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" Castle Crag for Remembrance 2018 " Date & start time: Sunday 11th November, 2018. 9.30 am start. Location of Start : Grange Bridge, Borrowdale, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 253 175) Places visited : Hollows Farm Broadslack Gill Valley, Castle Crag Memorial and back. Walk details : 2.6 miles, 800 feet of ascent, 1 hours 10 mins to get to the top. Highest point : Castle Crag, 951ft - 290m Walked with : Gill and Nigel with Ziggy, Neil, Sherran and Bill, Gill with Finlay, Ann with Dylan and Dougal. Weather : Overcast with hill fog, a cold breeze, and it rained for an hour from 11am onward. |
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On the 100 year Centenary of the end of the First World War we join with a record number of people to walk up Castle Crag for the Act of Remembrance 2018 at the Memorial on its summit. The weather around the country at 11am on the 11th November varied tremendously. London was sunny and dry for the Cenotaph parade. Ours was less than kind, but at least it was without the biting winds that others experienced on the summit of the high fells. Our summit party 2018 . . . as we prepare to leave from Grange in Borrowdale. Gill (2nd from left) and Trevor offered their house as a meeting place and as a rendezvous afterwards. In the party . . . Nigel, Gill, myself, Neil, Ann, Gill, Sherran and Bill not forgetting Finlay (of Borrowdale), Dylan (of Loweswater), Dougal (out on his first fell walk) and Ziggy. In the corner field of Hollows Farm, Ruby the horse gets lots of attention from passing walkers today. A steady band of walkers make their way up the valley. Gill and Neil are deep in conversation heading the group behind. Sadly Trevor couldn't join us on the walk today. The river at Gowder Dub, as it leaves the "Jaws of Borrowdale" and heads towards Grange Village and Derwent Water. Dalt Wood Quarry with colourful slate and even more colourful autumn woodlands. On up Broadslack Gill Valley . . . Dougal stops and waits for the rest of the party. Near the top the summit path leaves the bridleway and starts the steep ascent of Castle Crag.
The National Park have spent time improving the path this summer. The walls are more sound and there's a lot less loose slabs underfoot, so the path is safer. Bill stops for a little landscape photography. Visibility is not good but the grey weather adds atmosphere to the image. At the head of Borrowdale the clouds are down on the high fells, so it would have been a tough climb to Great Gable today. The view down to Derwent Water is clear but distance views are rather misty. The weather forecast threatens rain showers today. The summit area is already filling as we near the top. The first task to complete is " Dougal's first ascent of a Wainwright Fell " . . . Castle Crag, 951 feet above sea level. (Our near neighbour Rosamund catches the moment, as does Ann) My summit photo of Dougal and 'Uncle Dylan' as we reach the top of the rock. A soft shoe shuffle and they sit again for a second photo.
The centre of attention when they return to the flat area below, where everyone is gathering. Rosamund's husband John does the honours with a photo of Ann and myself, Dylan and Dougal. (Thanks John) - - - o o o - - - We're a few minutes early so I have chance to photograph the ever increasing group of people on the summit today. There are about a hundred people in this photo, a figure that was to double or even treble before it got to eleven o'clock. Old friends meet up and chat and some place their own memorials alongside the slate plaque which commemorates those of the Borrowdale Valley who lost their life in the First War. Syd Cornwell asked me to place these crosses on the summit today. [ Syd's family tributes include the one to John Travers Cornwell VC, "a Boy 1st Class" who was the youngest person in World War One to receive the posthumous Victoria Cross honour. The Star of David emblem was for Bronistaw Rawicz, a Jewish victim of the Holocaust.] Just before eleven o'clock Miles Jessop led those present in a short but meaningful Act of Remembrance. - - - o o o - - - I will be putting together a video of the Service in due course. Please call back in a few days once I have had time to edit and publish the recording. - - - o o o - - -
Margaret Braithwaite read Wilfred Owen's poem . . . " Anthem for Doomed Youth." [ Owen died in action just one week before the end of the war.]
- - - o o o - - - After the two minutes silence and the proems, the ceremony was brought to a close and we had chance to talk to friends and aquaintences that we had met on the summit.
We first met up in George Fishers many years back and he was up today with his extended family. (Do please write if you see this) The exit from the fell top is narrow due to the steep sides of the fell and also the deep quarry within. This caused rather a queue as people started to leave. While we waited, we moved round to a more sheltered spot for a quick coffee and a photo . . . Come on everyone . . . get organised ! Not a bad group photo for these cold and damp conditions. For those that are counting, you'll see we've gained Jo and Amber on the right. They walked up from Rosthwaite today. Watch out for the bears in the forest on the way down. [ How did I get here ? . . . Dougal was not impressed with the photographer by the look of it !]
" The Hole in the Wall photo." Now down on the bridleway and walking back the way we came, the bulk of Castle Crag was high above us. Still raining slightly, adding to the moisture on the lens. Back down at the river. Jo turns right, back to her car at Rosthwaite and we head left, back down to Grange. A look back at the autumn colours here in the valley and on the slopes of Castle Crag. - - - o o o - - - Lunchtime . . . time to dry off. the four dogs were dried by a combination of warm air blower and towels. Dougal has coped well with his first mountain walk and ran around indoors, still full of energy. Our energy was replenished by a rather nice lunch, provided by Trevor and Gill.
Remembrance weekend is always close to Ann's birthday so Gill added candles to a special chocolate cake in honour of the occasion today. Hold your cursor over the picture to help blow out the candles.
- - - o o o - - - On a visit to Keswick a few days later we took time out to view the Poppy Display at St John's Church. The Keswick Church launched a poppy appeal and asked parishioners, friends and visitors to knit as many as possible blooms. About 13,000 poppies have been sewn onto a cascade or mounted on stalks to adorn the front of the church. They have all been hand knitted or crocheted, the different shades of red representing the different nationalities that fought and died in the war. Amongst them were blue or purple poppies to honour the animals that also suffered and died in the conflict. This was a really special display which reflected the effort of all those that created the blooms and those who had the idea to bring them together as a tribute, this 100th centenary of Armistice. - - - o o o - - - Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Panasonic Lumix TZ60, or my Panasonic Lumix Gx8 Camera. Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder. This site best viewed with . . . a huge warming bowl of soup for lunch afterwards. Go to Top . . . © RmH . . . Email me here Previous walk - 10th November - Crummock and Mosser Road A previous time up here - 10th November 2013 - Castle Crag for Remembrance 2013 Next walk - 17th November - Two Autumnal Walks in a Day - - - o o o - - - -
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