GLW1402 : Rosy-fingered Dawn

Sunday 16th February 2014

A rare dry and almost sunny day in this persistently precipitous year. Time for an outing. A visit to Grange-over-Sands and, to prove that we were still too young to live there, a climb to the Hampsfell Hospice. Although this sounds like the sort of place to which we should retire in our dotage, it is nothing of the sort. It is a strange monument, over the doorway of which is the Greek inscription:

which Danae advises means "rosy-fingered dawn", seemingly a favourite epithet of Homer to describe daybreak - a sky broken by a burning golden disc, sliced with pink.

It was well past a not so rosy-fingered dawn when we parked in Grange, down at the bottom near the Victorian parade of shops. We walked up past the Voysey styled but much more recent building that an old chap told us was flats but looked more like a retirement home to us.

Climbing further up, the map said we were passing Nutwood Manor but there was no sign of Rupert Bear, nor indeed of the Manor House.

A rare thing, the sun was threatening to shine as we climbed Hampsfell to the Hospice. It is an interesting structure with internal inscribed boards, an external stairway that would be hazardous were it not for the iron banister and, on top, a fine view point where the features are identified by an old wooden pointer.

From here we headed south to a structure which according to the OS map was a beacon but looked little more than a cairn, but a fine viewpoint, none the less.

After a coffee stop, we took the track to the back streets of Grange (not an unpleasant experience) and dropped down to the prom, walking south to the cafe just before the old swimming pool. After some dozy service but a tasty bacon and brie butty, we retraced our steps and continued, arm in arm like a couple of old dears until we reached the station where we crossed the road back to the car.