Saturday 12th December. 4miles. Beacon Fell.
I can just see Beacon Fell from my house so when Mike suggested a walk, if it stopped raining, I checked it out. Most of the morning it was in deep clag and at lunchtime it was still raining but about 1pm there was brightness coming in from the west.
We met up for our socially distanced walk at the Quarry car park which is usually quieter than the rest. The tracks were busy with families and dog walkers, this has become the norm during these lockdown days. A quick obligatory visit to the trig point had us chatting to friends. There were a lot of fit looking people running around clutching maps, and we realised there was an orienteering competition in progress – South Ribble Orienteering Club one of the oldest in the country
Our way off the fell was through one of those woodland memorial grounds. We watched a roe deer at a distance, it had a very bright rump and seemed unable to escape the fencing. These are magic moments recalling J B Priestly’s classic 1949 book ‘Delight’ in which he wrote of the many joys to be found in even the simplest things. Worth a read if you can find it.
The path was only slippery at the bottom where we entered coppiced woodland. On the road was Fell Side Farm which I’d never really noticed with its date stone lintel,1707. Of course Mike had been inside in the past.
The normally quiet lane was busy with traffic which turned out to be from a ‘cut your own’ Xmas tree sale at Higher Lickhurst. Once past this we had the lane to ourselves around the base of the fell to pick up a farm track and a steep climb back towards the top. Down below a pheasant/partridge shoot was in progress and the shots seemed frighteningly close. No further comment.
It stayed dry for the two hours we were out and the minimal effort to get some exercise and chat paid off. Here are a few random photos of the day.
A gloomy summit.
Last checkpoint.
Would this help?
Grade II Listed Fell Side. [Rebuilt].
1709.
Will it fit?
Crow Trees Farm. Strangely this made me think of ‘A Message To You Rudy’…
The sun was setting as I drove home for mince pies.
*****
You got lucky with the break in the weather, it rained non-stop here all day yesterday and it’s the same today. I love the sunset shot and the post with all the arrows made me laugh – that’s definitely a good reason to be confused-dot-com 🙂 🙂
Just a couple of quick hours to keep us sane. confused.com
I wonder why all those horsey folk are leaning to the left? Looks as though are about to fall, perhaps having been hit simultaneously with anaesthetic darts by a sniper (or a game shooter getting bored with game)
I didn’t realise it was that windy.
Cumbria – just wind and rain. A sunny week or two would be nice.
Not the best time of the year, is it. I used to disappear to Spain or the Canaries for climbing and walking in the winter months – not this year.