OK, folks seem to like having some of the older stuff posted on site, so here is another report from the same area of North Eastern England a few days before the walk at the top of this thread.
Ian.
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Walk report: Bulbeck Common 22 May 2012._______________________________________
My walk reports just seem to get longer and longer and, having written this, I hope it’s not too long for the forum. If you intend to read it all in one sitting, I’d suggest getting comfortable with a cool beer (or a nice hot cuppa char) first. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin…
After some truly dreadful weather in the last couple of months we are suddenly having a few days of that beautiful spring weather that makes the jokes the UK climate likes to play on us seem worthwhile. I was determined not to miss out on this and so last night I planned to do a few geo-caches a few miles inland from Newcastle. These are caches I’ve thought about for a while but that were in sufficiently exposed and remote locations that I was not prepared to tackle them until the weather was suitable.
The planned route was a circular walk of around six miles starting in
Blanchland, a stunningly pretty village with a large parking area convenient for the first cache I planned to visit. Given the remoteness of the walk I made a point of preparing a plan with a map and contact details and left this with the hotel reception desk. It seemed a good idea to ensure someone knew where I was, particularly as I was not sure whether there would be any cell phone coverage on the moors.
I packed a few essentials (far too many) into my day pack. These included:
- Cell phone,
- Money,
- A big torch (very bright with a long narrow beam – perfect for path finding in the dark, but only a fairly short burn time),
- Two small LED torches that are fine for checking what I’m about to stand on and have 10 hour plus burn times, but very little range.
- A fleece
- A waterproof poncho
- Camera and lightweight tripod
- Map
- Spare batteries for GPS
- Water
- Emergency calorie supply (2 bars of Barretts Nougat – I would have carried Kendal Mint Cake, but Sainsbury’s did not have any.)
- Small first aid kit
I also had a change of clothing and some more bottled water that I left in the car in case I needed it when I got back. No rain was forecast, but I’ve still managed to get very wet in the past by falling into a stream or puddle and past experience has taught me that I can always find a new way of making things difficult for myself so being a little over prepared is not a bad idea.
Much of my chosen route is described (with lots more pictures) in
this article.
I reached my chosen car park at 17:45. There were only two cars and a bus there and none of them looked to have moved for a considerable time. I changed into walking boots, grabbed my pack and GPS and set off. The first cache was only a couple of hundred yards from the car park and was in view of several houses so I was still dressed at that point. It was a quick find and once I’d signed the log I set off for the second cache. The route took me up a reasonably steep slope under the tree cover. There were shafts of sunlight pouring through the trees and rabbits and deer visible in all directions. I was less than 300 yards from the car, but it was obvious that no one had been that way for a while so the t-shirt went into my pack and the wrap was removed and carried in one hand, rolled into a baton. I knew the path went to another small hamlet so there was a possibility of meeting a dog walker coming down the path. The air temperature was around 22C (low 70s F) and with no wind under the trees it was near perfect for naked walking.
The second cache proved to be an even quicker find than the first and was quickly signed and replaced. It was several miles to the next cache so I had set a couple of waypoints into the GPS for the path junctions, as past experience of the moorland paths in this part of the world is that they are often difficult to see once you get out into the heathers. All too soon I was approaching Shildon, a hamlet of five or six houses and an old abandoned mine. I could hear someone being industrious and so decided that the wrap was required before walking through the hamlet. I exchanged friendly greetings with a woman working in her garden and continued on up the lane passing the ruined mine building.
In estate agent speak that qualifies as “Scope for sympathetic renovation; would suit DIY enthusiast”
I hoped to undress again as soon as I had rounded the next bend, but seeing another building ahead decided not to until I could be sure there was nobody there. As soon as it became apparent that the small barn was unoccupied (by man or beast) I stripped off and continued properly dressed, keeping an ear open for the (unlikely) sounds of anything coming up the track behind me.
A few minutes later I had to cover up again to pass Pennypie Farm. I did not see anyone here, but there were several cars parked outside and dogs barking so discretion seemed appropriate.
Here I left the metalled track and joined a small waymarked path across the moors onto Bulbeck Common. A high stone wall and a few trees meant I was soon out of sight from the buildings so the skirt was back in my hand allowing me to enjoy the gentle breeze ruffling all the small hairs on my body again. Glorious; I feel so sorry for anyone who has not experienced the simple joy of being genuinely in contact with nature like this.
The gradient had become gentler once I passed Shildon and was now almost flat with only a few more meters of height to gain to the top of the moor a mile or so away. Underfoot the terrain was now heathers with just a narrow gap indicating where the path ran, however there were way marking posts every few hundred yards so following the path was not difficult. Well, not difficult apart from the fact that a stream also followed the path; parts were very boggy after recent rains and there were a few sets of foot prints (some fairly fresh) going my way.
The horizons were really starting to open up as I moved away from the valley and as I was admiring the view I spotted a pickup truck with a couple of people stood in the back making its way slowly along a track a quarter of a mile to my right. I very much doubted that they could see how I was dressed but covered up just in case, as game keepers for big shoots can get a little protective of their land and often wander over for a chat. In the event, the truck continued slowly on its’ way stopping every now and then for a moment, apparently filling the grouse feeders. There were a few sheep around roaming free on the moor. Judging by how well nourished the lambs looked there must be more for them to eat than I would have expected.
Once the truck was below the horizon again I was back to walking properly attired. The path reached a dry stone wall and I turned left along it following the obvious trail. However, after a few minutes it became obvious that I was on the wrong path so I backtracked until I found a stile with a clear way mark the other side and another post 600 yards beyond it, very close to the line my GPS was pointing me in.
As I climbed the stile I could see the pickup again, still about the same distance from me, but now heading away down the track I had recently left. There was no sign that I’d been seen, or that if I had that they cared, so I did not dress. Instead I got my camera and tripod out of my pack to see if I could get any worthwhile pictures for my friends here at TSNS. This was the best of them and I’ll put another one in the Benches and stiles thread.
Pictures taken, I decided not to put the tripod away instead collapsing it and using it as a carry handle for the camera. That way the camera and GPS were not banging together and irritating me as I walked. I did, however, put my wrap into the mesh side pocket. I can reach this with the pack on my back and so could still put the wrap on fairly quickly although (obviously) it is not as accessible as carrying it. I was confident that meeting anyone without seeing them a fair distance off was very unlikely.
The path continued to climb slowly through a few boggy bits to the top of the moor. I stopped to get a picture for the wide open spaces thread (and will post one there too).
A few yards further on I discovered a small shallow pool, maybe 100 yards by 20, which, given that I had worked up a good sweat on the climb, was very tempting. Dipping a finger in established that it was cold, very cold, but I still decided that a quick dip would close the pores and rinse the sweat off my skin. Once I was in (and over the initial shock) it actually felt pleasantly warm and I had a gentle swim for a few minutes before deciding that I ought to press on if I was to get back to the car before dark. This was when I realised that I had not put a travel towel in the pack. Oh well, my socks were already damp from some of the muddy bits of track so it did not really matter. I would not have bothered to towel the rest of me off anyway, preferring a Larryesque air dry in such wonderful conditions.
No pictures of me swimming, I did grab one of the pool but by the time I thought about it I had put my boots back on and did not feel like removing them again for a swimming pic.
From the high point the path continues North-West to join the Carriers Way a (reputedly) well walked trail. I was concerned about this point as several cachers logs had reported missing this junction so I had set it as a waypoint in the GPS. In the event I don’t really know how others had missed it as it had a very clear way mark:
Given the apparent popularity of the Carriers Way and the beautiful weather I was suspicious that I might not be able to walk this section naked. However, there was not a soul in sight, although there was plenty of evidence of recent use of the track with a mixture of cycle, motorcycle and truck tyre trails and plenty of different foot prints. I decided not to dress.
The third cache of my planned route was close to a lunch hut for the shoot and I could see it a little over a mile from where I was. There was no sign of any people out and about so, keeping an eye on the bothy in case there were people inside, I followed the track gently down towards the cache site. I was enjoying the sound track of the walk; lark song, the regular calling of lapwings and frequent comical interruptions from startled grouse (I was not always sure who was more startled, them or me) when my cell phone rang and spoiled the mood. It was just Carole checking in for the day and it felt rather strange standing with a view over miles of empty countryside chatting to her thinking that she probably guessed how I was dressed but would not want to be told.
Call over, I put the phone away and was about to leave when I spotted a slow moving pick up (the same one?) heading along the track I was on. It was still over half a mile away, so I just sat and had a drink and one of my emergency calorie fixes and watched to see where it went. The truck continued almost to the bothy before turning left onto a track leading down into the valley to my west. Clearly it presented no problem to me and I finished my snack and continued. I had intended to stop at the hut to eat, but was glad to have stayed out in the evening sunshine instead.
The next cache was just before the hut. I was a little surprised by the sign on the fence; adders are fairly uncommon so a warning to beware of them was a surprise. Sadly I did not see any; I don’t think I’ve seen an adder for more than ten years now, so it would have been quite a treat.
The cache was hidden in a pile of old fence posts just past the gate. I was careful about looking; my usual luck would have been to pick up a log and spot the elusive adder underneath just as it made a couple of small holes in my hand.
I signed the log and left a travel bug in the cache before going over to the lunch hut to investigate.
As expected, the bothy was neither occupied nor locked. I think it would be fair to describe it as rather Spartan, however I’m sure it serves its’ purpose admirably for the shooting parties.
There was a map of the moors and the shoot drives on the wall which gives a small insight into how shoots are organised.
Time to change paths but, unusually, there were no way marks here so I guessed; wrongly. I reckon this little chap knew I was wrong, but did not know how to tell me.
I soon worked it out though and doubled back to go through the gate, passing another curious sheep as I did so.
The track here was much more obvious than it had been and although I was no longer on the Carriers Way it felt as though the chance of an encounter was rising, however there was no way I was going to dress yet and I left the wrap firmly in my pack as before.
There were some large puddles on this section of track and I decided to see if I could do any thing interesting with a reflection. The answer was apparently “No” but I thought I should inflict one of the pictures on you anyway
After a while the path descended into a strip of woodland emerging the other side into a more intensively farmed area. There was a large flock of very noisy sheep in one pen and I approached cautiously in case the excitement was due to them being fed or disturbed by a farm worker. I could not see anyone around so continued past them still naked apart from boots and back pack.
A couple of hundred yards beyond the flock I could see the farm house at Newbiggin behind a high stone wall. I was tempted to go on naked, relying on the wall to screen me from the house, however when I got to the start of the lane it became obvious that there were more farm buildings along the track and that in all probability there would be folks around so, reluctantly, I got my t shirt and wrap out of my pack and dressed.
Once through the farm I was tempted to strip again, but the track was now tarmaced and I could hear a quad bike being drive somewhere off to my left so I stayed as I was, still glowing internally from the naked walk to this point. A moment or so later the quad bike came past with the rider cradling a lamb under one arm. It looked very cute, but a part of me wondered how compatible that was with the transport of animals act. Not that the lamb seemed worried; it was looking quite happy as it watched the world go by. A cheerful greeting from the driver as he passed, apparently unphased by a skirted male walking down the farms drive in the gathering gloom just after sunset.
The fourth and final cache of the walk was tucked into a small nature reserve in the village of Baybridge. This proved to be another quick find although it was in a very sorry state. It was hidden in a pile of largish rocks (the size of breeze blocks) and it looked as though some idiot had dropped one of the rocks on it when rehiding it as the container was well and truly smashed with all the pieces still inside the camouflage bag. Never mind, the log book was (just) dry enough to be signed and I have sent a message to the cache owner to let him know it needs attention.
I returned to the lane intending to find a path to the north of the road to return to the car park. In the event I found a permitted path that runs parallel to the road but down hill and behind a stone wall and I decided to use this instead for the last half mile back to Blanchland. The path is well surfaced and signed but showed little sign of being used, so I took the opportunity for a last few minutes of SN walking, eventually dressing just before reaching the village.
This was when I had my most inspired thought; I’d discovered there was hotel in the village. Hotels have bars; bars have beer… I could feel a plan taking shape. However the best laid plans and all that; the bar was closed for some repair work. Rats!!!
Oh well, back to the car, change out of my (soggy) boots and off home to eat. It was now 21:45, I’d been out walking or taking in the views for four hours and naked for three hours and eleven minutes of that time. I called the hotel to let them know I’d finished the walk and there was no need to send out the search parties.
I’m still feeling the benefit of the walk today. One of my colleagues even commented that I was unusually mellow when told about an issue in production. Perhaps I should suggest an SN walk as a group team building exercise? Or maybe not.
Have fun,
Ian.
