Tony was more authorative. “The Thunder Stone,” he advised, “is a type of Evolution stone introduced in Generation I.”  We stared at him blankly.  “Don’t you understand?” he asked, surprised.  “It’s a stone used for making certain kinds of Pokémon evolve.”  Well, we knew he had eclectic hobbies but we didn’t know that playing Pokémon was one of them and it certainly wasn’t the explanation I was looking for.

Martin came to the rescue.  “Actually,” he advised, “They used to be thought of as having been cast to the earth as a thunderbolt.  In fact they are erratics of pink Shap granite, transported by melting ice.”

I wanted to see one for myself.  Fortunately the boys had opted to visit Orton for a geology walk around Orton Scar and Knott promoted by Cumbria GeoConservation.  Marked nearby on the OS map are at least two thunderstones.

On entering the village we were pleased to see how the Westmerians had branded themselves as the Westmorland Dales to offset the insult of having been condemned to be called part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

As we set off to follow a route very similar to that of BB2130 : Ding Dong something flashed by.  By the time I realised it was a red squirrel and had started to reach for my camera, sadly it had vanished.

We explored All Saints Church.  Of particular interest are the bells....

..... and the old wooden chest. I wish we had noticed the babtistry windows which Visit Cumbria informs is the work of Beatrice Whistler, wife of the American painter James McNeill Whistler. It shows a young girl with Angels in a flower-studded meadow.

Next, we headed north, noting the geological features.  

Firstly, the occasional largish, pinky-grey boulders.  Glacial erratics of Shap granite, transported from Shap, four miles away in the last Ice Age.  These may well have been thunderstones but not of sufficient significance as to be named as such on the OS map.

Further on is a spring marking the boundary between Ashfell Sandstone and the overlying Limestone.  Rainwater gradually dissolves limestone and flows underground until it meets a layer of impermeable rock such as sandstone and emerges at the surface.  That’s what the leaflet told us.

Next was an old lime kiln, with a rather nice archway.

Just before the road, fixed to a post we came across a sign where you would normally expect an official route marker to be found.  

On reaching the road, we turned right and headed up the moor to the cross that commemorates the Jubilee Year of the Beneficent Reign of her Gracious Majesty Victoria

Looking back, you could see the Howgills.

Now we had entered limestone pavement territory and what impressive pavements there are with all their Grykes waiting to break your leg if you miss your footing when jumping from Clint to Clint.  I think I have my Grykes and my Clints the right way round.

We passed through a wall and headed for the high point of this particular area.  On a distant boundary and marked on the OS map is “Thunder Stone”.  It had to be visited.  Or so I thought.  The others didn’t seem interested so they waited at the top in the cold wind.....

..... whilst I sought out and examined the large pinky-grey granite stone that had been used as part of the field wall.

It was now Tony time so we found a sheltered spot out of the wind to have lunch. This was very close to Castle Folds, a Romano-British defended stone hut circle settlement and medieval shieling.  

The mound on which the settlement stood is very distinctive as is the outline of what was possibly quite a large building in its centre.

To the north east is a massive display of pavement with the high Pennine hills in the distance background.

 It was now much warmer and time to make our way off the fell.  Can you see the Gamelands stone circle?

We passed an old quarry .....

..... and a lime kiln before reaching the stone circle.  

This is one of the largest in Westmorland, indeed in Cumbria, being about 100 yards in circumference.  The leaflet invited us to spot the one stone that was different.  It wasn’t difficult.  Thirty two are Shap pink granite and one is limestone.

We headed back to Orton through a field of strange black boulders.

The pub was shut until 5 p.m. but the most important establishment was open. Kennedys Fine Chocolates Coffee House and factory shop.  Purchases were made.

Delicious and certainly not containing Thunderstone!

Don, Thursday 17th August 2023 

Bonus Pictures from Tony

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STATISTICS

BB2325 : Toward Thunderstone and Beyond

Date:

Thursday 17th August 2023

Features:

Orton Scar

Distance in miles:

6.7

Height climbed in feet:

870

GPX track:

BB2325.GPX

Comitibus:

Don, Martin, Stan, Tony

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