OFF TO THE HILLS

We are enjoying a bit of an Indian Summer with high pressure and a good forecast so emboldened we are off to Keswick, me by bus today, my wife following in a day or so. My interest is to continue doing Birkett routes in Lakeland around Coniston (unfinished business), and hopefully a day or two in the Shap Fells which can be incorporated into my return journey, Bags and sacs all packed so nothing to hang around for.

POETRY IN STOCKTON

Wednesday 23/09/09 For a couple of years now Apples & Snakes, a London based production company specialising in poetry, spoken word and mixed media performance works by modern writers has been hosting events at Stockton-on-Tee's ARC studio theatre. I like to go to these shows if I can, the exposure to young British poets is always interesting, if sometimes a bit weird for someone of my age but you might be witnessing the next Maya Angelou, Benjamin Zephaniah or Paul Muldoon, long shots I know but worth a modest punt for a good night out listening to new work from the up and coming wave. Tonight's show is called "Articulate" featuring three acts, the picture shows two of them at the end of the show outside ARC, they are Sheree Mack from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Lemn Sissay from Manchester and the star of the evening and both were good, it's a shame though that their published works were not available for sale. Lemn's performance of "Invisible Kisses" was especially enjoyable and this poem and "Sweetie" by Sheree Mack are featured on my Flickr page tagged by poets name.

BOOKS BREED ON THEIR SHELVES

I sometimes think books breed! but of course the reason I have so many is that I can't pass a charity shop without popping to see what gems might be sitting on their shelves, and one day Amazon just might bankrupt me! A good thing about no longer being in full time employment is that there is more time to read, however there is more time to do everything and of course this competition means that many things I fondly imagined I would do a lot more of, work against each other. I do a lot of biking, bird-watching and walking now, but I don't take books with me (they are too precious), so that cuts down on available reading time. Anyway I have bought two additional bookcases from Argos and spent this morning battling the complexities of flat-pack assembly. Very pleased with the results, the cases are quite cheap and cheerful and in Argos's current sale cost about £25 each including delivery, which is very good value indeed. Now I can get on with the exciting task of filling them up. I have quite an overspill in my "study" and am looking forward to sorting them out properly, fiction by alpha etc. I can see what the author Penelope Lively means in the following quote from her novel: Making it up: -

"The books win, always they win by their sheer numbers, by their dogged diversity. He sometimes sees them as a kind of chronic invasion-a culture that blooms where it can, and grimly proliferates when it gets a hold. The books always have the upper hand; silent, ineradicable". Too true Penelope too true.

Thanks to LibraryThing I can now look up my own book stats with ease, here they are: My catalogued library now consists of 1420 titles (up from 1360 at the beginning of the year), so maybe it's me who's breeding the books. I wouldn't want to be without them. The new shelves have been sited in one of our bedrooms they fit in quite nicely and I now have a chest of drawers which I will try to sell - bringing my costs down even further, a Scot to the end eh?

ALL HIS OWN WORK

Monday 21/09/09 I'm putting in some extra hours at the RSPB reserve at Saltholm, as next week I will be away in the Shap Fells on my ongoing "Birkett" campaign and might not get back in time to do my usual Thursday volunteering day. After that I could be working on a part-time basis with Debenham's Department Store in Middlesbrough over their busy Christmas period. I was employed there last year and have written to them asking for my old job back! So fingers crossed, a little income at Christmas is a good thing. Today's tasks start with the security patrol and opening up of the three hides: The Wildlife Watchpoint which gives access to the north-east reed beds, Paddy's Pool Hide which overlooks the lake and artificial island constructed by the contractors before the reserve opened in March 2009. It's named after the JCB digger operator who played the major role in building the island (I wonder what nationality he is). He did a good job and the island was "cockleshelled" by the reserve volunteers and has produced a wonderful nesting area for Common Terns (which are not as common as their name suggests), Saltholm produced a healthy crop of new terns this summer, so well done everyone. The final hide is the biggest one, called Saltholm Pools Hide, as the name suggests it overlooks two pools from a position midway between them, ie The West Saltholm Pool and Back Saltholm Pool. I took my camera round today and the picture is of the new fencing I helped Toby get in and up last week. The neighbouring farmer's cattle have been wading into the Haverton Pool, in the picture and coming up on the opposite side of the old inadequate fence to get to our pristine fresh grass, naughty things, the grass is for our Lapwings and Geese, not for greedy cows. The fence looks good and so far is doing the job intended, lets hope the cattle get the message. We use sheep on the reserve to help manage the grasslands but we do not want cows thank you.

RSPB SALTHOLM

Friday 18/09/09

With my ride round the Moors to Sea Cycleway stretching into an unplanned third day the only down side was that I missed my normal volunteer day at RSPB Saltholm. Being a volunteer, I can hardly be sacked but I feel a bit uncomfortable as although I have a new mobile phone, I did not have Toby Collette's number in it, and so could give him no warning of my non-appearance. So when I got home on Thursday, I emailed an apology to Toby and volunteered to come in on Friday by way of reparation. My day consisted of the early morning round opening up the hides and checking the security of fences and livestock, the neighbouring farmer's cattle have been getting into the reserve, not welcome, but today all was well on that front. This process of "opening up" takes about two hours and involves a two mile walk round the reserve with lots of opportunities to watch the birds from the three hides. On a good day this is not work so much as a delight. Later I cut the grass in the overflow car park a task which takes a couple of hours it's almost as large as a football field, but looks a lot better for it. I clocked out as usual at 4pm which with my 8am start and a ten mile bike ride there and back again keeps me going and I always sleep well following a day at Saltholm.

MOOR TO SEA PART 3

Thursday 17/09/09.

Minor roads out of Whitby heading west towards Dalby brought me to a bridle path loop that takes in the summit top of Beacon Hill, at this time of day this is exactly what I want, an off-road route over the moors with wide open places in which to pitch my tent. After a mile or two uphill, I came across a wonderful flat piece of springy turf in a sea of uncampable heather, and such are the good things in life! It was a bit early around seven pm but it was just too much of an inviting place and with no pre-knowledge of the way ahead, I wasted no time, this is the place for the night. And after the hassle of the day and the pushing the bike and anxiety of it all I got my head down, brewed up and I suppose it is possible that there was a happier man on earth, but if there was, he was very lucky indeed!

Woke to a fine dry morning, but with only about 40 miles max to do there was little incentive to rush, so I spent an extra hour, just oozing in the luxury of a great pitch, a comfortable pit and another brew, I realise at moments like this that I spend too much time trying to make the most of my time, (doing things) and maybe time needs you to do nothing at all.

Eventually, I stirred myself to the challenge of pulling up the last mile or so to the summit of Beacon Hill, with it's trig point, topo and beacon-holder (well what would you call it, look at the picture and let me know) and a grand view point it is, but as a vantage point to spot Napoleon's forces at the end of the seventeenth century requires a stretch of the imagination, it is a long way to the sea from here and only in perfect weather would it be possible to monitor shipping movements, it is a good day today and I can't see the sea! (I suppose "spyglasses" would have been helpful). From here a wonderful steepening downhill run to Danby, on a perfect tarmac track, so good and enjoyable after the stone littered bridle path of the ascent to Beacon Hill with all it's skittering about. I stopped for another cup of over milky coffee at the Moors Center (I never learn do I?)and then headed over the last miles home stopping briefly at Kildale for can of Coke and a Picnic Bar.

All in all a great ride and the network of routes forming the Moors to Sea Cycleway has many options yet to be tackled the Scarborough end has been completely omitted from this itinerary thus I have reasons and intention to return. This ride covered about 137 miles, with quite a hilly completment, but it's amazingly beautiful countryside and it's on my doorstep, so how can I not become addictied?

MOORS TO SEA, PART 2

This is Wednesday 16/09/09 and after a blissful night in Dalby Forest the morning started with some route finding problems, I found myself hacking through dense woodland pathways uphill and rocky, very hard riding and off bike for quite a bit. But in due course my compass and nose got me to the road on the north of the forest and I was now well on my way, the route quickly moved back into the trees and I recognised parts from my Tabular Hills walk of a year or so ago, I love these incidents of new routes crossing old ones. At Highwood Brow I elected to take the downhill route to Langdale End and then switched over to the Whitby route. Alas as I reached the summit of the ride at Lilla Howe, I got a puncture in my rear tyre, bugger, why is it always the back wheel which means stripping down the panniers and all that jazz! Well I did it and replaced the tube only to find that my replacement, was also punctured, double bugger, I must have picked up a spare not yet repaired from its previous deflation, pratt or what? So I set off to push the bike to Whitby, eight or nine miles away, fortunately mostly downhill! Amazingly after about half a mile I met two bikers going in the opposit direction who offered me their spare tube (size and valves matched, whoopee)! so we upended the bike and started again but to total dismay and consternation this brand new tube refused to inflate, theirs, or my pump made no difference, the valve was faulty and that was that, triple bugger!!! this was a blow, and what are the odds in such a situation of two tubes being useless? We shook hands and went on our opposite ways, two very good people, I should have taken a picture but all my attention was focused on the bike. Well with these two unplanned breaks, it has taken five hours to get to Whitby (Hawsker actually) and find a shop to buy a new tube from. And it was great to get riding again, into Whitby for some food then up out and West to Lingholme Moor for a wonderful camp.

MOORS TO SEA PART 1

It's Tuesday morning 15/09/09 and I'm off on day one of my tour of the variable route that is the Moors to Sea Cycle Network as the name suggests there are quite a few options on the choice of routes to take, basically its east from my home to Whitby, south to Scarborough then back north through the centre of North York Moors back to Cleveland. I was a bit later getting started than I hoped leaving Ingleby Barwick at about 10.30am for the ten mile or so ride to Great Ayton, and the official start of the tour. My plan was as outlined above, but plans often go off kilter and in this case I got to Egton about eight miles from Whitby and turned south instead of heading east to Sleights. I found myself in Egton Bridge and rather than endure a long push back uphill I decided to modify my plan and continue south to Pickering via Rosedale Abbey from there going north to Whitby and then back home by my outward route. All went well and I had a good days cycling through pretty Yorkshire villages, along quiet country lanes and lonely bridlepaths and forest tracks. Weather dry but cloudy and pleasantly warm, a smashing day on the bike. By early evening I was in the depths of Dalby Forest, which alas offered few places to pitch my tent for the night, narrow tracks with steep verges and impenatratable trees! so as the light faded I got more concerned and rather fancied I would be bivi-ing out in my bivi-sac without the benefit of the tent. However just as the light was fading I came to a place in the track which was just wide enough to allow me to pitch and as is always the case the most unpromising of camping spots can provide a first class night's kip, and so it was. Still I had pedalled about 63 miles so was a bit tired and ready for it. My picture is the Millenium Cross above Rosedale Abbey. (I think this is the opposite side of Rosedale Abbey from the famous Chimney Bank, it is however a fearfully steep descent)!

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Joy has gone over to Keswick fancying some time on her own so I have spent today catching up on outstanding paperwork and applying for part-time employment for the Christmas period. I have written to Debenhams to see if they will have me back again, I worked in their wareouse over the Christmas season last year, and made fresh applications to Matalan and Argos, oh dear what we (can) come to in the pusuit of a bob or two!

I have fitted my bike up with my new pannier set which I got following my cycling accident last June, I have not been out with it yet and as autumn is upon us and I might be gainfully employed in a few weeks I fancy going and doing the Moor to Sea cycle network, a circular route through the North York Moors National Park over to Whitby and back through the forests of the vale of Pickering, I came across the signing for this route while walking the "missing link" on the Cleveland Way connecting Scarborough with Helmsley and have been keen to do the bike route ever since, so now is my chance and I plan to set off tomorrow morning. Two days with an overnight camp should see it done.

NO2ID

My wife and I are vehemently against the proposed Identity Card Scheme, the cards are intrusive enough but the database behind The National Identity Register is truely frightening to anyone who places the smallest value on civil liberties. As we are members of No2ID we have elected to spend some time collecting petitions to tell our masters we do not agree and will resist. This is democracy at work in our modern times where the political parties are side-stepped and out-paced by single issue pressure groups NO2ID will achieve much more than the equivilant energy spent inside any of our political parties.

For four hours we stood in Yarm High Street in wonderful sunny weather acosting pedestrians, distributing our leaflets and arguing the toss. I'm pleased to say that we got 75 people to sign our petition and I think that was a good show for a first effort on our part.

Of course having shown the slightest interest in doing anything I find I am now the local organiser for NO2ID in Stockton on Tees, well that's how these things work, so I'll give it a go.

AN UNUSUAL "COMMON FROG"

While walking down the Walna Scar Road I came across this wonderful frog. I have never seen a frog anything so unusually colourful as this so I photographed it and when I got home uploaded the image to http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ a great site where you can call on enthusiasts and experts for help in identification of things seen in the wild. Thanks to them I know I have not discovered a new lakeland species of frog, this is just a common or garden ordinary frog apparently the range of colouration runs from the bog standard mucky greeny brown to grey blue and red so my orange specimen is in there with the best of them. It has however been recognised as an unusual example of the variation of Rano Temporaria.

THE CONISTON FELLS Tuesday 07/09/09

Following completion of the Consiton Round, (The Old Man to Wetherlam) yesterday, I walked up from Coniston village to the Walna Scar Road following that for about a mile or so before branching off north to reach Goats Water where I camped for the night (picture) In the morning my plan was an ascent of Dow Crag.

I camped here once before in 1983 with a friend for rock climbing on Dow's dark east face so I was condident of finding a place to pitch my tent, there is however, not an awful lot of choice.

On Tuesday morning the cloud was down almost to the level of Goats Water! so I climbed up out of the lakes glaciated cwm and left round to the top to Dow Crag in 25m visibility. On Dow's craggy summit I recalled being here on New Years Day, 1984, (or perhaps 1983). I was staying in the Climbers Club Hut in Seathwaite and after seeing the new year in half a dozen of us set off to climb to the top of Dowin the wee small hours of the new year. So never doubt the foolishness of youth! From Dow I made my way over the top of Buck Pike to Brown Pike and down to the Walna Scar Road. The cloud was right low, and my spirits were as well, on top of Brown Pike I tripped and fell heavily on my right elbow, precisely on top of the slowly healing injury it sustained on 18/06/09 when I was knocked off my bike by a speeding car. It really hurt and with no visibility I had a lessened appetite for the further hills in Birketts route. So I thought "I am off down the Walna Scar Road to Consiton and back to Keswick". That's what I did, so my tally for the outing was one complete Birkett route and a half but with another nine tops completed I am well on my way and feel inclined to give the Birketts a bloddy good seeing to over the next few months, finish the lot in 2010 should be easy with a bit of commitment and brio.

BACK TO BIRKETT

A few years ago I began a campaign of walking/climbing all the routes described by Bill Birkett in his comprehensive guide book " The Complete Lakeland Fells" this is quite an undertaking as to do them all involves - if you follow the guide book exactly - 130 outings which will take you over the tops of in excess of the 500 + summits in Lakeland that nudge over the 1,000' contour. I see from my diary that the last one I did was way back in April 2008. I think its about time I ticked a few more off so on Monday 7th. September I set off from Keswick by bus for Coniston where my objective was "The Great Round of Coniston" 7.75 miles with 3,150' of ascent by way of the Coppermines valley road through the abandoned mine workings to the summit of the Old Man of Coniston then north along to the top of Brim Fell and Swirl How (see picture), down the Prison Band up to Black Sails and on to Wetherlam and down over Hen Crag back to the valley floor. A great lakeland walk, weather quite good but the Old Man's head was in the cloud when I reached the summit cairn. I did the route in about five and a half hours starting and finishing in Coniston village.

TIME IN LAKELAND

From the 2nd. till the 9th. of September I was with my wife Joy at our lodge in Keswick. The weather was not very good but we managed to get out for a walk around the Glenderaterra valley on Sunday 6th. This was quite interesting apart from being a wonderful walk, Keswick was hosting a Puma sponsored weekend of fell racing for all standards and ages of runners and it's good to see some facilities being made available to the younger generation as was the case during this weekend of events. Fit or what?

A TOY FOR THE BOY

A TOY FOR THE BOY,
originally uploaded by summonedbyfells.

I have recently splashed out on this Garmen GPS, its the Venture model from their "eTrex" series, so yet another bit of technology to get my head around! But I am thinking it will add and additional level of interest to my walking, cycling and general wandering round the countryside. I am from the old school of map and compass men, and of course "mental dead reckoning" which is a posh way of saying guessing, but in all my years in the hills these old skills have stood me in good stead. I aways claim never to have been lost but will admit that occasionally I might not know exactly where I am! So maybe GPS will take all the fun out of it. I am going over to the Lakes tomorrow and have loaded four routes centered on the east side of Haweswater, so I'll give it a try and see if I can get it to work for me.