Author Topic: The hills is lonely (Read 2373 times)

Fjell · « **on:** April 28, 2020, 09:56:11 am »

And uncharacteristically dusty.

langcliffe · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2020, 10:16:32 am »

Yes, we went for a walk (from the back door, of course) and didn't see a soul for the first 14 miles. Mossdale Beck was very dry:

Pitlamp · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2020, 10:45:48 am »

. . . and this well known spot, photographed earlier this month, with not a soul in sight. It feels really strange. (Also accessed from the door, obviously.) I'm sure plenty of readers of this forum are missing it and my commiserations go to the residents of Brackenbottom, in particular, given that their meet in a few weeks has had to be cancelled..

langcliffe · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2020, 10:59:01 am »

Quote from: Pitlamp on April 28, 2020, 10:45:48 am

. . . and this well known spot, photographed earlier this month, with not a soul in sight.

Amazing!

cavemanmike · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2020, 12:05:45 pm »

Nice piccies boys, can we have some more.
Missing it.

grahams · « **Reply #5 on:** April 28, 2020, 12:57:04 pm »

Whitbarrow escarpment far left and Arnside Knott centre. Loadsa limestone, not many caves or people.

Roger W · « **Reply #6 on:** April 28, 2020, 01:25:11 pm »

Here's one of Cat Bells summit last July, looking rather quiet. That's my grandson in the picture.

cavemanmike · « **Reply #7 on:** April 29, 2020, 10:53:06 am »

My local walk Halkyn mountain north Wales.
Very quiet

Pitlamp · « **Reply #8 on:** April 29, 2020, 11:06:04 am »

Penyghent, from a deserted eastern flank of Ingleborough. (Snapped on one of my permitted "Boris bimbles" on 8th April.)

I'd rather be caving - but walks in this weather aren't that bad a substitute, I guess.

pwhole · « **Reply #9 on:** April 29, 2020, 11:16:34 am »

That boulder perched on top of the pavement is impressive - has that rolled there from further upslope?

Fulk · « **Reply #10 on:** April 29, 2020, 11:40:19 am »

Maybe more likely to have been dumped there by a glacier?

pwhole · « **Reply #11 on:** April 29, 2020, 11:52:27 am »

That's what I figured if not rolled - it's just that it looks roughly cylindrical from this angle, though it may be spherical in reality.

Pitlamp · « **Reply #12 on:** April 29, 2020, 01:24:57 pm »

I agree with Fulk; that boulder was almost certainly moved southwards (left to right in the picture) by ice. Technically it doesn't count as a "glacial erratic" because it's the same rock type at the limestone it's sitting on.

There are some particularly fine examples on Scales Moor (west side of Chapel-le-Dale), one of which, "The Obelisk", is marked on the area map in the Northern Caves guide as a useful feature to help identify entrances. The Cheese Press Stone in Kingsdale is another example.

These things are ten a penny when you live in a "glaciokarst" area.

Pegasus · « **Reply #13 on:** April 29, 2020, 01:38:12 pm »

Loved the light on Ingleborough recently

Pitlamp · « **Reply #14 on:** April 29, 2020, 02:15:02 pm »

Not so scenic when I was out for a run this morning; Ingleborough was in the clag. However, as I went past the Ingleton / Newby boundary stone on Grey Scars (SD72877238) I noticed that the Ingleton side is marked with a crossed " I ". There has been quite a bit of discussion previously about this old fashioned way of writing the letter I, with articles in TSG Journals, CPC Record and Descent. Graham Mullan has also written useful material on such things, I think in UBSS publications. So I thought it might be worth including a picture here. (The other side of the stone has a carved "N" for Newby.)

pwhole · « **Reply #15 on:** April 29, 2020, 05:47:55 pm »

Aha - very nice!

But that surely clears up the puzzle as to whether the 'Ɨ' character represents an 'I' rather than a 'J'? As in, 'AJ Passage' is incorrect, and it is definitely 'AI Passage'? I see it a lot in documents that's all. And that some thought it may have been made by John Ashton, though it's just as likely there was an Isaac around somewhere! While I remember, there is also an 'AƗ ' chiselled into the cave wall near the base of Rowter Hole engine shaft.

I just had a frantic skim-read of TSG 17

Pitlamp · « **Reply #16 on:** April 29, 2020, 06:00:18 pm »

It's probably necessary to compare all the things that were written at the time we were hunting for a non diving way into Far Sump Extension (TSG - x 2 I think, CPC x 2, Descent). But the conclusion we reached was that the crossed I had no special mining significance and would normally just represent the letter I but occasionally E or J.

At the time we'd found it in Far Sump Extension (before it was connected) and (from memory) on the wall in Speedwell next to the Boulder Piles and also (from memory again) In JH. One idea at the time was it might have been some sort of miners' symbol which could help modern cavers sniff out a connection. But I did quite a lot of research at the time and eventually decided it wasn't something unique to mining; rather it was just an old fashioned way of writing a letter of the alphabet.

owd git · « **Reply #17 on:** April 29, 2020, 06:03:33 pm »

Overseers and way on to Jants, on the way to youds has many examples of same, and other unusual lettering too Phil, will always be accessible from the bottom .

O.G.

pwhole · « **Reply #18 on:** April 29, 2020, 06:46:06 pm »

I forgot about the one in Great Masson (below). And there's also an 'ƗB' in Stoke Sough. I'm sure I've seen one in initials scratched on the passage roof leading from Roger Rains into the Great Cave in Peak Cavern too. Incidentally, that arch is a revelation - with a bright light it's possible to see a huge amount of scratched graffiti, some really old - there's one that essentially a handwritten signature of someone called 'Sylvester' and it's like 1780-something. And of course there's 'Elias Pedley' (the 'famous' lead-miner of the French geologist -toadstone controversy) at the top of the Devils Staircase, which blew my mind when Irene told me, as she didn't have a clue who he was, and used to joke to schoolkids (with a brisk wave-over with the torch) that it was Elvis Presley.

Are we still on topic here? What day is it again? Ah - it's Idle Chat - that's OK

langcliffe · « **Reply #19 on:** April 29, 2020, 06:50:02 pm »

Quote from: Pitlamp on April 29, 2020, 02:15:02 pm

Not so scenic when I was out for a run this morning; Ingleborough was in the clag. However, as I went past the Ingleton / Newby boundary stone on Grey Scars (SD72877238) I noticed that the Ingleton side is marked with a crossed " I ".

I passed this fine boundary stone on Monday near Langcliffe Pot. It's between what is now Kettle with Starbotton and Conistone with Kilnsey:

Of more interest to me, however, is this fabulous meerstone located near Yarnbury that I was able to add to my meerstone website this week:

Pitlamp · « **Reply #20 on:** April 29, 2020, 06:57:41 pm »

Nice one Langcliffe!

pwhole - there's also a "JIB" in that area of Peak, which I'm sure you'll be familiar with from where he also left his initials in Speedwell's Cliff Passage.

langcliffe · « **Reply #21 on:** April 29, 2020, 07:01:58 pm »

Quote from: Pitlamp on April 29, 2020, 06:57:41 pm

pwhole - there's also a "JIB" in that area of Peak, which I'm sure you'll be familiar with from where he also left his initials in Speedwell's Cliff Passage.

If you click on the pictures on this page and on this page, you will see that the "I" on the inscriptions are also crossed. These stones date to about 1770.

Pitlamp · « **Reply #22 on:** April 29, 2020, 07:13:14 pm »

There's quite a few on door lintels in Kettlewell,

Good job this is is "Idle chat", as pwhole says . . .

langcliffe · « **Reply #23 on:** April 29, 2020, 07:16:56 pm »

Quote from: Pitlamp on April 29, 2020, 07:13:14 pm

There's quite a few on door lintels in Kettlewell,

Again, mostly middle to late eighteenth century.

AR · « **Reply #24 on:** April 29, 2020, 09:13:21 pm »

Don't forget the infamous "Anglo-saxon inscription" in Spinney Level; the "i" of "pintle" in that is crossed.