A walk in Newlands with Heather and Buttons... May 13th.(Lake District)
  The forecast for Friday was promising, cold and damp on the east side of the north where we live but warm and sunny with a breeze on the west, the Lake District, site of today's walk.
There are only four out today, holidays and family keeping some away. We four are John Ha., Dave, Harry and me and we are off to walk the Newlands round, or a part of it at least. To get to the starting point take the A69 west, M6 south, A66 west beyond Keswick, turn left through Portinscale and follow the narrow road towards Skelgill. There is a parking area off the road with room for about ten cars.
The map to use is OS OL 4 The English Lakes NW section and at least a laminated section is advisable. The car park is at NY 245211, approx..

This week's car park, worth ten points in the Ian Allen car park spotters guide, northern edition.
The walk:
Leaving the car park and heading south there are two paths, on the left the route climbs to the top of Cat Bells, a family favourite according to curmudgeonly Wainwright. It offers a good view of Derwent Water, Keswick, Skiddaw and lots of other bumps. Lonely Dave took this route. We other three decided to cut out Cat Bells and take the more gentle path that goes alongside Cat bells before turning east and climbing steadily to the saddle between CB and Maiden Moor. Once on the saddle we turned south and caught up with Dave and continued south along the Maiden Moor ridge. At one point we dropped down a few feet and facing west called a Herbie Spot, out of the breeze and with a good Lake District view. We had come about four miles.

                                           Skiddaw from our starting point

                                  Lunchtime view

                       Derwent Water, Keswick, Skiddaw, Blencathra
Only four out today so treats were limited, ginger chocolate, lemon biscuits and some toffee flavoured Bakewell tarts.
  As we packed to leave a voice called "Excuse me gentlemen, could you help me please?" It was Heather and her dog Buttons (labradoodle?) She explained she had set out to do a walk but had left her map in the car. As we all carry maps I offered her my photocopied sheet . She was very impressed with it, unlike some I know. However as she was doing the same walk as us she asked if she could just come along. Not a problem we chorused. And so the six of us continued on our way.
 Heather is a lovely lady. Recently bereaved she was doing a walk she had done previously with her husband. We all chatted on the rest of the walk, exchanging the usual gems about children grandchildren, jobs and walks. Heather had been a solicitor and a business woman. Buttons was well behaved and returned to her boss when sheep were around to be put on a lead.
At Wilson's Bield the footpath heads downhill before turning north west ish down to the Newlands Valley. It is initially a steep descent, rocky path with elbow breaking tendencies and needs care. There are several old  workings, left from the days when lead was mined here. And there were several impressive roche moutonnees to admire. Even better were the waterfalls and streams along the way, the gorse in bloom and the Herdwick Lambs  doing what they do.

                                               Buttons and a pool.

                  John, me, Dave and Harry on the top of High Spy, more of a plateau than a peak

               Me, with Heather probably discussing Wittgenstein. Don't like the pose but my wife thinks I look like a WW2 German soldier plane spotting!
Eventually the valley flattens out and we reached Little Town, a very appropriate name. From here the footpath goes across fields to Skelgill and back to the car park.
At Little Town we said our farewells. Heather and Buttons were off to their holiday cottage and we were off home, via a pub of course. Heather insisted that having had such a pleasant walk with us and much conversation  on a whole range of topics she would like to buy us a drink. After much persuasion we accepted her gift, promising to drink her health on the way home.
This is a beautiful walk, worthy of The Times. The scenery is worth the effort, especially in spring.
We stopped at The Shepherds in Langwathby which offered Tirrils Eden Valley Ales and a pint dedicated to the old curmudgeon himself, Alfred Wainright. It was very good. And we kept our promise.

                Good health Heather, and many more walks.
The Matrix MMXVI Q
                                                                                     steps                         miles

LIDL3D                                                                         21489                        10.4
NAK                                                                               27713                       10.47
Dave's 3D                                                                      23070                        9.92
  "    USB                                                                       21283                        9.40
  "    NAK                                                                      20938                        9.25

OUTDOOR GPS                                                                                            8.4
eTreX                              4 hours walking 1hour 30 minutes talking             8.4

Not the best of maps.
Contains OS Data copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2016

And finally fiveshots from Harry, an excellent photographer.

Two gadgies sail on the Alley Alley O... May 11th
 
  The childrens' rhyme "The good ship sails on the alley alley o" has been discussed in my family recently. There are slight variations, some sing "on the alley", some sing "down the alley " and a Scottish friend claims "through the elley Alley O". It is generally thought that the alley in question is the Manchester Ship Canal although some feel it refers to the Atlantic Ocean. Regardless, Harry and I have decided to take the ferry trip down the Ship Canal from Salford Quays to Liverpool.
 We stayed the night in a hotel near  Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, had a meal in a pub full of their supporters as the team were playing away to West Ham. Man U lost, much cursing all round.
The ferry, the Snowdrop,left Salford Quays at 10 am next morning, carrying about 200 people, including the Sale Walkers and the West Horton History Group.
The MSC was opened in January 1894. Original estimate for the cost was £5million, the final cost was £15m. Nothing changes. Queen Victoria came to officially open it some months after the first ships had sailed down it. Today it is little used, mainly because ships are too big, but there is hope for some rebirth in traffic. The ferry took us the length of the canal, 36 miles.

   The  Snowdrop, possibly an old Ferry Across the Mersey as Gerry sang. Built in Dartmouth in 1959,  painted in "dazzle camouflage" inspired by WW1 and WW2 designs intend to confuse enemy submarines. It worked, we only saw one all day.

 Old Trafford, home of MUFC. The ground holds 75000 spectators, biggest club stadium in the UK

                                    This bridge across the old docks was raised to let us through. The odd shaped building is the IMperial War Museum North

There are five locks along the canal, allowing the water to drop 60 feet. This is one of them

   This amazing piece of engineering carries a canal across the MSC. The old, narrow canal, was built first, long before the MSC.It swings through 90 degrees. In the background is a motorway 

                           Twentieth century flies over 19th century.

Another lifting bridge to carry a road across the MSC

                        The big ship sails on the alley alley o......

But now it carries containers, not bales of cotton

 Runcorn  Widnes road bridge and old railway bridge behind

The shield represents the connection between London and Liverpool by rail.

At one point the canal runs alongside the river Mersey, separated by an earth embankment.  Eventually the canal enters the river by means of a lock.

 It looks like graffiti but is a list of ships "demasted" as they were too high to pass under the canal bridges
As we approached Liverpool we were given the choice of disembarking on either the Birkenhead or Liverpool sides. We opted for Birkenhead so we could see an old U Boat which had been salvaged, brought to the Mersey and cut up into sections, allowing visitors to see the interior without clambering down ladders. Although heavily corroded it was fascinating

                                  The three graces on the Liverpool waterfront

                           U 534, all I can say is I am glad I didn't have to go in one. Uncomfortable and cramped. But the artefacts that were recovered were interesting. An Enigma machine, gramophone records, personal items, torpedos, sextants and much more.

This is a great day out, lasting in total, including the coach back to Salford, about 10 hours. A lady gave a commentary along the canal, pointing out landmarks, old factories, giving a history of the canal. Well worth it. And for birders: geese, sanderlings, ducks, swans, herons, a buzzard or two and the usual lbjs.

Teesdale III, revenge of the gadgies. May 6th (North Pennines)
  After a couple of walks in Teesdale the gadgies have agreed on a third, a true walk as it requires a bus pass.  The walk starts from recently visited Barnard Castle on the Durham side of the Tees. To get there from base take the A69 west, the A68 south at the Corbridge roundabout and the A688 into Barnard Castle from West Auckland. (Proud winners of the first soccer world cup, honest). Parking in Barnard Castle is a bargain, £1.50 for a day in the long stay park, down the high street, left at the Market Cross (1767) and left again.
The walk is covered by OS OL 31 the North Pennines and we are starting at Middleton in Teesdale. To get there take the bus 95 from B. C .. It leaves at the top of the high street at four minutes to the hour or further down the street where we caught it and the ride takes about 30 minutes.
Eight of us out today, (two car job) John C., John Ha., Ben, Harry, Dave, Brian, Norman and me the Invisible Man.
The forecast is good, sunny, light breeze but no rain, makes a change from our recent outings in the rain
Barnard Castle is  a fine old town, wide main street, small shops, pubs and cafes, plus plaques to tell you who or what has been going on. And the wonderful Bowes Museum. As we had over half an hour to wait  we called in at Penny's cafe and restaurant, almost opposite the bus stop, for tea or coffee and bacon sandwiches or scones.

                          Barnard Castle main street, shame about the cars but..........

                                                    Outside a mens' outfitters!
  The bus arrived on time. A mini bus run by "Scarlet Band" with one of those cheery drivers who knew all the locals, let them off at their doors and promised to see them next week. And gadgies were welcomed aboard too. The journey up the valley took about half an hour and by 11.30 am we were ready for the off, pedometers and GPS's switched on.

Middleton in Teesdale, another pretty Durham village, mostly 18th century but with some much earlier  bits and pieces in the church. (St Mary).
The walk at last:
  From the main street we headed south west down towards the river . At the bridge, on the village side, we turned left and started on our way down the Teeside Way.  For the first three miles or so the narrow footpath clings to the river bank, with a few short climbs up and then down. At this time of year the wooded banks have a carpet of flowers, wood anemones, Celandines and primroses and bluebells, the last fighting bravely against the Spanish invaders. Remember the Armada!

                                                 Follow the Dipper

                                 Along the Teeside Way
At one point, near Egglesburn Farm on the map, the Teeside Way leaves the river and heads north east but we chose to follow the public footpath to the footbridge near Ornella Farm. From here we crossed the fields, well stocked with sheep and their lambs, , south of Swinkly Knoll, until we came to a road. Crossing the road we took a track lined with small yews to a farm where a very large and very black dog lay waiting. Everybody slowed down but he was friendly, just took an arm or two.

                             
 His mistress came to our rescue and told us that the footpath we wanted was immediately after the last farm building. Good job she did, it wasn't marked. We followed the path across fields which had some strange type of trap against the fence.

                                        Answers on  a postcard please, but no prizes.
A few fields further on we rejoined the Teeside Way and at the entrance to a caravan park called a Herbie Spot. We had walked just over four miles.

Coffee, tea, sandwiches, two varieties of biscuit, cheese scones from Mrs A, almond fingers and pork pies. Still 178 pounds though.
Lunch over we continued along the T. W. (Don't go down into the caravan park) and crossed several fields past New Town, Eggleshope House before hitting the road just outside the village of Egglestone, another beautiful village.. The gardens of Egglestone Hall are open to the public. We walked through the village past the hall and at the bridge turned left along the T.W.

                                    Waterfall near Egglestone Hall

                   Norman has a thing about sheds. We thought this one was a cricket pavilion
  The footpath leaves the river and climbs out of the valley across sheep stocked fields. At one point farmer Dave and farmer Norman persuaded two lambs to go through a gate to rejoin their slightly stressed mother. Farmer Dave and farmer Norman persuaded two distraught lambs to return through a gate to rejoin equally distraught mother. Farmer Brian (B Sc agriculture from Newcastle University) looked on in sympathy or admiration.

                                A string of gadgies

                  Dave examines a "homestead" which he thought could have been a Roman fortlet.
The path goes alongside Shipley Wood before heading  back down towards the river at Cotherstone.

                                         Tees at Cotherstone

                 Wood anemones at Cotherstone

 The river Balder joins the Tees at Cotherstone.

            A second Herbie Spot at Cotherstone, after about 8 miles
From Cotherstone we followed the Teeside Way on the south side of the river. Partly through woodland high above the river with impressive views of the cliffs on the north bank, partly across fields  it reaches Pecknell wood where it begins a slow descent to the Tees again.

   I know a bank where sweet primroses grow, to slightly misquote the bard

                       

                           Teeside views, gadgies and the old railway bridge.
Approximately four miles further on we were back in Barnard Castle, crossing into the town by means of the footbridge.

              Barnard Castle, Crazy Golf and more ruins.
For a change we went straight to the pub, the Golden Lion, which claims to be the oldest pub in Barnard Castle, (1679) possibly the oldest pub in County Durham and possibly the oldest pub in the north east. Regardless of that it sells fine real ales, the Marstons' New World being particularly refreshing after twelve hot miles.

The Matrix MMXVI  P
                                                                              steps                       miles
LIDL 3D                                                            29273                      15.17  (mmm)
NAK                                                                  35947                       13.61
Dave's 3D                                                          28800                       13.25
  "        USB                                                       26912                       12.74
  "        NAK                                                      27127                       12.84

etrek            3.54 hours walking    1.45 hours hanging around          12.46
OUTDOOR GPS                                                                                12.08 with 2133 feet ascent
John C                                                                                                 12.7
Ben                                                                                                      12.12

Contains OS Data Copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2016