Over the last few days of the late autumn fine weather I had planned to catch a Heart of Wales line train from Llandovery to Swansea but it was cancelled so I headed off round the Llyn Brianne valley only to find that road closed due to a bridge replacement. The long diversion round through Llanwrytyd took me through Abergwesyn and over the excellent Devil's Staircase. As the road through to Tregaron was also closed I came down to the Llyn Brianne from the north without a soul in sight and parked high above the reservoir for a peaceful night.
The following morning I cycled in to Moel Prysgau bothy where all was well although deep brash on the top track made for a tedious mile or so of progress. The bothy was in good order : new barriers, some tactical felling by NRW, a concerted effort to ensure that the barriers are locked and regular visits by the MOs seems to have eliminated many of our misuse problems. NRW are also replacing all padlocks and issuing numbered security keys to authorised personnel so that should help further.
A night at Teifi Pools gave me the opportunity to walk in to Claerddu bothy, managed by Elan Valley Trust who rebuilt Lluest Cwm Bach for us almost ten years ago. As Claerddu is now looking a bit tired with graffiti and an accumulation of rubbish the Wales MBA team are in the process of arranging a spring clean next year - in the meantime we hope that EVT will install a barrier and liase with the local rural crime teams as this combined approach has achieved good results elsewhere.
On my way north to Sheffield I called in at the home of one of our longer standing MBA volunteers who was at the end of his battle with pancreatic cancer, it was good to talk with him, go over some photos that the team had sent me and remember the many good times, it is sad to report that he passed away within a fortnight : 'Dangerous' - one of the good ones.
We called briefly in York to see my aunt, uncle and cousin before managing an unexpected rendezvous at Scotch Corner with Mandy's brother heading down to Sheffield to visit family. From there we crossed the Pennines and in a thick fog followed the old Coal Road from Garsdale Head Station over to Dent Station which at 1150' ASL is the highest station in England but still some 200' lower than Corrour in Scotland.
I had stayed in the station car park over the summer whilst tackling the Pennine Bridleway and took a leaflet for the Snow Huts, hence our arrival at this remarkable place high above, and four miles from, Dent village.
The single storey building sat just yards from the line and provided 2 superb holiday lets. We were in Hut One near to where the old signal box would have stood and soon had the place toasty warm with fuel provided for both stoves, underfloor heating and plenty of hot water. Almost immediately the first passenger train announced its arrival with a whistle and the bright carriages slowly slid by. Later freight trains carrying timber and aggregate passed in each direction but the snug and well appointed building was sealed against them and the strong winds blowing.
The next day we explored the station and its surroundings - the old station as with most on this the Settle to Carlisle Line has also been preserved and turned in to holiday accommodation but the station master's house is privately owned. The guy behind the Dent project, Robin Hughes, has written an excellent book about his restoration and the hut even entertained Michael Portillo during one of his Great Railway Journeys. Robin had interests in New Zealand before this scheme and is now developing a retirement village in Windsor but still returns to Dent and its isolation from the phone and internet. We caught the train down to Skipton for market day and enjoyed cold but bright weather - again I had passed through here on the PBW earlier in the year
Sunday saw us walk down to Dent and enjoy a good lunch in the cafe by the small visitor centre which had a sunny patio. The final pull up from Cowgill left us ready for a cosy night in with a good sunset and moon.
We caught the train to Kirkby Stepen for the Monday market, lovely just to be able to walk to the platform in two minutes but at KS it is a good 40 minutes walk in to the town where the market was modest to put it kindly. Back at the station a guy got off the northbound train and struggled with a full barrel of beer over the footbridge before loading it in to the boot of his small car - no idea.
Tuesday was a day walking above the track via the PBW and down to Blea Moor tunnel before another ascent from Cowgill whilst on the Wednesday we did a circuit from Dent to Carlisle, around the Cumbrian Coast passing St Bees Head and Sellafield to Barrow in Furness, across to Carnforth and finally a return via High Bentham to Settle and back to Dent - all the trains and connections ran to time and it was to quote a phrase 'a grand day out'...
Our final day was wet and wild but we took the train down to Settle, walked up on to Castlebergh Crags for the views over the town and then enjoyed the Museum of Craven Life in the Grade 1 listed Folly. The 3 Peaks Cycle Shop did a good lunch at a remarkable price before we got the train back up to Horton in Ribblesdale and jumped off to visit the impressive Ribblehead Viaduct in less than favourable conditions. However it underlined how stoic the several thousand navvies and their families must have been to work and live up there in the shanty towns for many years.
The Fat Lamb at Ravenstonedale has free hard pitches for four vans and on a cold widy night we enjoyed excellent food despite the actual presentation surrounded by motoring memorabilia as the pub hosts many classic car rallies and owners meetings.
Our annual (Covid permitting) fortnight in Langdale began with a large food shop in Penrith before we arrived at the lodge and took off for a swim in the stylish pool.
Our friend Penny arrived for a few days on the Sunday so we walked in to Ambleside over Loughrigg Fell and were amazed to see a mountain biking couple with the mum pulling a trailer containing a toddler descending the rough track.
Over at Ullswater we caught the ferry from Pooley Bridge and returned via the shore path on a fresh but sunny day and were rewarded with the sight of a pair of red squirrrels chasing around a line of pine trees.
The Drunken Duck provided an excellent lunch but we would have preferred just a snack or sandwiches and returned having passed the house where my grandfather had spent many contented years of his retirement.
An indulgent evening in the spa finished off her stay and as she left on the Thursday other friends were heading north from Bristol.
A windy day with low cloud on the Friday kept us off the hills but we enjoyed exploring the old slate workings of Tilberthwaite descending deep in to an old quarry and then up at the Betsy Crag mine daring each other to cross the single span slate bridge in windy conditions. After returning via Tilberthwaite Ghyll we dropped in to the Three Shires pub before returning after dark using head torches.
Storm Arwen blew through overnight and just as Tony from Blackburn arrived to join us with tales of fallen trees and the Estate Landrover being crushed all power in the area ceased.
Our plan was a day walk any way and we set off up the slope of Silver How with the sun on our backs. As we ascended we reached the snow line and began to find the going tricky, particularly once we reached the ridge and felt the full force of the northerly wind. It was bitterly cold and hard to stay upright but after a couple of hours hard going we reached Stickle Tarn where conditions were ferocious. Jan took a nasty tumble as we descended the steep track with verglas making for cautious progress.
Once below the snow and out of the wind we stopped for lunch in the sun before reaching Dungeon Ghyll where all the lights were still out. A steady return along the Great Langdale Valley brought us back to the lodge where eveything was still off and the staff had no idea of a likely reconnection time.
Fortunately we all had head torches, there was still hot water in the tanks and I had come up this year in the camper so was able to provide additional torches, power banks and cook the excellent food that Sue had provided on the gas cooker. Marcus and Sandra had joined us so we enjoyed a memorable evening after which we retired to the van grateful for the diesel heater and the following morning produced a cooked breakfast for all. As we were all somewhat battered by Saturday's walk we took an easy stroll round the estate and were amazed at the number and size of trees that had been blown over - aparrt from the Landrover there was no significant damage to any lodges or buildings despite some very close shaves. A game of Monopoly entertained us but with the power still off the lodge got a bit too cold for comfort so the five of us piled in to the van for a cosy evening of quizzes, crosswords and hot soup and rolls. The estate restaurant had sourced a small generator and was trying to provide drinks for other lodge guests but many had left or been deterred from arriving. Large amounts of smoked salmon, cheese and other goodies were also being given out as all the chillers and fridges were failing.
On the Monday our guests packed up just as the power was restored so we spent the morning tidying up, changing beds and then went for another walk round to assess the damage. The groundsmen had been hard at work clearing the roads but some of the hung up trees would require specialist skills and judging by the widespread damage across a huge area the tree surgeons will be busy for weeks.
With pool and other facilities yet to come back on stream we enjoyed the comfortable lodge, finished the game of Monopoly and walked in to Chapel Stile to admire the old church and reflect on the local lads who had perished in the two world wars. The Burlington Slate works have suspended their quarrying and concentrated on crushing the huge mountains of waste in to a usable aggregate for paths and weed suppression and I noticed a considerable reduction in the once extensive deposits. The on site washing machine saw to our laundry - always handy to get it done and dried in the winter months.
A bus in to Ambleside gave us the chance to get some new walking boots and enjoy an excellent veggie lunch in the small Ghandi's cafe before walking through to Rydal and back over to Elterwater. The back lane was blocked in several places and these would have to be removed before a crane could be brought in to support a monster pine that lay across the roof of a large property.
On the Thursday we took the back lane to Little Langdale and passed around another monster pine that had taken out the telephone poles and would have toppled just a few hours after we walked that way the previous Friday. A path climbed up on to Lingmoor Fell with views south to Blackpool Tower across Morecambe Bay and south east to looming Pendle. After squeezing through The Needle we dropped in to the Great Langdale campsite before a return to base and a long awaited swim.
On our last day we took a circuitous route across to Chesters at Skelwith Bridge where we ate a delicious veggie lunch outside before returning to the Brimstone Spa for a final indulgent night in the various heat and steam rooms and the magical pool which reaches outside through sliding doors. I always hugely appreciate our good fortune in staying here and it is certainly a different experience from van life.
A very soggy Saturday hastened our departure and we drove north to enjoy the entertaining Keswick Pencil Museum with its history of the local graphite mining, links to the SOE in WW2 and the Bond movies as well as a history of the manufacturing now relocated to Workington on the coast. The large art deco factory still stands and will I hope soon be repurposed for perhaps affordable housing, so vital for the area's young people.
In sleet and strong winds we headed over to Penrith for a night with Marcus and Sandra - their new barn coversion adding to an already comfortable house. We both enjoyed a good tour of his extensive model railway layout and Sandra's excellent cooking. As usual we kipped in the van with the heater keeping us warm and dry, sleeping well in the quiet location.
After a good breakfast Marcus and I had some fun knocking up a Go Pro video with the camera mounted on various locos and carriages before reluctantly we started our journey south after 3 very successful and varied weeks away.
I have returned to mid Wales sitting out Storm Barra en route and dealing with some paperwork relating to the new AED sourced for the Wales Mountain Bothies Team. We hope of course that it will never be used but as most of our volunteers are long in the tooth if not hair it seems a prudent purchase.
In reality it will sit for much of the year in a volunteer's house so may come in handy far from the bothy scene.
I am waiting for my boster jab in 48 hours time which will two weeks later perhaps permit my escape down to Spain and eventually Portugal but almost a fortnight needs to elapse before travel and as I have no intention of travelling over the busy Christmas/New Year period will with luck get a Santander bound ferry in mid January.
Anyway watch this space and if you've nothing better to do click this SPACE
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