BB1719 : Ancient Settlements

Thursday 15th June 2017

Wainwright wrote that “The Dunnerdale Fells are low in stature, small in extent, and insignificant on the map, yet they assert themselves on the local landscape in abruptly defiance of accepted mountain standards.”

Tony’s last walk had been frustrating. It had been hard on the knees and we needed to get him back on the fells. Don and Stan were away. John was here but hadn’t been out much lately.  He’d been spending time on the hustings, drumming up interest in, around here at least, a forgotten party. But as BOOTboys reports are usually non political, we’d better get off that subject.

So Tony, John and I decided on a softish walk. I’d been browsing Wainwright and was intrigued by what he has to say about this “Dunnerdale Horseshoe”. You’ll have to read that yourselves of course because I’m too lazy to copy out huge drafts of colourful prose from the oldest BOOTboy of them all.

So we turned up at the Blacksmiths Arms to park the car. Suddenly it rang a bell with Tony. “I may have been here recently” he said. Well it is a pub. Which might explain why he couldn’t be sure. He knows the names of every pub wherever you go.

As the day progressed more and more of the walk came back to him (see BB1710, 21st March 2017) and it really wasn’t that long ago!  Once again we got permission to park and we promised to buy a beer on return. Only if you’re back by 2.29 p.m., was the retort. No problem.

When Don led the last assault he’d gone clockwise. For some reason I’d decided to go the other way round. Which may explain why Tony recognised things backwards.

The first thing to ring a bell was the farm equipment. A neatly laid out open shop of everything agricultural no less.

Then we threaded our way up through a wooded hill.....

.....over a lovely old bridge and out on to the fells proper.  

Up round the Knott, and on to Raven’s Crag then down to Stainton Ground Quarries, long unused. But they make a useful sheltered, out of the wind, stop for hungry walkers. It’s true to say that we probably tarried there longer than we would normally, but what the hell. The Picnicking BOOTboys? Sign of things to come?

After lunch we crossed the valley from the disused quarries and came across a number of people carrying what looked like a weird golf club. On closer inspection they were round ended long machetes for cutting the fern. Like a 9 iron stretched and with a sharp cutting blade.

Searching the web subsequently, I discovered that it is the site of an important Bronze Age settlement and by cutting the fern annually, it will help keep it exposed. You can read about it at: A Gateway to the Past .

Looking over at Stickle Pike it did truly look like we’d need to put an immense effort in after lunch. It looked daunting. And yet it took us just 25 minutes to conquer this handsome peak.

From there it wasn’t all downhill. We just had to nip up Little Stickle and then down to the somewhat more modern (yet traditional) public settlement.

Too late. But do not worry.

We did manage to find another one.

 Mike, Thursday 15th June 2017

Comitibus: John, Mike, Tony

Karfi : The Minoan Mountain Hideout

Meanwhile, Jamie and I were also at a place of important historical interest, investigating the last Minoan hideout on Crete: Karfi .  

High on this mountain, well inland from Heraklion, they survived in this settlement for four centuries in what must have been very harsh conditions, whilst the then not-so ancient Greeks luxuriated in their palaces nearer the sea.

Don, Friday 16th June 2017

Map shown: Ordnance Survey 1:25k

BOOTboys routes are put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading bb1719 .

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 heightages (ditto) see the Excel file: BB Log.

You can navigate to the required report via the Home Page

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although mostly from me and other BOOTboys. Likewise written comment.

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BOOTboys 2017

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