all of these routes last year, but somehow, we didn’t get around to it. As it is, we still have four left to do, mostly at either end of the Bay – at Glasson Dock and Knott End (although I have had a bit of a sneak peek at this one) in the south and on Walney Island in the north. That leaves Arnside which is obviously very familiar territory and will be a bit of a busman’s holiday I suppose.
Any walk in Morecambe or Heysham has, on a clear day anyway, the huge advantage of the superb view of the Cumbrian Fells across the Bay. I always think they look very distant and a bit insignificant in my photos, but in reality it really is a magnificent view. This walk takes advantage of that fact by never straying too far from the promenade, although the outward route does differ slightly from the return by taking a path and then a minor road which is slightly above the prom.
TBH on a breakwater at the northern end of the walk.
There are several of these large breakwaters along the front here. I’m not sure I’ve ever bothered to walk out to the end of any of them before.
Plaque on the promenade.
I can’t recall noticing these plaques before either. There were quite a few. Hard to know whether we found them all or not. They mostly told the history of changes to Morecambe and Heysham and were interesting to read. I was particularly struck by these two about the Bay.
Plaque on the promenade.
Which begs the questions: who is planning to fill the Bay with a bath tap? And why?
That view again from the promenade.And looking the other way to Heysham Village.
I feel like I should explain: whilst Morecambe and Heysham are both mostly of quite recent vintage, Heysham Village is a much older settlement. JMW Turner visited in 1818. His painting of the view is here. Interesting to compare his interpretation with my photograph at the top of this post. Everything seems to have shrunk a great deal since then.
Heysham Village.
We had a wander back into the village (it was where we had started our walk), to check out the lunch options. Our favourite cafe was closed. In fact, I seem to remember that a few places were. We eventually decided to leave it for now.
St. Peter’s in Heysham.
I can’t think how many times I’ve walked past St. Peter’s and wanted to have a look inside. One way or another, my timing has always been off – there’s been a service, or a wedding going on, the church has been locked or closed for renovations, or I’ve been short of time myself. Anyway, the prospect of a visit was the biggest draw of this walk for me. And, finally, I did get my wish and had a chance to see the inside of this very special church.
St. Peter’s and High Cross shaft. Cabled edging and deeply cut tree scroll.
This carved sandstone pillar has appeared on the blog before, but when I wrote about it before I hadn’t managed to track down any details or history.
High Cross shaft. The Raising of Lazarus?
This time I’ve had more success. This is what Historic England have to say about it:
“The monument includes the lower part of the decorated shaft of a ninth century Anglian high cross located in the churchyard to the south of St Peter’s Church, Heysham. It is constructed of local red sandstone and is set in a modern sandstone base. The shaft is rectangular in cross section and tapers towards the top. It measures 0.85m high. The decoration on the south face of the shaft depicts a human figure, possibly seated, beneath an arch or halo. Beneath this figure there is a panel with interlaced decoration. On the north side of the shaft the decoration depicts a gabled building with a doorway and seven windows or recesses. In the uppermost window there is a human figure and in the doorway there is a human figure apparently swathed in burial clothing. This artwork has been interpreted as the Raising of Lazarus. The sides of the cross shaft are decorated with cabled edging and deeply cut tree scroll.”
High Cross shaft. A human figure, possibly seated, beneath an arch or halo.
“Although only a portion of the cross shaft remains, this portion displays a good example of ninth century AD art styles and attests to the significance of both the church and its environs as a centre of ecclesiastical importance during this period.”
Ninth century! I’ve travelled halfway around the world to visit sites with nothing like the antiquity of this relic which sits, mostly ignored, in a churchyard just down the road from where I lived for a couple of years.
There was more to come inside…
Inside St. Peter’s.The east chancel window is of c1300, of 3 lights with intersecting tracery.Gravestone of a C17 vicar built into the east wall of the chancel.Gravestone.Gravestone.
Because I always do my research after a walk, I missed several other interesting things – two Saxon doorways for instance and some medieval headstones both in the graveyard and incorporated into the walls. Not to worry, I’ll be here again.
Pre-Conquest hogback tombstone, with carved bears biting the ends…
I did know about the hogback tombstone and given my fascination with all things Viking, this is what I had been anxious to see.
…and with the sides richly decorated with figures mixing Norse mythology and Christian symbolism.
It didn’t disappoint.
Run away! Norse or Christian symbolism?Deer. Pretty good, I thought.
It seems, from my lazy research at least, that although these tombstones are associated with a Scandinavian people, they are very much a British phenomena, mostly found in the North of England and Scotland, although Ireland and Wales have a single example each and there are five similar, but subtly different, stones in Cornwall.
The octagonal sandstone font is probably C16 and has an openwork font cover with an ogee top.
Ogee – a decorative S shaped curve. So now I know.
Portions of a chalice. Norman...…it says here.
Most of the photo captions here come from the Historic England entry on St. Peter’s.
Coffin. Medieval. Sandstone. Roughly hewn, with recess for head carved out internally.
“Discovered, containing a body and the remains of a chalice, under the south window of the chancel during restoration work in 1864. The chalice is now on display inside the church.”
I realised this year that, in my enthusiasm for images of our national saint, I’ve been wrongly identifying images of St. Michael, who has his own dragon-slaying exploits, as being St. George. I am going to assume, from now on, on the back of no evidence whatsoever, that dragon-slayers on horseback must be our Anatolian patron. I think I’m safe in this case, given that the warrior saint depicted here has a pennant on his lance bearing the cross of St. George.
Adjacent to St. Peter’s is the ruin of St. Patrick’s Chapel…
St. Patrick’s Chapel. An arched doorway built with through stones…is typical of Anglo-Saxon style.
I may have missed two Saxon doorways at St. Peter’s but it’s quite hard to miss this one.
“Local tradition states that St Patrick was shipwrecked off the coast sometime in the fifth century and subsequently established a small chapel here.”
External faces of the arch being formed by single decorated stones with three cusped ridges.A group of six rock-cut graves have been cut into an eminence of millstone grit to the west of the chapel.
Apparently, theses rock-cut graves, along with two more on the site, are unique to this location.
“The graves are orientated west-east but are cut sufficiently shallow and narrow as to render difficult the internment of a normal corpse and may thus have held disarticulated bones.”
A short walk across Heysham Headland brought us to…
Ship by Anna Gillespie. Love it!
We had a late lunch in the cafe at Half Moon Bay and then completed the route…
Slow pedestrians. Guilty as charged m’lud.
…slowly, with a wander along a very smelly* minor road towards the ferry port and power stations which make the view south from Half Moon Bay such a strong contrast with the view the other way. (*It really honked, unfortunately.)
Up till now the walk had all been on very familiar territory, but this short section was new to me.
Near Naze Lighthouse.
A sandstone lighthouse built in 1904 and only used until 1916 apparently. Worth a look.
Late light at The Cove.
I was out again later, for a brief evening wander.
After our Dunstanburgh walk, L and A had to head off. TBH and I spent some time chilling out, drinking tea and catching up on our reading back at the cottage. Then we set-off for another walk, along the Coquet to nearby Warkworth. Some of the photos I took, of the Bord Waalk sculptures, have already appeared in a previous post, but Warkworth was lovely, so here’s a few pictures from there.
Warkworth Castle.
As you walk towards Warkworth the castle looks really imposing, just as intended I suppose. Up close, some of it must be hidden somehow, so that it doesn’t look quite so huge. Still, it was a shame we didn’t manage to fit in a visit, as it looked great, and I do love a castle. (Northumberland has so many). Next time we come, I think we may need English Heritage membership.
Market Cross Warkworth
We arrived around tea time and although we hadn’t really planned to, now decided to get a meal in a pub there. We had a great meal, and a couple of nice pints (well I did) in the Mason’s Arms, but before we did, we had a peek in the church…
St. Lawrence, Warkworth
The oldest parts of the building are 12th Century, but built on the site of an even older church. I apparently missed some medieval headstones and one Saxon headstone, so when we revisit for the castle, I shall have to come back.
St. Lawrence, WarkworthVulning Pelican.
This carving was on the lectern. I’ve since learned that it was believed that a female pelican would wound herself to feed her young and that, for this reason, a ‘vulning’ pelican, ie a pelican wounding herself, has become a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice. Every day’s a school day!
Stained glass.
The windows were terrific, enhanced, I think, by the low sunshine.
17th Century table tomb with 14th Century effigy.Effigy dating back to around 1330.
The Historic England website describes this sculpture as ‘fine’. Which seems like good old English understatement. It’s amazing what you can find stuck in a corner in village churches.
I’d had fish in the pub and TBH had fake fish (a battered banana flower, can that be true, or am I misremembering?). Here on the Coquet there were numerous Goosanders fishing with great success, but seemingly having much more difficulty swallowing their prey than in catching it in the first place. Either that, or like our cat, they weren’t really hungry and were just tormenting their victims by repeatedly releasing them and then catching them again. To be fair, the fish didn’t look much smaller than the cod fillet I’d enjoyed, and mine didn’t wriggle about, so I think they may just have been hard to swallow.
Grass-of-Parnassus in the flower meadows between the dunes.
In brief, A, who was back in Newcastle prior to the start of a new term, joined us, we drove to Holy Island and then walked around it’s coast.
A ruined building between the dunes.
From start to finish, it was beautiful. Sadly, I’m not sure my photos really do it justice.
Lindisfarne beach.
In particular, the first section along the northern coast was practically deserted and really lovely.
We’re heading that way.Back Skerrs.
I’ve been to Holy Island a number of times before, but I’m pretty sure I haven’t walked this bit of coastline.
Walking along Back Skerrs.
It was once again, extremely windy. TBH and A are always anxious to eat their lunch as soon as midday comes around, but I persuaded them to keep going as far as Coves Haven where I suspected, correctly as it turned out, that the dunes at the back of the beach might provide some shelter.
Coves Haven.The remnants of an edible crab.Coves Haven and Snipe Point.Castlehead Rocks.Sandham Bay – another big beach.Emmanuel Head – The White Pyramid, a Daymark.Heading towards the castle. The Farne Islands and Bamburgh Castle were visible off to the south.Lobster pots and Tern artwork.Lindisfarne Castle.
Since the castle was on our route, and we’re National Trust members, it made sense to do the tour.
Painting over a fireplace in the castle.In the kitchen – I liked this curved seat. Some of Sir Edwin Lutyensdesigns for the castle.
It’s not the biggest castle, but I enjoyed having a poke around.
Holy Island village and harbour from the top of the castle.Viper’s Bugloss.Lindisfarne Castle.
We diverted slightly from the coast to have a peek at the small Gertrude Jekyll garden nearby.
The Gertrude Jekyll garden.A sheltered bench in the garden.A memorial.Upturned hull/shed and a huge rope.Boats.Lindisfarne Castle from the end of the jetty.Former coastguard observation tower.
It was surprisingly warm in the tower and the windows were a bit fugged, so although the views were excellent, my photographs were not as satisfactory.
St. Mary the Virgin Church and Lindisfarne Priory.Lindisfarne Priory.St. Mary the Virgin church, interior. Coat of arms.Stained glass window showing the castle, a puffin and an eider. There’s a sandbar out there with lots of grey seals.
The seals were difficult to see, but we could hear them, making an extraordinary mournful sound. At first I thought it was the wind howling, but by then the wind had dropped considerably.
Another good read.
Apparently, an antilibrary* is one’s collection of unread books. Despite the massive clear-out I undertook at Easter I still have a pretty good one of those. This book was a part of that antilibrary for many years. I started reading it several times, but each time found myself daunted by its great size. At Easter, I contemplated throwing it out, but having given it room on our shelves, decided that this summer I would finally get to grips with it. I’m glad I did. I still found it a bit heavy going at first, but eventually I was gripped and enjoyed it immensely. I must confess, however, that some aspects of the rather complex plot seemed to elude me. Did all of it ‘make sense’ by the end, or were there still some loose threads? And what were all the references to horoscopes (if that’s what they were) about? Still: worth a look.
*Coined either by Umberto Eco or by Nassim Taleb whilst writing about Umberto Eco, I can’t decide which, based on my lazy research.
A view from Dod Law across the valley of the River Glen to the hills beyond Wooler.
We finished our tour of Alnwick Garden with some time to spare, time enough for a short wander. I can’t remember where I first came across this idea for a walk, but once I did, I was very keen to fit it in to our Northumberland trip. The OS map of the area is absolutely spattered with gothic script: Settlement, Enclosure, Fort, Hut Circles, Stone Circle, Cup & Ring Marked Rock. So, an interesting area to explore. What I hadn’t realised was what fantastic views it would also give across the wide valley of the River Glen to the Cheviot Hills beyond the town of Wooler. One for our long discussed guidebook to Small Hills with Disproportionately Good Views.
Dod Well and Cross of Calvary (1846).Climbing above Doddington.Shepherd’s House.
This very remote property must have tremendous views.
Doddington Moor is rough heather moorland. A surprise then, to discover that it’s north-eastern slopes are a manicured golf course.
Wooler Golf Course. The trig pillar on Dod Law.
Perhaps hard to tell from the photos, but it was still very windy and especially so on this exposed hill.
Cup and Ring marked rock.
We spent quite a lot of time looking for this slab. Eventually I found a website which gave a map reference and that did the trick. Photos online make the markings look really obvious, but in the close-up photos I took they are very difficult to discern. I have read that bright sunny days are the worst for photographing the rocks. Never mind, fascinating to find these reminders of our Bronze Age ancestors.
Another view to The Cheviots.
I think I’ve climbed The Cheviot on at least three different occasions, all of them a long time ago, but there are evidently a lot more hills in the area which are also worth exploring. I’m sure this is yet another region which would richly repay a week’s exploring.
Dod Law Enclosure.
There are two large enclosures near the summit of Dod Law. The Historic England website describes them as ‘camps’. I found more cup & ring marked rocks whilst exploring the boundary of one of the camps.
On our way back down. Windblown Rowan berries.
As we descended, we could clearly see, down in Doddington, the remains of a Bastle. So we decided to seek it out. We weren’t sure how to access it, so set-off on a tour of the village, which soon brought us to the church…
St. Mary and St. Michael, Doddington.
Which was great because there was so much of interest there.
Watch-house, 1826, built to guard against body snatchers!St. Mary and St. Michael, Doddington. Interior.St. Michael and the Angels. By Joseph Nuttgens.
There were several lovely stained glass windows, of which this was probably my favourite. It’s by Joseph Nuttgens, an artist who apparently worked almost exclusively in stained glass. Not somebody I’ve come across before, but it seems he was very prolific, so I shall be on the lookout for his windows in future.
Medieval grave slab (possibly representing a knight) set into the porch. Another medieval grave slab set in the wall of the porch.A third medieval grave cover built into the porch.The Old Vicarage Doddington. Smart property in Doddington. Three colourful giant giraffes in the front garden, if memory serves. A very heavily laden Rowan Tree. TBH’s selfie with Doddington Bastle.
Considering that Doddington is not exactly a huge metropolis, you might consider that it would be easy to find a tower there. Unfortunately not. Eventually, we had a view of the top of it, but when TBH set-off along what was fairly evidently a private driveway through a farmyard, I chickened out. So you have the same view that I did – via her photo.
Here’s a photo from the Historic England archive. I wonder if some of the tower has gone since this was taken? The Bastle was built in 1584, so it’s good to see that at least part of it is in a good state of repair currently.
Eight of us were staying for the weekend in the village of Kineton in Warwickshire. TBH and I managed to go for a wander to the Co-op in the village several times, much to everyone else’s amusement – and it seemed like a lovely place, with plenty of amenities and numerous picturesque cottages.
St. Peter’s Kineton.
These few photos were taken on the Sunday morning, when I set-off without a coat despite the drizzle which was falling and which quickly turned to an absolute downpour. Doh!
Kineton.
I was out because I was intrigued by the novelty of an English village with an independent bakery and I hoped that they would be open. They were and the pastries were amazing (I can recommend the Almond Croissant, if you are ever in Kineton).
Yum!
I’d noticed, on the map, a spot nearby with rather more contours than the rest of the area, and despite a changeable forecast, suggested a short walk in the Burton Dassett Hills. I have to confess that although I occasionally cycled in Warwickshire in my youth, I’d never heard of these little hills before. It’s possible to park almost on the top and they give huge expansive views over the surrounding farmlands.
Climbing Magpie Hill.The view.
It didn’t take long to climb Magpie Hill, so we decided to have a peek in to Burton Dassett Church.
All Saints Burton Dassett.
It was a surprise to find such a large church in such an apparently isolated spot. The nearby Church Hill is the highest point in Warwickshire.
All Saints Burton Dassett.Interior, Burton Dassett church.
Although poking around here had been a spur of the moment decision, it turned out to be an excellent choice. A last few members of the congregation where just packing-up after their service and not only were they very welcoming, they were also keen to share the fascinating history of their church.
They told us that Cromwell stationed his cavalry inside the church before the nearby battle of Edgehill.
More wall paintings.
Once again here were pre-Reformation wall paintings. These had survived because they had been painted over.
Painting.A window. And an image of a Magi or a King?
Better yet, the capitals of the columns of the north aisle are all decorated with carvings of animals real and imaginary. I was captivated and took a lot of photos. Here’s a few…
A fantastic beast.A green man?A deer apparently. Deer have obviously changed quite a bit since then.
After the church we had a wander to Windmill Hill. The windmill is no longer there. This structure may be the remnants of a lookout tower apparently. Or another windmill. Sadly, it was chucking it down by now.
From there we drove down into Fenny Compton (great name!) for an absolutely superb Sunday Lunch in the pub there. Then we all headed off our separate ways. All things being equal, we’ll do it again somewhere in a couple of years. Marvellous!
Once upon a long ago, when I was a ‘whining schoolboy’ with a satchel, I was part of a close-knit group who studied for A-levels in Maths and Further Maths together. Now that we are older, ‘with spectacles on nose and pouch on side’ we still occasionally meet up, roughly every couple of years, with our respective spouses in tow. This summer we gathered for a weekend in Warwickshire in early July.
TBH and J with Falstaff.
On the Saturday we drove a short distance to Stratford-Upon-Avon for a look-see.
Henley Room, Henley Street. Late C15.
And – what a brilliant place to visit. I’ve been a few times before – it being not so far from where we went to school together – but not since those schooldays, and, in honesty, I don’t remember a great deal of those previous visits.
The Bard again.
I’ve been dithering a bit about writing this post. I took a lot of photos. There are fascinating buildings at every turn, many of them very old, timbered houses, all of them seemingly listed, and a great many of them Grade I, which is to say, ‘of exceptional historical or architectural significance, reflecting national interest in their design, decoration, craftsmanship, social, or economic history’.
Shakespeare’s birthplace, also late C15. Shakespeare was born here in 1564.
Having spent a fair bit of time doing my research and doing some fascinating reading on the Historic England website, I eventually decided to be selective with my photos and to try to present a flavour rather than regurgitate all of that lazy research.
Mason’s Court, another late C15.
Somebody in our group had found some informative leaflets with a map of a walking tour. Although we often diverted a little and wandered a bit beyond the recommendations, it provided the basis for an excellent route.
Town Hall 1767. Shakespeare Hotel C16. Midland Bank 1883.
There was some kind of event on in the town centre, with lots of classic cars on display which was of great interest to some of our group. I did take some photos, but whilst a really ancient car will pique my curiosity, I’ve never been all that bothered by sports cars.
A frieze on the wall of the building on the other hand…
Midland Bank, “Relief terracotta scenes above taken from Shakespeare’s plays”
…right up my street!
It was busy. My guess is that a summer weekend in Stratford is always likely to be, but it wasn’t too bad. We easily found a comfortable spot for a picnic in the rather parched looking Bancroft Gardens, by the river, and when, later on, we went upstairs to the cafe in the RSC for the view and some coffees we had no difficulty getting enough tables for our party of eleven.
The Garrick Inn, c1596. The Garrick Inn, detail.The Falcon Hotel c1500.
Whilst I was half-expecting the many timbered buildings, I didn’t have an inkling what the interior of this church…
Guild Chapel of the Holy Cross, C13.
…contains, and so in some ways I think it may be this in particular which sticks in my mind.
Guild Chapel of the Holy Cross, interior.
Prior to the reformation it would have been common for the interior of English churches to have been brightly painted, but afterwards such paintings were banned and many of them were destroyed. Here however they were covered in limewash and have been subsequently rediscovered and uncovered. The wood-paneling protects and hides some of them, although the two open panels in the photo above revealed the paintings behind. The scene above the chancel arch shows the day of judgement.
Erthe to erthe.
This painting contains a poem in Middle English, ‘Erthe to erthe’ which was apparently well-known in the fifteenth century.
Stained glass. The figure depicted on the right is John Shakespeare father of William. Guildhall c1417, now part of the King Edward VI Grammar School. Hall’s Croft. Early C16. Formerly the home of John Hall and his wife, who was Shakespeare’s daughter.Church of the Holy Trinity. Early C13. Church of the Holy Trinity, interior.Chest tombs in the Clopton Chapel.
“The chest tomb on the east wall is to Hugh Clopton’s eldest daughter Joyce, and her husband Thomas Carew, who was King James I’s Master of Ordnance and comprises two recumbent effigies under a coffered round arch with flanking Corinthian columns supporting angels, and the coats of arms above. On the front panels is a bas-relief of powder barrels, cannon balls, guns and a flag. To the north wall, the chest tomb of William and Anne Clopton has two recumbent effigies and a panel above depicting their seven children and coats of arms.”
Stained glass featuring lots of swords.
I have a feeling that Shakespeare might be buried at the Church of the Holy Trinity and there is certainly a memorial bust here, but there’s a charge to get into that part of the church, and with plenty of free fun on offer, we didn’t bother. Maybe next time?
Row boats and ferry on the River Avon.Swans and geese on the Avon. Behind is the Tramway Bridge, 1823.Old pals. C20.
“I count myself in nothing else so happy As in a soul rememb’ring my good friends”
Shakespeare, Richard II
A boat trip seems to have become a non-negotiable element of these weekends. Usually a windmill is also obligatory, but all we managed this time were a wander past a ‘Windmill Inn’ and the ascent of ‘Windmill Hill’ (which was the following day). This trip on the Avon was quite a short one, but very pleasant. It’s good to get a different perspective and I always seem to enjoy seeing a city from its river.
The Boathouse – we would dine there later.The Avon, The Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Bancroft Gardens.The Swan Theatre (part of the RSC complex).One of several windows illustrating ‘The Seven Ages of Man Speech.Queen Victoria, I think.Another window featuring St. George and the dragon.Swan Theatre artwork.Weir on The Avon.
In my teens, I twice took part in raft-races on the Avon, with my friends from the Venture Scouts, and I remember this weir being pretty much the end of the course, careering down it in our cobbled together vessel being a fitting finale to a fun day. (Although swimming in the Avon had less enjoyable consequences the following day).
Tea at The Boathouse. Cod, I think. Very nice, anyway.Clopton Bridge c1484.
A really superb day, in terrific company. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole tourist thing, and felt like we’d just scratched the surface, so would happily come back to do it all again.
Another birthday outing, this time to celebrate my father-in-law’s big day. We met them, as we often do these days, in Kirkby Stephen. Astonishingly, we were over an hour early (which is unheard of, we are never on time, let alone early), so had some time to have a poke around first.
Lady Anne Clifford (1590 – 1676) seems to have been a remarkable lady, whom I know about principally because there’s a long distance route which I’ve long wanted to walk which visits many of the castles she owned and had rebuilt.
Pots of glorious flowers.Frank’s Bridge over the River Eden.Portico entrance to churchyard, 1810.Church of St. Stephen.Church of St. Stephen, interior.Church of St. Stephen, roof and bosses.Stained glass.Stained glass.Stained glass.The Loki stone, a Viking carving.
This, for me, was the highlight of our exploration; I love all things Viking and was fascinated to see this.
More (presumably old) carving.Late C16 altar tomb with……effigies of 1st Lord Wharton and his 2 wives.C15 altar tomb to Sir Richard Musgrave (died 1464) in recess with foliate gable to south wall.Early C15 altar tomb with effigy of Knight (Sir Richard Musgrave, died 1409)
A post which mainly turned out to be about St. Stephen’s. We also had a pleasant walk along the Eden, but I don’t seem to have taken any photos beyond Frank’s Bridge.
The day after our Cark outing. The forecast was, if anything, even less promising, but I was determined to get out.
Unusual balcony.
A little over a year before, I’d omitted Green Bell from my walk on a glorious winter day due to failing light. So I decided to put that right on a cloudy day when I would see even less from the top then I would have done in the dark!
St. Oswald’s Church.
Ravenstonedale, where I parked, is not a big place, but it has three churches in close proximity.
Low Chapel. High Chapel (now a heritage and community centre).A hennery-piggery.
Apparently, pigs were kept downstairs and chickens above.
Artlegarth Beck Bridge.History of the bridge.Wye Garth.Sheep.
What to say about the walk? It was cold and bleak, there were no views, but I was well wrapped-up and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
A good path, not shown on the OS map, took me over Knoutberry and up to Green Bell. A minor diversion from that path took me to…
Spring feeding Dale Gill.The source of the Lune (according to Wainwright at least).
The source of the Lune, which, given my obsession with the Lune and its many tributaries, was surely something to savour.
Time for tea and a butty.
Visibility during the last part of the climb became very poor.
Green Bell trig pillar. Amazing views!
Although it had not been my original plan, I decided to use the good paths I’d ascended by to return to Ravenstonedale.
More frost.
By the time I reached my car in the village, my rucksack had its own coating of frost.
I had another flask of tea waiting for me in the car – an idea I should adopt more often. Then I decided that I had time for a mooch around St. Oswald’s.
The church, and Ravenstonedale, struck me as a bit quirky. I liked them both very much. I shall have to repeat this walk on a better day.
Painted board.Painted board (dated 1747?)Ruins of the Gilbertine monastic dwelling.History of the ruins and the Gilbertines.Medieval grave slab.Highly informative board.
I’m very much in favour of all the information boards provided – a handy shortcut if you are behind with your blog!
Mid-January. Another walk from the Boots and Brews book. In fact we parked on the square in Flookburgh and walked to Cark from there. I was looking forward to having a peek into the church, another one designed by Lancaster’s Paley and Austin with windows by Shrigley and Hunt, but sadly it was locked up.
The River Eea.
I was a little concerned that the route in the book used a track around Sand Gate Marsh which isn’t a right-of-way. As it turns out, I was quite right to be worried since the way was blocked…
A padlocked gate liberally festooned with barbed-wire.
So we backtracked to the bridge over the Eea and used alternative paths and minor lanes to get to Sandgate Farm.
Near Sandgate Farm.
From there the route skirted the bay, rounding Lenibrick Point and Cowpren Point.
Trailers with shrimp nets (I think).Cartmel Sands.
I was, as usual, wearing shorts, a decision I rarely regret, but after Cowpren Point the wind was particularly bitter and I remember being very chilled.
Morecambe Bay.
It was, in honesty, a bit bleak. Maybe we will have to try it again now that the weather is warmer.
Beating The Bounds 
