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BB1518
: The Hunt For The Red Paper Bridge
Thursday
21st May 2015
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Have
you seen the Red Paper Bridge?
That
is what Martin asked me last last night.
He said it was up Grizedale (the Westmorland
one) and sent me two photographs that he
had taken on Monday.
I
hadn't.
I
hadn't even heard about it.
So
I made a few enquiries and discovered that
it had only been in existence since 11th
May and the last day for visiting was Monday
18th May. It would then be dismantled.
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There
was a glimmer of hope that it might not
yet have been removed so John Hn and I decided
to pay it a visit.
As
we walked up the valley, with one exception,
none of the people we met had any idea
what we were talking about.
One
lady, though, had chanced upon it last week
but had not seen it today. She thought it
had been removed.
When
we reached the site, well up the valley,
that was obviously the case.
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There
it was; gone. Apart from the remains of a stone
base on each side of the beck and a lot of vehicular
ground disturbance. What a pity the publicity
had passed us by otherwise we could have rearranged
schedules to make a visit.
What
was it?
A
collaboration between the artist, Steve
Messam,
the specialist papermakers, James
Cropper PLC
and Lakes
Ignite Culture.
It was a temporary artwork made for and about the landscape
of the Lake District. You can read all about it on
Steve's webpage: PaperBridge.
The
reason the PaperBridge was only in position for a few
days was partly for artistic reasons and partly due
to restrictions from the landowner. It was not
at all due to the fact it was made out of paper- that
would have lasted for years outdoors.
I
asked Martin how he had heard about it. He said
firstly from the on-line version of The Westmorland
Gazette and subsequently on the BBC
Northwest news and on Countryfile. All that publicity had worked for others,
it seems, as the village had been overwhelmed at the
weekend.
It's
a pity we missed it. Nevertheless, it was still
a pleasant stroll up and down the valley.
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b.jpg)
Looking
up Grisedale for the bridge
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z.jpg)
John
on the vanishing Red Paper Bridge
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The
hunt for the Red Paper Bridge was not the only, nor
indeed the first, expedition of the day. Earlier
we had parked at Glenridding with the intention of climbing
Glenridding Dodd to bag another Wainwright for John.
x.jpg)
Glenridding
washing photo for Margaret
We
had some trouble at first because the path on the OS
map no longer seemed to exist. Fortunately we
met a lady from one of the cottages nearby who seemed
used to people having that predicament and she directed
us to the new path. Apparently the old one was
closed due to a landslip over 20 years ago. Some one
should tell the Ordnance Survey. Or perhaps they
have and my map is just out of date.
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Once
on the right track, it was a steep climb
up the Rake and onto Glenridding Dodd, which
provides an excellent viewpoint over Ullswater.
Next
was to be Sheffield Pike.
The
forecast was for incoming heavy cloud and
I knew that the approach from the east was
one not easily reversed if bad weather set
in.
However,
it was a glorious day with no sign of problems
on the horizon so up we went.
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b.jpg)
Sheffield
Pike from Glenridding Dodd
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Previously
(BB0825,
led by Bryan and Stan), I ascended by a route to the
south of Heron Pike. I wasn't sure that I could
find it so opted for what on the map seemed a gentler
angle from the north. It, too, proved quite steep
but steered clear of any precipitous drops. Definitely
not a route for descending in mist
x.jpg)
Ullswater
from the ascent of Sheffield Pike
Once
the second W of the day had been conquered, there was
a decision to make. The original plan was to head
off to Red Tarn below Helvellyn then return over Birkhouse
Moor for the third tick of the day. The alternative
was to hunt for the Red Paper Bridge. Eat first
then decide.
x.jpg)
The
Helvellyn range
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b.jpg)
Comitibus
: Stang
End
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b.jpg)
Eat
first- looking down on Glenridding
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As
you already know, the hunt won. And lost!
Don,
21st May 2015
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PS
On the way back, we stopped at the Kirkstone
Inn, as much as anything to see if Santa's
Reindeer was still on display with the Christmas
decorations, as per last summer.
There
he was, though there was no Christmas music
playing this time!
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x.jpg)
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| STATISTICS
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BB1518
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| Date:
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Thursday
21st May 2015
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| Distance
in miles:
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5.8
& 6.0 = 11.8
(Memory Map)
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| Height
climbed in feet:
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1,940
& 679 = 2,619 (Memory Map)
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| Features:
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Grisedale
Dodd, Sheffield Pike
The Red Paper
Bridge. Not!
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| Comitibus:
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Don,
John
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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 bb1518A and bb1518B
.
To
discover which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing
- although it may not be that up to date - or for the totals of the mileages and heights (ditto) see the Excel
file: BB Log.
You
can navigate to the required report via the Home
Page
Photos
have been gleaned from many sources
although mostly
from me and other BOOTboys. Likewise written comment.
I apologise if I have
failed to acknowledge properly the source or infringed
copyright. Please let me
know and I will do my best to put things right.
Unless stated
otherwise, please feel free to download the material
if you wish.
A reference back to this website
would be appreciated.
Wainwrights
To
see which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing
see Which
Wainwright When?
This
may or may not be up to date!
For the latest totals
of the mileages, heights and Lakeland Fells Books Wainwrights see: Wainwrights.
Ditto warning!
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BOOTboys
2015
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