Post by mick on Mar 4, 2015 5:13:30 GMT
This walk is in any walking book that you buy, and I believe that everybody who likes walking has done it at sometime or another.
I decided to alter it a bit and as per normal do my own thing which made a good walk a little bit harder than what I planned.
The route was to set off from the car park at Alwinton, head up Clennell Street passing Cross Dyke, Upland know, Wholehope, enter the very edge of Kidland forest then join the footpath at Saughy Hill and head back down Copper Snout passing Saugh Rigg to the farm at Shillmoor then follow the river Coquet downstream going over Pass Peth and cutting back down onto the road as it enters Alwinton.
All was going to plan until I entered the forest section at Kidland there I was set upon up zillions of midges & fly’s, having no mossy repellent on me I decided to get out of the forest and out into the open as quickly as possible , I came out onto Wholehope Knowe, there I should have headed to towards Saughy hill to join the footpath but being a total idiot I decided to head down to Law Knowe my plan was to go down law Knowe Cross the Wholehope Burn or Flushey sike (which ever came first ) then climb up to Saugh Rigg to rejoin the footpath coming down Copper Snout
Very easy on the map, not so easy when you see the sheer drop and climb out.
By the time I had rejoined the original path I was totally knackered and even today I would think twice before going down that way again.
First photo well on my way up Clennell Street looking back
Towards Barrow Scar
Looking forwards a good grass track (very kind on your feet eh!! Foot)
Across towards Clennell Hill
Back on a track again
Looking down at Alwinton Burn
Still a bit more uphill to go
The path stretching off in front
The ruins at Wholehope (was once a youth hostel see galleries /Northumberland ruins for more information)
Tree felling at Kidland
Entering the forest (I was eaten alive two minutes after I took this photo)
After a quick exit from the trees I am now on Wholehope Knowe, looking across at some other walkers coming down Copper Snout
I decide to head down this way
Part way down looking back up.
The way forward (I don’t like the look of this)
Down then up (this will teach me to stick to the original route)
Looking down just before I go over the summit
Looking back, now down and half way up the next hill, I am laying down gasping for breath.
Still climbing up (and slowly dying of oxygen starvation)
Back on the main footpath and approaching Shillmoor
The river Coquet (just head downstream now)
I forgot about this I have got to climb this now
Heading up (still a long way to go)
Near the top looking back I think that I wanted to lie down and sleep for a week by this time, however the views looking along the valley makes it all worth while
Still not at the top, but looking down at the river.
At the top looking towards Harbottle woods
The way down and a distant Alwinton where the car is.
Despite all the shortage of breath & aching all over for the next few days going up and down those steep hills really did teach me something about this limbless business (apart from pay more attention to the map in future), it gave me a hell of a boost with my self confidence, after all if I can walk down and up them without too much difficulty, it meant that I could do steeper and harder walks with confidence,
Maybe its something that we should do every now and then just push our comfort zone out a little bit, you may surprise yourselves where you end up.
As per normal I wouldn’t take a new amputee on this route but there sections that are a joy to walk on and give excellent views , so if you live in the northeast and fancy a trip up here give me a p.m…………………Mick
I decided to alter it a bit and as per normal do my own thing which made a good walk a little bit harder than what I planned.
The route was to set off from the car park at Alwinton, head up Clennell Street passing Cross Dyke, Upland know, Wholehope, enter the very edge of Kidland forest then join the footpath at Saughy Hill and head back down Copper Snout passing Saugh Rigg to the farm at Shillmoor then follow the river Coquet downstream going over Pass Peth and cutting back down onto the road as it enters Alwinton.
All was going to plan until I entered the forest section at Kidland there I was set upon up zillions of midges & fly’s, having no mossy repellent on me I decided to get out of the forest and out into the open as quickly as possible , I came out onto Wholehope Knowe, there I should have headed to towards Saughy hill to join the footpath but being a total idiot I decided to head down to Law Knowe my plan was to go down law Knowe Cross the Wholehope Burn or Flushey sike (which ever came first ) then climb up to Saugh Rigg to rejoin the footpath coming down Copper Snout
Very easy on the map, not so easy when you see the sheer drop and climb out.
By the time I had rejoined the original path I was totally knackered and even today I would think twice before going down that way again.
First photo well on my way up Clennell Street looking back
Towards Barrow Scar
Looking forwards a good grass track (very kind on your feet eh!! Foot)
Across towards Clennell Hill
Back on a track again
Looking down at Alwinton Burn
Still a bit more uphill to go
The path stretching off in front
The ruins at Wholehope (was once a youth hostel see galleries /Northumberland ruins for more information)
Tree felling at Kidland
Entering the forest (I was eaten alive two minutes after I took this photo)
After a quick exit from the trees I am now on Wholehope Knowe, looking across at some other walkers coming down Copper Snout
I decide to head down this way
Part way down looking back up.
The way forward (I don’t like the look of this)
Down then up (this will teach me to stick to the original route)
Looking down just before I go over the summit
Looking back, now down and half way up the next hill, I am laying down gasping for breath.
Still climbing up (and slowly dying of oxygen starvation)
Back on the main footpath and approaching Shillmoor
The river Coquet (just head downstream now)
I forgot about this I have got to climb this now
Heading up (still a long way to go)
Near the top looking back I think that I wanted to lie down and sleep for a week by this time, however the views looking along the valley makes it all worth while
Still not at the top, but looking down at the river.
At the top looking towards Harbottle woods
The way down and a distant Alwinton where the car is.
Despite all the shortage of breath & aching all over for the next few days going up and down those steep hills really did teach me something about this limbless business (apart from pay more attention to the map in future), it gave me a hell of a boost with my self confidence, after all if I can walk down and up them without too much difficulty, it meant that I could do steeper and harder walks with confidence,
Maybe its something that we should do every now and then just push our comfort zone out a little bit, you may surprise yourselves where you end up.
As per normal I wouldn’t take a new amputee on this route but there sections that are a joy to walk on and give excellent views , so if you live in the northeast and fancy a trip up here give me a p.m…………………Mick