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BB1324
: The Township Tour
Thursday
4th July 2013
On
Whitbarrow Scar there are three plots of land that can
collectively be referred to as The Township. These
three areas, The Township Allotment, The Township Plantation
and the White Scar Quarry, cover over 500 acres. A
consequence of the Enclosures Act was that these parcels
of land were made over to the people of Crosthwaite
and Lyth.
The
land is managed to conserve its biological and geological
character. It is a "Site of Special Scientific
Interest" and a "Special Area of Conservation".
The
income derived from the land is used to support local
community projects.
The
body that looks after the land is a Charitable Trust
known as The
Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth.
The
Chairman of the Trustees is a BOOTboy.
Martin,
the aforesaid Chairman, offered to take us on a tour
of the area. Most of us had visited Whitbarrow
Scar several times but never with someone with such
intimate knowledge.
Please
don't expect what follows to be a learned evaluation
of the territory It's just a normal, slightly
eccentric report which does not do justice either to
the character of the terrain or the work of the Trustees.
Nor did the walk remain on or cover all of the
Trust's land.
After
examining Martin's garden, we climbed up from his house
onto the Township Allotment, heading across the limestone
terrain for the summit cairn at Lord's Seat, a tremendous
view point on a clearer day.
En-route,
was an oil spill that had proved controversial but had
come accidentally from a farmer's vehicle and was being
assimilated back into the ground, disappearing under
vegetation.
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The
oil spill remains
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The
summit cairn
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What
had started off as a damp morning was starting to clear
but there was still a strong wind blowing so we headed
down to Rawson's Wood in the Lyth Valley,
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Some
feasted on wild strawberries on the way.
Sadly, John and I were a distance from
the pack at the time and none were saved
for us.
Martin
intended for call the lunch stop at the
White Scar Quarry. However, having had a
late start, Tony's tummy led to a sit down
protest forcing us to eat at a less impressive
place, although the three legged dog that
passed by did impress.
The
reed bog was interesting but what came as
a surprise was the "shop" at the
foot of the Whitescar Cliff face with assorted
cards.
Reed
bog near the cliff
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The
path to Rawsons' Wood
The
shop
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White
Scar itself is visible for miles and this is very impressive
especially when you stand on the huge pavement slab,
looking up.
White
Scar
It
would be a fantastic place for rock climbers but sadly
too many have defaced the scar with fixed climbing equipment
and, worse, defaced the lower slopes with bodily deposits
and litter; the consequence being that the Landowners
have had to prohibit the activity.
Another
case of the stupid few spoiling things for the many.
Across
the Kent Estuary
Dropping
down through Buckhouse Wood a creature was spotted that
I had never previously seen- a slow worm wriggling across
the track.
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The
slow worm
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Tony
eyes the cafe
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Another
surprise was the tiny cafe at Beck Head. Sadly,
as we had just eaten, we were not ready to support the
local enterprise.
Whitbarrow
Scar from near Hell Moss
On
reaching Witherslack Hall School, the debate was whether
to climb the scar or continue north through the wood,
hoping to find an unmarked path to Fell Edge.
Witherslack
Hall School
What
we actually did was to head north but then opt for the
steep path up to Bell Rake, at the top of which a cursory
examination of the mine's entrance was made.
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The
mine entrance
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Back
on the Township
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Time
pressures then caused us to head back over the Township,
now much sunnier than on the outward stage, then
down to Martin's where Diana greeted us with tea and
biscuits.
Looking
over to Crosthwaite
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Fisherman
Tony's one that got away
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Comitibus
: On
the
Township
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It
had been an enjoyable, informative tour of the Township
with a much more civilised finish than normal! Thanks,
Diana!
Don,
Thursday 6th July 2013
This
week's competition.
Identify
these two creatures spotted on our way.
| STATISTICS:
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BB1324
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| Date:
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Thursday
4th July 2013
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| Distance
in miles:
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10.7
(Garmin gps)
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| Height
climbed in feet:
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1,815
(Memory Map / OS)
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| Wainwrights:
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-
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| Other
Features:
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Whitbarrow
Township
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| Comitibus:
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Don, John H, Martin, Stan, Tony
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BOOTboys
routes are put online in gpx format which
should work with most mapping software. You can follow
our route in detail by downloading bb1324
To
discover which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing
see
Which
Wainwright When?
For the latest totals of the mileages and heights see: BB Log.
Photos
have been gleaned from many sources although mostly
from me! Likewise written comment. Unless stated
otherwise, please feel free to download the material
if you wish.
A reference back to this website
would be appreciated but not essential.
.If I have
failed to acknowledge properly the source or infringed
copyright, then I apologise.
. Please let me
know and I will do my best to put things right.
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