An unexpected window arose to pick up the County Tops project so I planned a day and a half to pick off the remaining Peak District tops and those nearby. I headed off early on a clear morning expecting a bit of rain and found my way to the busy car park between Ladybower and Derwent Reservoirs. Now in trail running and Spine Training mode I set off a a light jog on the track towards the dam at the bottom of Derwent Reservoir – a nice little picnic spot and quite popular with walkers and cyclists.
My route took me up some steps at the side of the dam and then skirted the eastern edge of the reservoir for about 2km on a fairly flat wide gravel track with some nice views across the water and a hint of rain in the air.
I found my turn off at Hey bank up a fairly steep path heading north east through woods before opening out onto pasture and moorland. The track was easy to follow and when it branched I chose the higher western path going north then east across the shoulder of Nether Hey before descending and climbing again at Row Top up a winding stony track which turned north and up onto the open moor of Howden Edge. After about 1km the route flattened out and I continued northwards looking for 2 foot high cairn / pile of stones which marked the summit. I reached the correct GPS bearing and checked on my OS App on my phone – I was there but the pile of stones wasn’t. After a bit of head scratching I located the point where the cairn had obviously been before somebody had kindly removed it – leaving just a bare patch of earth and rubble – maybe they should rename this summit as High Stones seems a bit inappropriate now!!
I filmed my obligatory video and stopped for a few moments to take in the views to the south and west in the direction I had approached.
The route back was almost the same – a slight detour at the bottom of Row Top, taking the south easterly path to miss out the traverse of Nether Hey. I was able to make good speed jogging and picking my way on the generally firm and not too difficult surface. After following the path back along the reservoir I thought there may be an off road track through the woods back to the car park however it was just a circular nature trail and added and extra bit onto my journey which totalled just under 14km.
I got back to my car and the car park seemed even busier than usual with people eating lunch. I decided to buy a snack and a coffee from the shop to supplement the lunch I had taken with me and fuelled up for the next adventure later in the afternoon after my short drive to Edale and the start/end of the Pennine Way, another Spine Race dress rehearsal.
Black Chew Head – 542m / 1778ft & Black Hill – 582m / 1909ft – 20/08/2020
I’m writing this almost 12 months after the event so memories may have faded a little. En route home during a lockdown break after a few days in the Lake District (and a couple of Wainwrights) I took the opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone (and as it turned out got a 3rd bird for good measure). This would be a 2 more county tops off my list and a proper recce of a section of the Pennine Way that I would be covering on the Spine Race (delayed) in 2021, possibly in the dark.
So on a clear morning I managed to find a place to park at the entrance to the closed Crowden campsite near Torside reservoir as the public car park was surprisingly very full (I was soon to find out why). I had a hybrid of walking gear and running shoes and a pair of borrowed waterproof? socks but was itching to try and run a little of the route. Leaving the car I followed the track west to pick up the PW as it turned north across a couple of fields towards the valley of Crowden Brook and heading up to Laddow Rocks high on the horizon.
As I was planning to move quite quickly I soon passed a chap walking the same way, asking where the Pennine Way was, he followed briefly and mentioned something about looking for a vulture in the valley. I continued my walk/jog as it started to climb and passed a number of walkers and day trippers who had come out to see the female bearded vulture (Lammergeier) from Europe who had taken up residence high up on the rocks in the valley. I spoke to a few people as I passed and carried on my way uphill, keeping a look out for the vulture and my turning point to head off towards Black Chew.
The latter arrived first, no sign of aerial activity so juts before Laddow Rocks I found the path heading north-west for about 200m to a stile and turned right along the fence towards my first target. I could have gone either side of the fence, but chose to stay west as I knew that was where I would need to be eventually. The path was very faint and some boggy bits to skirt but after a few minutes I spotted the stake in the ground marking the summit of Black Chew Head and the high point of Greater Manchester at 542m.
Not much in the way of additional views from this plateau so I did my video and photo before deciding to retrace my steps back to the main path and PW rather than pick my way across a short stretch of unknown territory.
Just before I rejoined the Pennine Way I met a couple of walkers heading for Black Chew reservoir who had lost the rest of their group and asked me to tell the others where they were heading if I saw them. Taking on board the description of a couple of people to look out for I moved on and not long later met some people matching the description. As we talked we noticed the vulture flying across the valley and stopped to watch. I took out my phone in the hope that I could get some video. Almost on request the vulture circled towards us and did an amazing fly past as I scrabbled to get the action on my camera. Happy with myself and explanations made to the group of walkers I headed up over Laddow Rocks and gathered pace downhill towards the brook crossings where I have had some wet experiences on previous PW excursions.
These can be very deep, fast and dangerous when there has been rain, but today I was easily able to hop across and use stepping stones/slabs where available. I walked and jogged easily upwards on the slabbed path towards the Black Hill summit trig point where I met a couple of hikers doing a circular walk across the moors. Black Hill is a notoriously difficult, boggy part of the PW but nowadays is made much easier with the stone path rather than having to find a way across an unmarked peat morass. At 582m ASL it is the highest point in West Yorkshire and was as far as I was going today on this PW recce mission. I decided to cook some food on my little stove and set myself up as best I could out of the wind by the trig.
While the meal was cooking I had time to shoot a video – this was when I discovered that my filming of the vulture had been an epic failure – it seems I pressed the record button twice on my phone so got absolutely no footage at all of the great bird!! You’ll just have to take my word for it. Cursing my incompetence I recomposed myself, ate my food and packed away making sure I left no trace of being there and put my pack back on to commence the route back to the car.
I made fantastic progress jogging down the hill, a great confidence boost for the Spine Race, skipped across the brooks and worked my way steadily back up towards Laddow Rocks and the wonderful view down the valley back towards Crowden.
Heading back down into the valley there were still some vulture spotters focusing on a point on the rock face of Black Tor – I stopped briefly and managed to catch a glimpse of the bird high up on a ledge, but wanting to get quickly back to the car I sped off and found a short cut downhill and across a footbridge past the Outdoor Education Centre. A very satisfying little excursion in many ways despite the disappointment of failing the video effort. This would be my last sortie in 2020 and the very ambitious County Tops project would not be fulfilled on time (or possibly ever – see later thoughts).
Newtonwood Lane – 205m / 673ft and Silverhill – 203m / 666ft – 12/03/2020
So, after an extremely refreshing beer and a mediocre but welcome lasagne in the Old Thatched Inn at Stanton under Bardon I drove up the M1 in the dark and a heavy downpour, then finding my way through lanes between Tibshelf and and Fackley near Sutton-in-Ashfield. I parked in the rain on the car park of the Carnarvon Pub and went inside briefly with the sole intention to use their toilet facilities but thought it only polite to invest in some liquid sustenance whilst there. By the time I left the rain had stopped and I had already decided on another place to park for the night rather than the well lit, less secluded pub location. Two minutes later I was at a small carpark for the Teversal Trail along Silverhill Lane. There was one other car parked (windows steamed up!) but it soon left. I sat listening to the radio and another car arrived a little later with 3 young men who I guess were there to enjoy smoking something exotic. It took uncomfortably too long, but eventually they did and I set up in the back of the car to sleep.
I woke to clear skies and a frosty sunrise and kicked myself into action, ready for a unique walk amongst my County Top challenge that would cover 2 locations in the same county which have valid claims to be the high point.
The first destination was the top of Newtonwood Lane, near a communications mast site. I set off initially northwest along the lane from the car park then across boggy fields towards Stanley Grange Farm and turning south in the sunshine across more fields to Tibshelf Wharf.
I crossed a main road and then more fields and tracks heading for the communications mast eventually arriving at Newtonwood Lane and the top of the hill just across the road. This location is the “natural” high point in Nottinghamshire, so for a purist like myself it is the true county top.
I descended the hill along the lane before turning right along the Chesterfield Road for about 500m then took steps down onto a disused railway line heading eastwards back in the direction of Fackley. It was easy walking in great weather and I had my trekking poles with me for some added speed. I passed one or two friendly locals and a less friendly dog who would not move or even return to its owner, apparently scared rigid by the sight/sound of my sticks!!
After about 2km on the railway line I reached Fackley and turned off along the road, past The Carnarvon and back along Silverhill Lane before entering Silverhill Wood Park. This area is the site of two former collieries and is now a public attraction with walking trails and some wildlife. The high point is at the top of a hill on a mound marked with a statue of a miner holding a lamp. Whilst this is geographically higher than the point on Newtonwood Lane, it is technically a man-made landscape and not the “natural” county top, at least in my view!! I took the direct path straight ahead up the hill, there was no-one around except a lone excavator operator working on a new path. Although not too high up, there were some nice views around which I enjoyed briefly, filming my video before heading off on the short descent back to the car.
So that was it, 12 tops in less than three days taking my total to 19 and off on my way home with Covid 19 lockdown looming, not knowing when I would next be on the trail….
It took just less than an hour to drive to my next start point, where I parked behind the Old Thatched Inn in the village of Stanton under Bardon. I had decided this was going to be another run as the sun was out, evening was drawing in and I needed to go fairly quickly. So trail gear on I set off up the main village street and through a gap in the houses to pick up the Ivanhoe Way next to some allotments. I followed the path for about 1km crossing the village road again and then across a few fields past a farm to the A511 that I had driven along about 30 minutes before. Crossing quickly in the busy traffic at the roundabout I continued west then turned right along a track which led across fields towards Bardon Hill Wood….or so I thought! There was a path diversion in place around land that had been fenced off for quarrying or some other activity. Of course I followed the diversion around the muddy perimeter for about 500m before I realised that it was going to take me further out of my way than I wanted to go.
It was time to reassess so I consulted my paper map and OS app on my phone to decide on a new route, which meant heading back the way I had come then continuing along the noisy A511 for about 600m further west where I could pick up another footpath skirting fields past a couple of farms to get me back on track, assuming no more diversions were in place. I jogged comfortably along the road, found the path which evidently was going to take me around the other side of the quarrying operation, or whatever was going on.
As I continued along around the boggy perimeter fields I crossed what appeared to be a railway line and my first thought was that this is HS2 and work had already started. I have subsequently researched that Bardon Hill Quarry began an expansion plan in 2015 to triple in size. It is a source of granite and supplied materials for the construction of London Olympic Park. Further along I came to a gate after which I had to cross a mud “road” almost wide enough to be a dual carriageway – this was clearly an access route for some serious machinery (at the time it added to my HS2 suspicions). There was also a sign explaing the other side of the path diversion
I was now into the woodlands around Bardon Hill and followed a more rocky, interesting path as it climbed up gradually more steeply towards the top where I found the trig point on a pedestal rock and lovely clear views all around in the evening sunshine and a little bit of local geological history.
I sat and admired the panorama for a while then set off at a pace retracing my steps down the hill, through the woods and fields, quickly arriving back at the main road. Not relishing the 800m uphill at the noisy roadside I had found an alternative path a short way along on the opposite side between a row of houses and the strangely named Billa Barra Hill which led to a wooded track contouring around another quarry back towards the village. This part was almost as muddy as yesterday’s adventure in the Chilterns and not welcome so close to the finish. I soon rejoined the allotment track behind the houses and jogged back to the car in good time as dusk was approaching, determined to clean up and get in the pub for some food and a well earned pint. That was my 18th County Top done and dusted.
The drive back up from south of London was smooth, there is a great view of the city skyline initially heading back north towards Croydon. I stopped to pick up some lunch then hit the M25 and M1 northwards. It was a clear day, not much rain and not too much traffic either so less than 2 hours later I was finding my way along lanes to the village of Newnham in Northamptonshire. There was space to park outside the The Romer Arms, as far as I can establish it is named after a cartogrpahic measuring tool for mapmaking – quite apt I suppose given my reason for being there.
The walk was an “out and back” route to Arbury Hill via the neighbouring village of Badby following the Nene Way for the most part.
Expecting mud underfoot and maybe some rain I dressed accordingly and set off out of the village westwards and onto a path through fields along the banks of the River Nene – more of stream at this point. The fields were soft and muddy but flat and fairly easy to negotiate without too much slipping around. After just over a mile I came out of the fields into Badby and followed the streets through the village, climbing up a short hill (Bunkers Hill) to cross the main A361 onto the farm lane leading to Arbury Hill (or Big Hill as it is alternatively known – very imaginative).
There were a couple of alternative routes to reach the top, a bridle path to the south or a farm track a bit further along the lane. I opted for the latter which meandered across open field and then ascended on steeper grassy slopes or winding, random stony tracks which I never really understood. As I approached the top of the hill there were plenty of uninterested sheep making some noise but the views to the north and east were quite extensive. The top of the hill was quite flat and unmarked so I used GPS and OS to locate my position and did the routine video/photo, not hanging around too long before descending the way I had come up.
With the wind at my back I upped the pace a little, slowing to appreciate the village of Badby as I passed through, not a lot going on, a couple of dog walkers, nice church prominent at the top of a bank and a small school not yet closed for Covid19.
Heading back through the muddy fields I stopped briefly to chat with an older man walking his dog who was quite interested in what I was doing there and some of my previous exploits.
Further along I noticed a sculptured wooden marker post on the bank of the stream/river with the letters SOV carved on it and promised myself I would find out what it meant. It was carved from walnut by a local craftsman as part of a millennium project called Spirit of the Valley (SOV) and is named “Source”.
It was a short distance back to the car and a decision swiftly made to resist the temptation to go in for a quick beer in favour of a quick hop further north into Leicestershire to finish the day off with County Top 18. The sun was coming out and it promised to be a pleasant evening. So out of my muddy boots and back on the road.
NE Shoulder of Westerham Heights – 245m / 804ft & Betsom’s Hill – 251m / 823ft – 11/03/20
After the joys of central London I needed food, a hygiene stop and a diesel top up for the car. Food first came in the form of a hot foot long Subway outside Morden station – it was less hot and more wet by the time I reached the car. I ate and then set off in the dark and rain following the SatNav again. I stopped at garage in Croydon, refuelled and attempted to use the garage toilet which was locked – the attendant did not have a key, insisted it was staff only anyway so I left wondering what he would do he he needed to go…Not long after I passed a 24hour supermarket and decided to go to their toilet. Do you remember the Hand Sanitiser and toilet roll crisis? Well I was in the middle of that but fortunately nobody had stolen the paper from the customer loo. Whilst there I cleaned my teeth and bought some drinks/snacks to top up my supply. That way when I found my intended overnight parking spot I could just forget everything and be straight off to sleep.
I had originally identified a possible spot to park overnight on a small car park by the North Downs Way at a place called Botley Hill when I was scoping out a different project (Dover to Cape Wrath) a couple of years ago. Conveniently it was about 3 miles from the Greater London and Kent high points so an ideal spot for this part of the trip. I ended up driving past it twice before I finally parked up by a roundabout just off the B269. There was room for about 6 cars on the uneven and partly flooded car park so I found the driest spot away from the entrance, sorted out the sleeping set-up in the back of the car and curled up listening to the patter of rain on the roof. The night was a bit more comfortable than the previous one but sleep was intermittent and I woke finally feeling a bit tired but ready to go. I had decided today was going to be a bit of a running day also and dressed in my trail gear with reduced weight back pack, running shoes, shorts, leggings and ankle gaiters. I had a breakfast of banana, juice, oat bar etc and set off eastwards along the North Downs Way. The rain all night had left the track through the woods slippy and wet but I was determined to make a good pace on the downhill part to test out the grip on my shoes. After about 600m downhill I turned left up some steps in the woodlands, across a minor road and into more woods before emerging into open fields with panoramic views to the south across the M25 into Kent.
Looking south from the North Downs Way
A final section of muddy path followed before another set of steps up to a country lane named Chestnut Avenue but also called the Tandridge Border Path. On one side was a golf course and the other side some pricey residential properties with suitable cars outside. The lane split at a junction into two uneven tracks – I diverged from the North Downs Way and took the higher route which I followed for about a kilometre before reaching the main A233 at Westerham Hill. En route I passed an entrance to Little Betsom’s farm – a clue to the second of my targets, but still not sure exactly where to go.
I turned right at the main road and continued to jog up the busy main road along a narrow verge. The speed and ferocity of the traffic forced me to take a bit more care so I decided to walk. On reaching the crest of the hill I knew I was now at the high point of Greater London – just across the road by the entrance to a Gas Valve site. CT15 ticked off.
Greater London county top
The next challenge was to find the nearby Kent county top at Betsom’s Hill. I followed the grid reference only a few hundred metres along a track and was expecting it to be in a fenced off back garden of an expensive house. Almost by accident I stumbled on a small cul de sac by following the Royal Mail van. I was about to turn around when a lady appeared at the door of one of the houses and asked me “are you a highest pointer?”. A little surprised, I politely replied “I guess I must be, do you know where it is?”. “In my back garden just on the patio.” said the lady. I asked her if she minded the intrusion, and she explained that it wasn’t a problem, she had lived there for 3 years and had not known when she purchased the house that she was buying the highest point in the county of Kent.
So I thanked her for letting me access, promised not to stay long and walked onto the patio. A photo and short video later I was apologising and thanking her again – I asked if she got many visitors and was surprised when she said actually quite a few! Then I was saying goodbye and off on my way, retracing the steps jogging back to the car.
In a matter of no time I had knocked off another 2 county tops and cleared the south east corner of England off my itinerary. Pleased with that I trotted at a steady pace along the lanes then negotiated the slippy/muddy paths and fields back to the woods, stopping once again to admire the panoramic views. The last section of woods was uphill and tougher to walk up than to jog down. A couple of times I could have used my trekking poles and ended up grabbing trees and bushes to keep my balance. Soon I was back at the car, changed out of my muddy gear and happily on my way north.
My original plan was to drive round to do Greater London and Kent high points, but a change of mind based on distance, timing and the looming threat of the Coronavirus spread persuaded me that I needed to get the City of London out of the way ASAP. Just to clarify this odd journey, although it only covers an area of less than 3 square km and is really just a financial centre including the Stock Exchange and Bank of England, the City of London is classed as a separate ceremonial county of England and its high point is therefore on my official list. There is a part of me which does enjoy the occasional walk around big cities, seeing the sights and soaking up some atmosphere, despite the noise, crowds and pollution, so I was quite excited and a bit curious to see how people were dealing with the Covid-19 situation (although not nearly as serious then as it was soon to become!).
The drive from Totternhoe was not going to be terribly interesting – the SatNav took me back to the A41 towards Watford then round the M25 and back along the A3 in the direction of Central London. I had decided to park at Morden and get the Underground train to London Bridge from where I had planned a circular walk which I expected to take about 2 hours. Well nobody was wearing face-masks and the era of social distancing had not yet arrived so I just tried to act cool and blend in with the eclectic mixture of cultures and styles that is synonymous with all big cities.
25 minutes later I alighted at London Bridge station and headed off immediately towards the south of the Thames with the enormous Shard hotel behind me, Tower Bridge ahead and the City skyline across the river to my left. It was still quite windy, starting to rain and would be dark before too long.
City of London skylines
My route took me along the river past City Hall and then across Tower Bridge swerving to avoid, joggers, photo-snapping tourists and the general hubbub of folks who had finished work for the day or were still enjoying a late lunch. I turned left back along the north bank of the river past The Tower of London in the direction of London Bridge.
At London Bridge I took a right and headed up King William Street into the heart of the City, Monument station, St Clement’s church then left and north west leading to the Bank of England. From there I turned onto Queen Victoria Street, past the Mansion House (residence of the Mayor of London). I then veered right again along the narrower Watling Street in the direction of St Paul’s Cathedral, the unmistakeable dome visible through the gap in the buildings ahead.
The next section took me up Farringdon Street and along the busy A40 – not much traffic just thousands of people now leaving work and filling the streets, pubs were full to bursting and the thought of a quick pint was almost too much to resist, however it was now raining, getting dark and I needed to get back to my car and onto my planned overnight stop. The exact spot of the City high point on High Holborn is not easy to locate – it is not at the top of the hill, but has to be inside the boundary of the City itself, so the spot I chose was on the corner of Chancery Lane, coincidentally by a Cotswold Outdoor shop!
High Holborn – City of London high point
Obligatory photo and video done, in the middle of a busy street, I continued briefly along High Holborn to Holborn station then turned left into the heart of the legal district, past Inns and Chambers and courts, The LSE and The Law Society Hall, eventually zigzagging my way back to the embankment by Blackfriars Bridge. The rain was getting heavier as I passed underneath the bridge and hurried along the path to cross the Millennium footbridge back over the Thames.
Millenium Footbridge
It was actually quite windy crossing the bridge but an interesting experience nevertheless. On reaching the south side I turned left back along the embankment footpath and followed that past the Shakespeare Globe theatre and the Golden Hinde ship in dry dock before arriving back at London Bridge station to find that there had been an “incident” on the Northern Line which was temporarily closed meaning I could not immediately get a train back to Morden. The crowds of people waiting at the closed platform entrance did not thrill me so I managed to find a quiet place for a coffee and bite to eat. Once the panic was over (Covid scare??) I got the next train and reached the car safely, glad to get out of London and off to Kent later than I had hoped. Number 14 ticked off.
So after a quick clean-up on the pub carpark in Wigginton I took a brief 20 minute drive to find a small parking area at a place called Totternhoe Knolls, just west of Dunstable. There were a couple of others parked up walking dogs but otherwise it was quiet and had decent views south across to the ridge of Dunstable Downs which was my target for this walk. It was dry now with no threat of rain but quite blustery and not knowing what terrain to expect I took the precaution again of wearing my trusted Altberg boots.
I set off initially eastwards along a muddy track and then up and over a fairly steep slippery knoll before joining a the grass track of The Chiltern Way/Icknield Way Trail skirting felds and then along the edge of a housing area curving southwards into the breeze before crossing over the B489 at a roundabout and heading for a public path up to an area called Five Knolls.
The initial climb was steep up onto the open access land of Central Bedforshire and as I crested the brow onto the ridge the wind was getting stronger and stronger. The path wound its way through the small rounded tops of the 5 knolls, it looked like a popular place for cyclists but there were none around. I put my head down into the wind and followed the route now due south along the ridge towards the beacon and visitor center I could see ahead.
It was an unexpectedly exhilarating walk along the top as the strong winds blew upwards from the steep face of the ridge below – there is a gliding centre there but that was not busy either. I struggled across the wide grassy downs towards a beacon and then to the visitor centre to find the trig pointing marking my destination. My attempts at filming videos were futile with the sound of the blowing gale.
There were hardly any people around, I had a quick look in the visitor centre and came out to admire the panoramic view northwards. I passed a young couple “sheltering” from the wind in a warm embrace then retraced my steps back to the path. I contemplated a steeper descent off the ridge to a lower path past the airfield below but decided to enjoy the wind for a while longer.
Panoramic view north from Dunstable Downs
I descended the way I came with views ahead to where I had parked. It was an uneventful walk back, a bit slippery again over the knoll as I neared the car park, which was now a little busier. Next on my plan was to have a “wet-wipe” clean up and a full change of clothes as I had decided to head into central London for my final quest of the day. Hopefully none of the other carpark users observed or was offended by my various states of nakedness during this interlude.
I left the Black Country wetter than I arrived there and headed off into the growing traffic, heightened by the time of day “picking up the princes and princesses from school”. My destination was a small village called Mickleton between Evesham and Banbury and actually situated in the north east corner of Gloucestershire. My plan was to park at the village pub (Google Street view showed there was ample space maybe even to spend the night) and walk up and over the county line just into Warwickshire to reach the high point on Ebrington Hill. Despite the traffic I had made good time on my schedule and the rain had passed so when I arrived I judged there would be sufficient daylight for me to complete the walk and then decide on the evening arrangements for food and sleep.
I knew this was a rural area – I was expecting cattle, well trodden muddy, slippy farmland in the lower areas and muddy slippy farm tracks, and that folks is exactly what I got. This time I wore leggings under my waterproof trousers but decided against gaiters – mainly for the comfort and fashion statement factor! I set off out of the village, through a churchyard and found the paths across fields ankle deep in gloop and sliding all over the place. No cattle around so could have been even worse. I ploughed uphill past the walled grounds of Kiftsgate Court and came to a lane which ran alongside the stately Hidcote Manor (can’t recall whether it was actually open to the public but the car park was deserted). A farm track then took me ever upwards towards the top of the hill marked by yet another comms mast and this is where I got a little confused and forgetful. But fortunately did not make the crucial mistake of missing the real County Top.
Looking at my map I saw there was a trigpoint at/near the top of the hill at 259m, so I thought best to head there. I forgot however that I was still in Gloucestershire.
Trig point in Gloucestershire still (259m)
Looking at the map I realised that there was another point marked at 261m in an adjacent field which was where I really ought to be visiting, so I headed off again – fortunately this meant I crossed into Warwickshire for a few minutes sufficient to tick it off and complete my photo/video ritual.
261m Warwickshire high point
As with the earlier walk I would be heading back into the wind on the return and decided to make a more circular route back, mainly to see if I could find some tracks a little less treacherous than the ones on the way up. Generally that was the case, although still wet and muddy not as deep as before. I went through a large field of sheep heading down to Hidcote Boyce and then some wetter ground before picking up The Monarchs Way to skirt along the wooded ridge of Baker’s Hill (which I found out later is a “popular” local spot for suicides). Along that path I also passed a tree supposedly engraved by Belgian soldiers during the war.
There is actually an engraving on the tree – almost impossible to see in that light.
The track got very boggy towards the end and then the last trudge across fields, down a waterlogged track and back through the churchyard to the car. So around 17 miles in total for the day and my 10th County Top completed. Mission now – get clean, get fed and watered and get rested.
Just over the county line – barely set foot in Warwickshire at all
We stayed overnight on a very nice, modern campsite near the village of Greetham – hardly anyone there, music in the washrooms, hot showers, would recommend it to anyone. The weather was misty and grey when we woke and had breakfast before setting off through Oakham to our start point at Braunston in Rutland, or at least that was the plan. On the way we decided to fill the van up with fuel and almost got into a fight with an impatient driver who decided to pull in front of us just as we got ready to exit the forecourt. As we could not move there were several more annoyed drivers behind us. The offending motorist received the sharp end of my tongue as we waited for him to fill up, pay and move on. Driving through Oakham I was not concentrating on the SatNav, took a wrong turn and ended up heading south on a main road for about 5 miles before we could turn off, re-assess and plot a tricky cross country route to Braunston. Undeterred we arrived in the small village and found a convenient place to park not far from the church.
Braunston in Rutland Church – PJ leading the way
Whilst there was no big rush for the day, I was keen to get going, Cath decided not to join (quite wise) so it was just PJ to accompany me on what promised to be another yomp across some soggy and muddy farmland. Learning the squelchy lessons from yesterday I opted for my faithful hiking boots (also quite wise). The expected route was about 7 miles but again without detailed map to hand I was working from memory and using OS maps on my phone to find the way. The actual route we took looks like this.
We started off via the churchyard and quickly entered some wet fields tracking alongside a brook, the wildlife at this point was far enough away not to trouble us. First real obstacle was a tired wooden bridge over the brook with stiles either side. PJ is not the most proficient stile hopper in the dog world but today would see him coming of age!! With some encouragement he managed to clamber over and we crossed into the next field with a choice of paths. After consulting the map I opted to go right, skirting the edge of the field that would bring us more quickly to a road section of the route. The path across the field was OK but as we approached the point where we would join the road I could see we had another challenge. The stone stile exit in the wall was half blocked by a low tree with gnarled branches meaning I would have to crouch down almost on my knees to get through, at the same time dealing with the muddy surface. In addition, the electric wire fence that we had followed along the side of the field was lying along the ground, easy for me to step over, but sadly PJ is less knowledgeable about such things and yelped very loudly when he trod on the live cable. By now I was trying to squirm under the tree branches and decide we just needed to get out the field before I could find out if my trusty companion was badly injured. We both got over the wall and landed on the roadside verge – PJ was evidently a bit shaken but seemingly well enough to continue so we headed off smartly southwest along the road section with a gradual uphill gradient. There was a decent verge for most of the way and not too much traffic which meant we could set a swift pace and soon arrived at Withcote (or without in our case!) where we would pick up a bridle way back northwards towards Knossington.
End of the road section
The bridle way was well signposted and easy to follow but pretty soggy and trodden by horses but easier to negotiate in boots. PJ just skipped daintily along, watching horses playing in neighbouring fields and showing no sign of any post traumatic stress, which was good because soon we would be dealing with angry sheep!. The first encounter was just before the bridle way became a muddy path descending to a seriously squelchy section across a stream. We were met at a gate by a welcoming flock of woolly friends who appeared to have a “thou shalt not pass” group mentality. Undaunted (or totally daunted, there was no alternative) I opened the gate, making gestures with my absent trekking pole and gently urging the sheep to make way with a few careful expletives. Note – sheep and dogs don’t understand swear words but it can still be quite liberating if no-one else is around and the livestock are not unduly scared. PJ and I eased our way through the welcome party who reluctantly let us continue but then decided to stalk us down the track. It always seems like there is one sheep a little braver than the rest who then follow suit. The next 200 metres or so was a stop/start comedy of us walking then turning around to see the sheep creeping up behind. They would then stop, I would offer some more gentle (expletive) encouragement for them to quit their silly game and then turn around to carry on. After about 5 repetitions they got bored first (or maybe they just didn’t want to do the really squelchy part over the stream?). PJ is usually quite lively when sheep are around, but on this occasion I think he was pretty intimidated – today was turning out to be quite an adventure for him at least. We crossed the stream and then followed a muddy track up past a farm and into another short section of fields – not so muddy, however another small party of sheep gathered to greet us. Emboldened by the last encounter we did not hesitate and this time quite enjoyed the little cat and mouse game as they let us pass then closed ranks and followed behind.
The woolly entourage playing cat and mouse
The fields gave way to a narrow lane and then onto the minor road into the pleasant village of Knossington where we would turn and head east back across undulating fields towards our destination high point of England’s smallest county.
As we crossed the fields gradually gaining height there were some glimpses of views in the clouds, and numerous stiles for PJ to negotiate. Mostly he managed, building his confidence with each one, until we got to one a little higher than the others, no escape route either side, and just a couple of planks crossing the stream for me to balance on and him to land on. I decided it would be safer if I unattached his lead at this point, at least then he would be able to go fetch help if I fell off the planks!! It took several attempts to finally coax him onto the stile step and then to leap/dive/jump/scramble over the extra height and I thought he was going to fall into the stream or knock me off, but all was well and we continued on our way. Not long afterwards we came to a field with no visible path but my phone map told me just to head pretty much due east in the direction of the trig point on the opposite side. A couple of squelchy minutes later we were there, video and photo done and County Top no.7 in the bag.
Ecstatic moment at the trig point!!
We got a couple of strange looks from the farmer in the adjacent field but nothing to tell us we weren’t welcome (just the sheep in that mood today!). All that remained were one or two equally boggy fields to cross before a stone farm track took us down quite rapidly back into Braunston where Cath was enjoying a coffee in the local pub. Back at Betty dirty boots were discarded, a quick drink and snack and we were on our way back home – the first County Tops mini-adventure over and already thinking about the next one.
