Pub signs have provided a way of navigating through the streets for many a century. Instructions such as “Turn left at the Eagle and Child” or “Bear right at the Dog and Duck” have been commonplace.

Yesterday I wrote on our Lake District in Books site a short piece about Ordnance Survey maps. The response has been encouraging with several people stressing the importance of map, compass and the skill to use them. These responses via Twitter and email have led me to write again today, this time on the Around-England blog.

So what has this to do with pub signs? Well it just occurred to me that maybe there should be a warning on footpath signs pointing to the hills with wording such as “Map and Compass – Got them?” Someone could maybe design this incorporating a skull. Far too many people venture onto the hills ill-equipped, risking not only their own lives but also the lives of of the brave volunteers in the mountain rescue teams who would come out if called to rescue them. (See “Another Mountain Rescue Statistic – You? Me?“).

Yes, I know, if it were done there’d be cries of “nanny state” treating us like children. But then, maybe more of us should stop behaving like children and adopt a grown-up attitude of respect toward the mountains and the fells. But no, it’s not a serious suggestion. It is, though, a serious call to whoever reads this.

The map is the first thing, but without a compass it can be difficult to use especially in poor visibility, and once the light starts to go a good handheld or head torch becomes essential too. These should be part of the kit for every walker, but so often are missed. Further up this page I included a graphic of Peter Hawkins’ guidebook, Navigation: Techniques and Skills for Walkers (Cicerone Mini-guide): Using Your Map and Compass. If you’re uncertain as to your navigation skill level please get this book and digest it before your next expedition.

As a little extra help I’m putting here two videos from the Ordnance Survey featuring Simon King, the first on “Know Your Compass”, and the second, “How to Use a Compass”.

OSMapping have an extended series of videos on YouTube to help further.

Lake District Trails 1, features Mark Richards, the well-known broadcaster on BBC Radio Cumbria and author of many walking guides to the Lake Distrct and further afield. This first section of a week’s walk starts on the eastern fringes of the Lake District and has been named, “The Westmorland High Way”.

“The opening sequence is a three-day journey, drawing you from the eastern edge of the National Park through ten spellbindingly beautiful Lakeland valleys, destination – the fabulous mountain sanctuary at the head of Great Langdale.!” (Amazon review).

“Mark Richards, who met the famous author Alf Wainwright in his twenties, sparking a lifelong love of the Lakes, said: “This isn’t just the usual film you see of the Lakes – the production standards are exceptional and people will feel like they are walking the route with me.” (Press release)

Lake District Trails 1: The Westmorland High Way would make a superb Christmas present for anyone who loves the Lakes. Find prices on Amazon.co.uk.

An article in yesterday’s Yorkshire Post reports the closure of a popular scenic route.

Forestry chiefs have permanently closed a North Yorkshire road that regularly tops lists of the best drives in the country, to restore tranquillity to the picturesque valley. The Forestry Commission has announced it has closed a three-mile stretch of woodland road through Newtondale Forest, near Pickering, which is one of England’s most spectacular valleys.
[To read more]

In the course of the article three reasons for the closure are given:

• To restore tranquility
• Landslips making navigation difficult
• High cost of repairs

The last two of these are understandable in these financially straightened times. The first, though, raises questions. The North York Moors steam railway runs through the valley. It’s not exactly silent. The report says that walkers will now be able to “enjoy the peace and quiet without the roar of passing motor traffic.” Was there really such a “roar”? It isn’t the A1, after all.

My main concern, however, is the closure of a highly scenic route to many who are simply unable to navigate it on foot. In many elderly couples there is often one who is unable to walk any distance. Must they now be split up for only one of them to enjoy this splendid countryside. No, most likely they’ll neither of them go. And what about the disabled who used to be able to enjoy a drive through the forest?

I’m sure the Forestry Commission didn’t mean it that way but it is an effectively ageist decision, and will make things more difficult for many disable people. Sad.

The Commission says that it has consulted widely about the closure, and maybe there are considerations of which I am unaware. My reason for writing about this here, however, is less related to the specific case than to a concern that this should not become the forerunner of many similar decisions.

How good it is to be back in the Eden Valley after a week in Brussels. A string of lectures, project supervision and a panel debate with Euro-officials and politicians were hard work but very enjoyable, especially the days spent with a group of twentyfive wonderful 20-25 year old students from countries all over Europe.

The River Eden looking upstream to the Stenkrith Bridges

These photographs were taken three months ago in early July. This weekend the roar of the water was much stronger.

Two bridges can be seen here. The road bridge towering over the Millennium footbridge also, to the left of the photo, crosses the track bed of the railway that used to climb up from Cumbria and drop down into County Durham over the Stainmore pass. The railway then had to cross the Eden. That bridge is long gone, but its foundations can still be seen and there’s a river viewing point accessible from the caravan park on the other side.

Stenkrith is one of the many “hidden treasures” of the Eden Valley. It deserves to be far better known but at the same time its quietness, apart from the music of the water, is one of its great attractions.

The River Eden in July, looking downstream below Stenkrith Bridge

Recently I’ve made several references to castles in the Eden Valley, Cumbria, which were rebuilt or considerably restored by Lady Anne Clifford in the 17th century. There was a post about Brough Castle and also a quick photo upload of Brougham Castle by the River Eamont near Penrith. I’ve still to add others, especially Pendragon Castle in Mallerstang, Appleby Castle in the Eden Valley, and Skipton.

Lady Anne’ principal home was as Skipton Castle in West Yorkshire. Living much of my early life just over the Lancashire border from there I grew up knowing something about this remarkable woman, but was less familiar with her possessions in the northeast of Westmorland until moving to live in this part of the country. Now I’m planning to revisit Skipton and learn still more, both about the woman herself and her impact on the north of England of her time.

Some months back I came across a book on my shelves describing the roads and trackways of the Yorkshire Dales including the routes she took on her extensive journeyings. Of course, four hundred years ago she didn’t do the trip in a couple of hours by car on well-surfaced roads. This was wild country.

Still today people travel the wild-country routes, some setting out to walk the whole of what is now known as “Lady Anne’s Way”, others to limit themselves to shorter sections of it. In 1995 Sheila Gordon put together a very helpful little book describing the walk in six stages: Skipton to Grassington; Grassington to Buckden; Buckden to Hawes; Hawes to Kirkby Stephen; Kirkby Stephen to Appleby; Appleby to Penrith. It was reissued in a revised version in 2003 and is still available.

Buy the book, enjoy the walks. The countryside is magnificent and the history fascinating. You’ll talk about it for years.

Today’s post owes its existence to part of an article by Anne Marcantonio of the British Horse Society, posted on the Ordnance Survey Blog on 3rd February.

Anne provides links to a number of safe off road riding routes on the Society’s new EMAGIN service, which is described as “the world’s first Equine Mapping and Geographical Information Network”.  What’s more, it’s free.

The “Eden Valley Loops” (circular routes) especially caught my eye, as I’ve spent several days in that area during recent weeks.  Here they are, with links to the EMAGIN site.

1. Eden Valley Loop 1 – Loadpot Hill (16km – 10 miles)
2. Eden Valley Loop 2 – River Lowther Valley (32 km – 20 miles)
3. Eden Valley Loop 3 – River Lyvennet Valley (32 km – 20 miles)
4. Eden Valley Loop 4 – Great Asby (29 km- miles)
5. Eden Valley Loop 5 – Crosby Garrett (21 km – 13 miles)

Happy walking, riding, cycling – whichever is your thing.

Oh, and here’s a photo I took of the River Eden at Appleby ten days ago.

Looking at the variety of “Lake District and North” topics  about which I’ve “tweeted” on Twitter recently a few have triggered thoughts too long to express in 140 characters. So here’s another opinion piece.

Elm Replanting

We’ll start in central Lancashire. The avenue of elms at Riverside Walk in Miller Park, Preston had been there for over a hundred and fifty years.  Generations of Preston people had enjoyed them.  Last year, however, the avenue was struck down by Dutch Elm disease.  This was a serious loss to the town and its Victorian heritage.  The news that  replanting with disease-resistant elms will shortly be completed is very welcome.

Proposed Conservation Area

I notice that there is a proposal to make part of Windermere village a conservation area.  The consultation period is now over, and in any case as an outsider I probably don’t have much right to comment, but I shall.  It’s not that I’m opposed to “conservation areas”.  Many of them have prevented serious damage to local heritage. Sadly, however, they are sometimes abused by the authorities. There are big risks for the local community. Petty-minded officials can put unnecessary obstacles in the way of perfectly reasonable improvements and even necessary repairs to buildings.

They can also be seriously inconsistent. In another part of the country with which I’m familiar a local church wanted to replace its carpark fence but was told it could not erect the type that it wanted.  When it was pointed out that the design was identical to that around the next-door building owned by the local authority they were told that local government was exempt from the rules!  Consistency? Equal treatment? What’s that? Eventually the church won the argument, but for a while was told that they’d need to apply again, and pay yet another fee for the privilege.  Revenue raising?  Taxation by the back door? By all means protect the heritage, but without this kind of nonsense.

Lost in the hills after dark.

Twice in the past couple of weeks I’ve read of people, in different parts of the UK, having to be rescued from mountains in the dark, having apparently gone out without torches.  It really needs to be said over and over again in capital letters, IF YOU’RE GOING INTO THE HILLS GO PROPERLY EQUIPPED.  It’s said that the use of capitals is like “shouting” but sometimes a good loud shout is necessary. Just now I was looking at a powerful outdoor torch on the Cotswold Outdoors web site (that’s a commercial link by the way). Wow! It’s quite a price, and you don’t need to go to that extent, but if you’re going uphill in the afternoon you should know what time the sun is going to set, make sure you’re down in good time, and just in case you’re delayed have a good torch with you.

Upland Farming

Finally, I’m delighted to see the efforts being made by the South Lakes MP, Tim Farron, to highlight the problems faced by hill farmers.  This is not a party-political point but is vital to the future of upland agriculture. I’m including this here as someone descended from generations of Westmorland shepherds.

OK, that’s it for this time.  More in a week or two.

In previous articles I’ve referred to my love of the River Hodder in Lancashire.  Recently I came across some photographs taken one very snowy Saturday morning in, I think, 1991 (or it may have been 1992). It was a splendidly crisp day, and great to walk where no man had gone before, as it were.  I started by the Hodder itself, and then decided to drive into the Trough of Bowland and walk up by the Langden Brook, one of the smaller streams that feeds the Hodder.  I’d lost the photographs for many years, but have never lost the memory.

The Hodder near Dunsop Bridge (1991?)

Got here before the gritters

Looking down on the Waterworks, Langden Valley, Bowland

I’m the first here – apart from the sheep

The snow is thinner here – but desolate for miles now

As I’ve said before, the Hodder with its villages, and the Trough of Bowland deserve to be much better known – but don’t come in droves will you; I’d like to see it stay peaceful.

When looking through the December 2009 issue of Country Walking Magazine I was rather surprised to find Burnley, Lancashire, listed among the month’s twenty-six recommended walking routes.  Now before anyone jumps to the conclusion that this is a southerner talking out of the top of his hat about the industrial north and “dark satanic mills”, let me point out that I grew up in Burnley, went to school there, and only left on getting married and moving fifteen miles down the road to Darwen.

The photograph above is copied from the 1909 official guide to Towneley Hall which, along with other publications, has been in my Burnley local history collection for many years – actually I have a 1911 reprint, not the 1909 first printing.

Having grown up in Burnley I think I can claim the right to be balanced and fair about it, without indulging in dishonest flettery.  There are some grotty parts.  I recently went back to the Burnley Wood part of the town and was seriously unimpressed with the condition of the area.  On the other hand there are some wonderful places, and Towneley Hall with its open fields and woodland park stands out among them.  So I should not really have been surprised; it’s just that it’s relatively unusual for the message to have got home to people outside the area.

I had the enormous privilege between the ages of twelve and twenty-one of living on Woodgrove Road  overlooking Towneley Holmes.  It was from this base that in my teens I learned the joy of walking in the countryside, across the valley, up and over the hill to Worsthorne and Hurstwood; along the valley to Walk Mill, Holme and  Cliviger Gorge.  Earlier this year, due to the illness and death of a close relative, I had to spend considerable time in the area and was reintroduced to exploring this wonderful landscape – wonderful, and yet so close to the legacy of 19th century industrialisation and 20th century urban sprawl.

The Country Walking route starts in front of Towneley Hall, takes you high above the town on the moors at Crown Point (where as a 10-year-old in the early 50s I was often to be found with the family Alsatian), down past Dyneley to Walk Mill and back along the valley close to the Calder to the Towneley Hall car park – or more likely the Stables Cafe.

This really is a inspired example of how people living in so many of Lancashire’s industrial towns have always been able to get out quickly into splendid countryside.  Towneley Hall itself warrants a future article of its own.

Winter visits to the Lake District are the subject of a 12-page beautifully illustrated feature article in the January issue of Country Walking magazine. The idea that Cumbria is a northern county to be visited only in the summer is well and truly demolished by its photographs. The Lake District is beautiful throughout all seasons of the year.

Most appropriately, given last month’s disastrous “once in a thousand years” rainfall and flooding of many areas of the Lake District (not only those prominently featured in the national news media), the article concludes with a reminder that it is still possible to donate to the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund and Fix the Fells.

For those who are not feeling up to energetic outdoor exploration during the winter months there are of course many indoor attractions and activities that are open all year round, mostly of a unique Lake District character unavailable anywhere else.  I referred to some in the Coniston area in a recent post on this site, and plan to add more along this line in the near future.

Finally for today, I see on the Ordnance Survey’s online-magazine blog a suggestion that hikers might expand their interests to take in rock climbing.

Lake District hikers may enjoy rock climbing

Ordnance Survey, 8 Dec 2009

Those on a hiking or camping holiday in the Lake District may wish to follow the advice of the Daily Mail and indulge in some rock climbing while they are there.

I do agree, but given that it’s now cold, wet and in high places icy, I hope that anyone taking up the suggestion will get good advice, watch the weather and the clock, go prepared and well-equipped, and not add to the mountain rescue statistics.

And then finally finally, don’t forget to subscribe to Country Walking magazine so as not to miss an issue. Click on the image below to subscribe.