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GLW2003
: Come Back St George
Monday
23rd March 2020
Record
crowds in Snowdonia yesterday with people anticipating
a clampdown on movement thanks to the Coronavirus. We
didn't go out. Today, with the anticipation that
the right to roam curtain could fall tonight, we made
what might prove to be our last Great Little Walk
for some time. However, we took social distancing
to the extreme. Under orders to find somewhere
without people, I plumped for Greenholme.
"Where?"
you may well ask. It is quite near to the main
London, Midland and Scottish railway line and that part
of the M6 where the two carriageways are some distance
apart. Put more simply, a remote area a mile or
so west of Tebay.
We
parked close to the house with the dragon in its garden.
Some years ago (BB1223)
St George had also been there, but not today.
Our
route headed north, mostly alongside Birk Beck.
It
was a lovely day and a very pleasant place to stroll.
We
could clearly see the M6 with quite a few lorries transporting
much needed supplies and several trains which we suspected
were mostly empty.
On reaching Scout Green we crossed the beck then
made our way up to Rampshowe then Gill Farm with its
strange stone obelisk.
There
the countryside changed. No longer in the valley
we were faced with moorland and bog. It wasn't
too serious however and we enjoyed a light picnic, taking
in the views over to Orton Scar, Mallerstang and the
northern end of the Howgills.
At
Ewelock Bank, we returned to tarmac and headed back down
to Greenholme.
Other than the occasional farmworker
we hadn't seen anyone. The route had achieved
that objective. Except that back
at the Dragon House was a person. The Dragon Keeper.
He was tending his garden. From a safe distance
I asked him what had happened to St George? He
looked at me a little oddly at first as if I was extracting
the St Michael. I mentioned that when I had been
there some years ago, St George was in the garden with
the Dragon. That was his entry for the Orton scarecrow
competition, he explained
Perhaps
he should build a new one- we could do with St George
to slay the Covid Dragon. Then we can get back
to more Great Little Walks.
Don,
Monday 23rd March 2020.
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