Walk date – 12th June 2021

Distance – 6 miles

Weather – cloudy with sunny spells, breezy

 

The Lake District is understandably busy so we decided to walk a small section of the Northern Pennines today. This is definitely a get away from it all walk and we neither met or saw anyone during our time there. Most of the land has Restricted Access status as it is used by the Ministry of Defence for training purposes. This particular section however is only occasionally used for military purposes and therefore has been classed as an Open Access walk with the route we followed being the one suggested, and no doubt preferred, by the MoD. Roadside parking is available on a minor road, at the Bank Gate turn off, which is about three miles east of Brough on the A66 east bound carriageway at Slapestone Bridge. Access to the Bank Gate turn off is also available from the westbound carriageway. Despite our late morning arrival the parking area was deserted which would probably not have been the case at any of the parking places in the Lake District.

Route

Slapestone Bridge – Smeltmill Beck – Plucka Tarn – Plucka Hill – High Edge – Long Band – Little Knipe – Great Knipe – High Crag – Smeltmill Beck – Slapestone Bridge

A few paces from where the car is parked, behind us to the left, brings us to this tarmac lane and the start of today’s walk. The A66 runs parallel to the lane up to where the black car is parked, at which point the lane swings round to the left and the A66 curves away over the hill to the right. It was  busy on the A66 so I had a long wait to get anything approaching a traffic free shot, this was as good as it got. The owner of the black car up the lane was nowhere to be seen and probably belonged to a local resident walking their dog.

Having swung away to the left the lane then tracks alongside Smeltmill Beck which makes for a very pleasant start to our walk. Not a great deal of water in the beck though, just an occasional pool here and there, because the last two weeks have been very dry. The tarmac ends at the top of the rise and gives way to a gravel track. At the top of the bank on the right is a hand-gate whose gateposts have been topped with limestone finials. There’s no fancy carving on them, they’re just a couple of unusually shaped pieces placed on top to add a decorative element.

From the gravel track a look back across the Eden valley towards the Lake District fells but it was much too hazy today for good long distance views.

Very little water in the beck but just enough to create a pretty little cascade over these limestone outcrops.

A sturdy barn in good repair over on the right of the track.

The track levels out and as the wall swings away to the right we drop down from it to cross Smeltmill Beck via this small ford and …..

….. climb the opposite bank which leads us to this gate. From this point there is no established path just rough moorland grassland to deal with, sheep trods came in handy from time to time. We’re making for the ladder stile up there on the skyline. We could have veered off to the left beyond this gate but ploughing through large swathes of these reedy grasses held no appeal so we headed for the shorter grassy slopes straight ahead instead.

On the way up to the ladder stile with a fine view of Great Knipe to our right.

Over the ladder stile now and Plucka Tarn, the next objective, comes into view so its a straighforward tramp across to it. Beyond is a view of the Eden valley and the smoky blue line of the Lake District fells.

The view east from Plucka Tarn to where the A66 snakes its way below Great Knipe. The return leg of our walk will follow the line of the wall you can see stretching along the length of the lower escarpment.

View towards High Edge from a very breezy Plucka Tarn. As the shot shows there is little by way of shelter around these parts and although we weren’t at any great height the westerly breeze was constant and coming straight at us across the Eden valley. Eyes and noses were not happy and the supply of tissues was being depleted rapidly.

From Plucka Tarn we make a steady traverse across Plucka Hill and make our way across to the wall rising up the hillside. It was harder walking through these long grasses than it was climbing  the last part of the hill  beside the wall where the grass was much shorter.

A brief pause to remove some of the scratchier bits of grass from sock tops as we reach the shorter grass and begin the steep but brief climb up to High Edge. Below us the A66 is making its way to and from the Eden valley.

The rickety ladder stile on High Edge is not for public use as the land beyond the wall is MoD property used for troop training purposes and therefore access is restricted for the likes of you and me. The wall came in handy for keeping the constant breeze out so we found a nice little patch of sheep mown grass and had a sunny and windless break. J took the opportunity for a full de-seeding/de-twigging of his socks and boots, copious amount of same having given him much grief on the way up here. The fells in the distance are Murton Fell and Mickle Fell. Mickle Fell used to the the highest point in my home county of Yorkshire, now its the highest point in County Durham since the boundary changes which took place in the 1970’s. There’s plenty of us ‘tykes’ who would like to see it returned to its original county.

After our break we wandered over to the edge for this view back down to Plucka Tarn and the ever present A66 which, being less than a mile away from any point on today’s walk, was either constantly in view, or earshot, or both.

The view ahead as we make our way across Long Band towards Great Knipe.

A sheep creep at one of the wall corners. Any sheep wanting to creep through would have a hard time of it though as this, and the couple of others we saw further on, were blocked with large rocks, so in addition to the occasional walker the MoD has also restricted access for the sheep too.

We came across small areas of quarrying in one or two places which would no doubt have provided the raw material needed for the building of the wall. No need to cart it from some distant quarry when its right there under your feet.

Over the wall we spotted this cairn standing in splendid isolation on Stainmore Common. Strands of barbed wire atop the high wall prevented further examination of the cairn so there’s nothing more I can add.

Still trekking over Long Band with a look back along the wall towards Murton Fell.

Another wall corner and another even more rickety ladder stile to cross. Great Knipe doesn’t seem to getting any closer.

Beyond the rickety ladder stile we arrive at an old sheepfold and shepherd’s cot or bothy.

The bothy is a well built single room with a tiny peep-hole in one of the walls and an opening for a door although there were no indications of how a door might have been attached. The shape of the end walls indicate that it once had a roof so it must have been a very welcome place of shelter. Imagine a shepherd closing the door against the wind and perhaps setting a small fire to keep him and his dogs warm and to provide a basic but warming meal before settling down for the night. Did they keep fleeces or woollen blankets here to wrap themselves in on cold winter nights, did they store some basic foodstuffs or a supply of dried peat for fuel? Many questions come to mind when you look at these shelters to which we’ll never really know the answers I suppose.

Another view of the single roomed bothy and the roof supporting walls.

Looking back to the shelter and sheepfold as we start to move on towards Great Knipe.

Another look back across Long Band and the shepherd’s bothy. As we turned to carry on walking the wall gradually disappeared and gave way to a fence which continued until we reached …..

….. a peaty little hollow which made me think of Captain Whelter’s Bog on Selside Pike and was just as messy to negotiate. Beyond it the wall re-appears and we begin the short climb up to Little Knipe.

Over the wall and just shy of the summit of Great Knipe I noticed a sliver of blue which turned out to be this peaty tarn. A little further on we came by another smaller tarn on our side of the wall but which didn’t look quite as appealing so I didn’t bother with a shot of it.  The largest tarn close to the summit trig point was completely dried out so there was no point taking a shot of that one either.

The trig point on Great Knipe at 1693 feet. The breeze was still swooshing across the Eden valley and trying its best to wrench my cap from my head.

Looking along the Great Knipe escarpment.

Another view along the escarpment looking towards High Edge with Murton Fell and Mickle Fell on the skyline.

J takes in the view from the escarpment.

Descending Great Knipe towards one of several sheepfolds dotted along the ridge line.

From the lower ridge line the view back up to Great Knipe.

Another sheepfold along the way, this one rather more complex than the previous one.

Looking back at Great Knipe as we return alongside the broken wall.

Approaching High Crag with High Edge over on the right skyline.

The pastures below High Crag.

Looking back to Great Knipe now that we’ve reached the point where we crossed Smeltmill Beck via the small ford on the outward leg.

The ford crossing is out of shot to the right as we rejoin the lane by this trickling waterfall in Smeltmill Beck.

A very pleasant sunny stroll back down the lane. A small group of young deciduous saplings have been planted around the beck.

The group of young deciduous trees were growing well around the beck. All the plastic tubes had healthy trees growing from them, some further on than others and probably planted earlier. A great example of planting trees where they have the best chance of survival and good to see.

Almost at the end of the track now and the car is parked just below the slope on the right. The traffic still constant on the A66.

You can just see the car parked in front of the trees over on the left. I walked up the road a short distance for a view of the ancient (Great Knipe) and modern (A66) and the little lane where we began and ended today’s walk. Hope you’ve enjoyed this short walk in this small area of the Northern Pennines, I know we have.

 

Walk date – 1st June 2021

Distance – 6.7 miles

Weather – sunny, light breeze, light cloud layers

 

We crossed the border from Cumbria into Northumberland for today’s walk along a section of Hadrian’s Wall. As a calm dry day was on the cards and the Bank Holiday weekend was over and done with we decided that today would be as good a day as any to go further afield, particularly as J had not been to Hadrian’s Wall before. From home it was just an hour’s drive to Steel Rigg car park where just a few cars were already parked up. The usual pay and display machine was there (bring plenty of pound coins!) which everyone struggled with as the numbers and letters on the key pad were worn away and the info screen faced east which didn’t make things any easier as the bright morning sun landed on it. Anyway we eventually managed to get the thing to dispense a ticket to display and to get under way. The wall runs between the east and west coasts for 75 miles (or 80 Roman miles) so there are plenty of opportunities to walk sections of it anywhere along its route. We chose this section as its relatively close to where we live and because its a particularly scenic part of the route. The weather stayed dry and very warm so the occasional light breeze was more than welcome. A lovely walk which you can make as energetic or as gentle as you wish and one which a good number of people were enjoying doing today.

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Route

Steel Rigg car park – Steel Rigg – Peel Crags – Sycamore Gap – Highshield Crags – Hotbank Farm – Hotbank Crags – Housesteads Crags – Housesteads Roman Fort – return to Hotbank Farm – public footpath across Peatrigg Plantation – Steel Rigg car park

Looking across at the route ahead as we follow the path from the car park over to the Hadrian’s Wall path.

Peel Crags on Steel Rigg, this will be the first of the many ups and downs along the route as we follow the wall over to Housesteads Fort.

The paved path taking walkers up on to the top of Peel Crags. Its only a short climb with a couple of steepish sections. There is a very narrow, i.e. single file only, rock passage to get through just before you emerge on the top but there’s no exposure and nothing scary about it. A family group just ahead of us stop for a breather.

Looking east from the top of Peel Crags towards the Twice Brewed Inn.

Looking ahead at the route alongside Hadrian’s Wall from the top of Peel Crags. No navigational skills required just follow the wall.

That smidgeon of blue is Crag Lough coming into view.

Reaching the end of Peel Crags now and below us is Milecastle 39. A well preserved example of the milecastles, or small fortified gateways, which were built after every Roman mile and which often protected weak points along the wall. One such weak point would be here where there is a natural depression between the  cliffs. Having taken a look at the cliffs below us when we got down there it would still be very difficult to mount a successful attack on the milecastle.

Minecastle 39 sign on the fence by the entrance.

We carry on from Milecastle 39 over to Sycamore Gap. Before dropping down to the gap I took this shot of the next section of the route over Highshield Crags with a partial view of the well known Sycamore tree which has established itself there.

Sycamore Gap, the renowned tree and the wall rising up Highshield Crags.

The classic view of Sycamore tree. Many of the people out walking along here seemed to make this their end point and lots of them were sitting at the bottom of the hill behind me. The walk became much less busy from this point on.

Another short steep climb brings us out onto Highshield Crags from where I took a look back at the tree in the gap and the route so far. The car park is in the stand of trees over on the right.

The view down to Crag Lough as we walk across Highshield Crags. The wall is now on our right and the path runs close to it. The crags are almost vertical and there are plenty of steep drops so take care along here.

A close up of one of the steep drops. Almost a mini version of the Screes and Wast Water I thought. As its a close-up I’m not as near to the edge as it may seem but J hangs on to my pack straps nevertheless!

The slight breeze ruffles the surface of Crag Lough, which is all that remains of a glacial lake. The vertical colunns of cliffs all along Hadrian’s Wall are part of the Great Whin Sill, one of the natural features of the north Pennines. Major outcrops of it also occur at High Force in Teesdale and High Cup Nick on Dufton Fell. It also appears at Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne Castle among other places.

The view back to Crag Lough and Highshield Crag as we reach Hotbank Farm. The stand of trees containing the car park is about two miles away at this point. We make a stop around here for J to change longs for shorts and feel a bit more comfortable, the temperature is rising and the breeze is intermittent.

The path from the farm rises and leads us over Hotbank Crags. The body of water in the distance is Broomlee Lough.

Another depression as we reach the end of Hotbank Crags and prepare to climb Housesteads Crags. If you don’t want to negotiate all the ups and downs along the way over on the right of the shot is a much gentler grassy path, we used that on part of our return leg. If you want the views then the ups and downs are part of the deal.

Plenty of ups and downs as we cross over Housesteads Crags. The blocks of stone used to construct that old sheepfold just beyond the wall look very much like the blocks of stone in the wall. Once the Romans had gone and the wall left to fend for itself there would be little point in leaving perfectly good stone blocks just lying around doing nothing would there? Might as well use them for something else in that case, sheepfolds, barns, houses. People in the past obviously did just that because it is believed that the original wall was twelve to fifteen feet tall which isn’t the case now.

Looking west from Milecastle 37 and the remains of its arched entrance. What happened to Milecastle 38 you may be wondering. Well, its back at Hotbank Farm and we forgot to look out for it, we were probably talking and not paying attention.

Here we are at one of the gateways to Housesteads Fort …..

….. and the same gateway from another angle. All fenced off and no chance of just walking in and viewing the site. We walked down the hill and around to the main gate entrance only to find that ‘because of the current regulations’ entry was by pre-booking only (£9 each!) and nothing would be available until about three o’clock. My late sister and brother both lived in Northumberland at various times in the past so a visit to Housesteads was usually on the cards whenever I visited them. Then you could just walk around the site at will, pretty much as you still can at the Roman fort at Hard Knott Pass, have a picnic and generally enjoy your day out. That was decades ago though and before English Heritage took over. Anyway we weren’t allowed in without the pre-booking and we weren’t going to wait until mid afternoon and pay £9 for the privilege so I don’t have any photos of the inside layout. If you’ve been to the fort at Hard Knott then what you’ll see at Housesteads is more or less the same thing. We took a lunch break at Housesteads as there are excavated foundations outside the fort walls where you can sit and take a break. After our break we completed the walk around the external walls and then began the walk back to Hotbank Farm.

We used the gentler grassy path for the walk back to the farm just to vary the route a little.

From Hotbank Crags a view along Crag Lough and Highshield Crags.

From Hotbank Farm we followed the public footpath through the farm and the fields beyond it …..

….. across the area known as Peatrigg Plantation on a very warm afternoon. A little build up of cloud ahead of us but …..

….. the skies are still clear as I take a look back to Hotbank Farm and the walkers following on behind us.

Highshield Crags and Crag Lough from Peatrigg Plantation …..

….. and, at the end of Highshield Crags and the beginning of Peel Crags, is a different view of the tree in Sycamore Gap. Lots of people dotted along the skyline as they follow the wall.

Ewe and lamb keep an eye on us as I stop to take a shot looking back to Hotbank Farm.

Highshield Crags, now with some sunlight on them.

Almost back at the car park now so all we have to do is follow the track to the gate in the wall …..

….. which leads us nicely out on to the lane and the short walk back up to the parking area in that stand of trees. When we got there the car park was full and so was the overspill area, and folks were still struggling with the pay and display machine. A lovely day out with plenty of views and a bit of history thrown in for good measure, all of it very interesting and very enjoyable.

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Walk date – 19th May 2021

Distance – 6.6 miles

Weather – cloudy with sunny spells, north westerly breeze

 

A good day of weather came along with none of the usual ‘scattered showers’ warnings. Not that they’ve actually been that scattered where we are as we’ve seen a pattern develop over the last few days. Fine mornings gradually turning into heavy and prolonged afternoon rain followed by a dry evening. The young plants in the garden seem to have stopped their growing as its been much cooler than usual so far this month, and they have also taken a battering from the heavy rains. It remains to be seen if they will recover despite our best efforts. Anyway, back to today’s walk. We decided to walk up the Greenburn valley then over to Calf Crag and round to Steel Fell. A middling length walk with plenty of ups and downs and lots of views to be enjoyed along the way. The weather stayed dry but there was a great deal of large cloud around plus a cool north westerly breeze so it turned quite chilly when the sunny spells disappeared from time to time. A good day on the whole though apart from one little niggle which I’ll come to later on in the report.

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Route

Town Head lay-by A591 – Town Head – Ghyll Foot – Helmside – Greenburn – Pike of Carrs – Calf Crag – Steel Fell – Town Head – Helmside – Ghyll Foot – Town Head lay-by A591

Approaching Town Head farm along the lane from the A591. The farmer has just whizzed past us on his quad bike on his way into Greenburn to move some of his sheep into another field. We met him earlier in the lay-by and had a chat with him. His lambing season has gone well, his ewes and lambs are now out on the fells so now its just a matter of keeping an eye on them all.

Emerging into Greenburn from Helmside. The lane climbs steeply from Ghyll Foot up to Helmside but its only a short climb and it doesn’t take long to reach the gate and pass through into the open valley. The shot shows the Helm Crag/Gibson Knott side of the valley.

Looking up the valley towards Greenburn Bottom with the approach path for Steel Fell over on the right. That will be our return route today.

Although we couldn’t see him we could hear the farmer yelling instructions at his dogs as the sheep were rounded up. Helm Crag is probably a bit too steep for the quad bike so he must have been obscured by one of the many humps and bumps along the valley.

We’ve reached Greenburn Bottom so I took a look back along the route we’ve just taken. The initial section of the path is quite rough and wet with plenty of large rocks and stones to deal with, this eventually gives way to a well worn track which makes for better traction and quicker progress. On the skyline is the western side of the Fairfield Horseshoe. On the left is Great Rigg, and just in front of it, although difficult to distinguish clearly, is the Stone Arthur ridge. Over on the right skyline are Erne Crag and Heron Pike with Nab Scar just about visible on the far right.

From the same viewpoint I turn around for this view of Greenburn Bottom which many becks flow into from the surrounding fells, all of them eventually forming the beck known as Green Burn. Its probably a very soggy area but not being that keen on deliberately getting waterlogged boots we’ve never ventured into it to find out.

Turning to my left for this shot of the next part of our route. Below the small rise I’m standing on the path curves around to the left, crosses the beck and winds its way past the sheepfold and eventually up to the Gibson Knott/Pike of Carrs ridge.

Stepping stones across Green Burn.

A look back at the sheepfold alongside the path. Having had the sun to our backs all the way it was nice to sit facing it for a change while we had a short stop for drinks. A sign that spring seems a little later and colder this year is the absence of new bracken shoots. There were a few but these had barely broken through the ground.

The path begins to turn up towards the ridge line and offers a good view of Steel Fell’s Blakerigg Crag beyond the drumlins in Greenburn Bottom.

Higher still and we have a bird’s eye view of Greenburn Bottom and its numerous feeder streams.

Out on the ridge now and a sunny view of the craggy face of Deer Bields across Far Easedale. Directly above, but some distance beyond it, are the humps and bumps of Tarn Crag.

From the ridge we make our way over to Pike of Carrs. By then the large cloud which had been keeping Gibson Knott and Helm Crag in a murky shadow had drifted away and I was able to take this sunny shot of them. The large clump of cloud was now obliterating the Nab Scar ridge just behind them. The yellowy-brown covering of winter is taking a long time to disappear this year and the ‘greening up’ is much slower thanks to the cool weather we’ve been having lately.

We pressed on from Pike of Carrs and eventually Calf Crag came into view. The Helm Crag/Gibson Knott/Calf Crag route seemed particularly popular today and lots of people were out taking advantage of the better weather.

Up on Calf Crag summit now and looking towards the tarn on Brownrigg Moss. A shaded Greenup Edge behind it and a sunny High Raise on the left skyline.

Looking north east from the cairn on Calf Crag towards the Wythburn fells on the left and the Helvellyn group on the right.

From the summit a view eastwards. The Helvellyn group on the left, Fairfield on the right with Saint Sunday Crag just visible in the gap between them. Its much windier and colder up here now so we look round for a sunny and sheltered spot to have a break and get the lunch boxes out.

The view along Far Easedale from our lunch spot. Out of the wind with the sun on our faces and a warm grassy bank providing a backrest, what more do you need? We were also quite close to the path over to the summit cairn and everyone who passed by stopped for a chat, more than grateful for the chance to stop for a couple of minutes I suppose.

From our lunch spot and beyond the peat hags we have a view of a sunny Seat Sandal over on the left and the western side of the Fairfield horseshoe on the skyline. A couple more walkers have appeared on the path behind the peat hags, many more came along after them too.

Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike on the skyline.

Lunch boxes are packed away and the windproofs stay on as we leave Calf Crag and set off to cross over to Steel Fell. Moments later we were under a very large cloud, the wind turned stronger, the temperature went down a few notches so we stopped again to add another layer.

The large cloud finally drifted away as we reached the tarns and the warmth of the sun was more than welcome.

The view along Greenburn as we round the head of the valley, Helm Crag and Gibson Knott are now in deep shadow again.

Still plodding around the head of the valley on our way to Steel Fell summit.

A look back along the route so far. As we rounded the rocky hump below I began to feel a niggling pain in my right gluteous maximus every time I put any pressure on my right foot. Great, just what I needed with a little more climbing still ahead. At no point was I aware that I had pulled a muscle, neither did I utter an ‘ouch’, as you do when something happens, so where or why it occurred remains a mystery, one minute I was walking along just fine, the next minute I’m wincing with every right footstep. It was definitely a pain in the bum from here on!

A few more humps and bumps still to go before we reach the top of Steel Fell but none of them are seriously steep, it just felt like it thanks to the ‘twang’ every time my right foot hit the ground.

A look back as we head up towards Steel Fell summit. The knobbly tops of Pike of Carrs and Calf Crag are across the middle foreground.

From the summit of Steel Fell a look along Thirlmere and the Wythburn fells towards Skiddaw, Blencathra and the rest of the northern fells.

Dollywaggon Pike, Saint Sunday Crag, Cofa Pike (just), Fairfield and Seat Sandal. Dunmail Raise on the A591 is in the gap between us and them.

Looking westward from the summit of Steel Fell. The cairn looks to have morphed into a shelter since our last visit in 2019. On that visit the fence post was completely free of rocks and there was a distinctive cone shape to the cairn as the shot below shows. We did  that walk on 17th Jan 2019.

Steel Fell summit cairn – 17th January 2019

It was still very breezy on the summit so we didn’t linger and made our way over to the descent path. Here’s the view ahead from the start of the descent.

Down at the next hump where we stop to remove the layers now that we’re out of the wind and the temperature has gone up a couple of degrees. J gazes down at the tiny vehicles travelling along the A591.

The view across Greenburn where it is just possible to make out the path we followed from the valley up to the gap in the ridge between Gibson Knott and Pike of Carrs.

The Coniston fells have appeared on the left skyline.

The view down to Dunmail Raise from the descent.

Sunshine lighting up everything ahead of us.

We’re almost back down at Helmside now so not much further to go before we’re back where we started. From Helmside its back onto the tarmac lane which we’ll follow past Town Head farm down there, and then up to the A591. We’re parked in the lay-by just to the right of the white camper van which you can see on the right of the shot. So that’s it for today and just as well we went out today because, as I write, the weather has turned, its cold and heavy rain is bucketing down.

I’ve just downloaded, from the government website here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions

the latest vaccine adverse reactions analyses, up to 12th May 2021, and the figures are shocking. A quick check on fatalities reveals that up to that date there have been 1180 deaths, an increase of 37 deaths since the last report on 5th May 2021. This simply should not be allowed to go on any longer and the whole vaccine programme should be stopped immediately. If it isn’t then it is reasonable to believe that all those who are behind it have unbelievably sinister motives. I expect the analysis tool at uk column is being updated accordingly so here’s the link if you haven’t already got it –

https://yellowcard.ukcolumn.org/yellow-card-reports

10th May 2021

Very unsettled weather recently, strong winds, rain, hail and even snow so no walks to report on. We had reasonable weather last Wednesday but J was already committed elsewhere so that was that.

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In the meantime here are the links to some interesting articles which may be of interest –

https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/why-are-we-being-lied-to-about-covid-theres-no-good-reason/

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https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/clotting-and-covid-science

A very readable and well explained article, here’s a quote from it –

‘It was known in 2007 that the same vector used for many of the Covid vaccines consistently caused thrombocytopenia. But apparently, that did not deter the UK regulatory authorities from allowing an emergency authorisation for that technology to be released not just on the UK population but also many other countries around the world.’

In September 2020, another paper was published ‘SARS-CoV-2 binds platelet ACE2 to enhance thrombosis in COVID-19’, that outlined a problem with SARS-CoV-2:

‘Our findings uncovered a novel function of SARS-CoV-2 on platelet activation via binding of Spike to ACE2. SARS-CoV-2-induced platelet activation may participate in thrombus formation and inflammatory responses in COVID-19 patients.’

Specifically, they noted:

SARS-CoV-2 and its Spike protein directly stimulated platelets to facilitate the release of coagulation factors, the secretion of inflammatory factors, and the formation of leukocyte–platelet aggregates.

But what has that got to do with the vaccine?

This paper identified a spike protein as causal factor in clotting. And, of course, a spike protein is what is being produced by most of the Covid vaccines. Alarm bells should have been ringing with regulators, but nothing was done.

It should also be noted that platelet-leukocyte aggregation was mentioned in both the 2007 and 2020 papers.

How did the authorities and drug manufacturers miss that?’

If you don’t read any of the other articles highlighted here be sure to read this one, its well worth it. It is also referred to in this next review.

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https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/the-human-fingerprints-all-over-the-virus/

The article contains numerous links to scientific papers, and these will probably need to be read several times in order to understand the gist of what they are saying. Below are some revealing quotes from some of those scientific papers –

‘In the current study, we show that S protein alone can damage vascular endothelial cells (ECs) by downregulating ACE2 and consequently inhibiting mitochondrial function.’

“Our findings show that the SARS-CoV2 spike protein causes lung injury even without the presence of intact virus,”

‘Here we suggest that, in part, the presence of spike protein in circulation may contribute to the hypercoagulation in COVID-19 positive patients and may cause substantial impairment of fibrinolysis. Such lytic impairment may result in the persistent large microclots we have noted here and previously in plasma samples of COVID-19 patients.’

The author  of the article concludes that:

Despite millions seemingly receiving the vaccine safely, scientists and regulators may be failing to recognise deaths and injuries linked to this wide-ranging toxic potential of the spike protein that forms the basis of most of the jabs. The research findings add urgency to calls on the government and regulators to investigate numerous reports of vaccine-related deaths, especially in the elderly and care homes, and especially in the hours or days immediately following vaccination.

I mentioned some time ago that I knew of three people who had subsequently died, now I know of someone who has developed severe gastrointestinal problems for which there seems to be no medical explanation, other than the obvious one. The author’s conclusion regarding follow up investigations is sound, but I would add that the whole programme should be stopped immediately before further damage is inflicted on anyone. The latest Yellow Card figures can be found here –

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/983472/COVID-19_mRNA_Pfizer-_BioNTech_vaccine_analysis_print.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/983475/COVID-19_vaccine_AstraZeneca_analysis_print.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/983474/COVID-19_vaccine_Moderna_analysis_print.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/983473/COVID-19_vaccine_brand_unspecified_analysis_print.pdf

They are updated every Thursday afternoon. It is well accepted that only about 1% of adverse effects are reported so the reality of the situation can only be imagined.

As of 28th April 2021 the combined totals show

1102 deaths

178 cases of blindness

107 spontaneous abortions

in addition to thousands of cardiac disorders, nervous system disorders, brain haemorrhages and strokes. From the figures you can do your own analysis but if you’re pushed for time these sites will be useful –

https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/06/14th-report-on-adverse-reactions-to-the-covid-vaccines/

https://yellowcard.ukcolumn.org/yellow-card-reports

---

We’re not really following ‘The Science’ now are we?

Saving the NHS doesn’t hold water any more.

‘Data not dates’ disappeared down a black hole as soon as the data didn’t fit the narrative

and

the mass injection programme really hasn’t been the passport to anywhere.

Silly me, I forgot about the ‘green list’ of places which can be visited, now which is it going to be, Tristan da Cunha or the South Sandwich Islands?

Walk date – 23rd April 2021

Distance – 11.25 miles

Weather – warm, dry, sunny, slight breeze

 

A much longer walk than usual today while we explored a few more of the Howgill fells we haven’t yet visited. We didn’t start out to do such a great distance it was just the result of a combination of factors: an early start, fabulous weather and a ‘we might as well while we’re here’ frame of mind. The very slight breeze moved the air around from time to time keeping the temperature at a comfortable level, the sun shone all day, and there was no reason to rush back home so we just continued on from fell to fell. A glorious day for walking the lovely Howgill fells.

 

Route

Sedbergh – Howgill Lane – Lockbank Farm – Winder – Rowantree Grains – Calders – The Calf – Bram Rigg Top – Calders – Arant Haw – Nab – Crosdale Beck – Height of Winder – Lockbank Farm – Howgill Lane – Sedbergh

We started out from the car park by the tourist information office in Sedbergh, turning right out of the car park and walking along Main Street until we reached Howgill Lane. We turned right along Howgill Lane and walked up it until we reached this point where we turned off and walked up to Lockbank Farm.

The footpath passes through the farmyard and up the slope to a gate in the intake wall. On passing through the gate we turn left and follow the path onto the open fellside. There are several paths taking a more direct route but as most of them wandered through the prickly gorse bushes up a stiffish slope we kept to the well trodden main track alongside the wall.

At the point where the path carries on alongside the intake wall and forms a junction with this wider path we doubled back up the slope and followed the obvious path along the flank of Winder, pronounced as in ‘to win a race’. Again there are lots of path taking direct routes up to the top of the fell but we’re making for the col between it and Arant Haw to reduce the strain on my back.

We met a Sedbergh resident just out for a morning walk at this point so we had quite a long chat about this and that, as you do, and he also mentioned a number of places where we could park for free, which we duly noted for future reference. He eventually went on his way using the same route as us, up to the col then doubling back to Winder summit. A gentler route for his gammy knee he explained. We met up with him a couple of times after this meeting.

The view down to Sedbergh from our chat stop.

Further along is this view across Settlebeck Gill with Arant Haw on the left and Crook Fell directly across the gill. The paths on both sides of the gill can be accessed from Sedbergh.

The path eventually turns up towards the col and we follow it up to the col where it meets up with the main track coming across from Arant Haw. We aren’t quite on the col just yet but over on the extreme left we can now see the summit of Winder.

Approaching the summit and the chap with his arm in the air is the one we had a chat with earlier on. When we got there another long chat followed between all five of us.

Before gaining the top I took a look back along the col towards Arant Haw.

The trig point and topograph on the summit of Winder. The local resident mentioned that boys from Sedbergh school have some sort of tradition which involves painting the trig column red every year although he had no idea why. Having done so they do come back and paint it white again. Boys will be boys I suppose. The Lake District fells are in the distance behind the trig point but there was a lot of haze around today so distant views weren’t really worth bothering with.

The information plate on the topograph.

Eventually the summit meeting came to an end and we all went our separate ways. We headed off back down to the col towards Arant Haw. On the way we decided that we wouldn’t make a direct ascent on Arant Haw but keep to the darker green path, on the right, fully intending to gain the col and, as at Winder, double back and visit the summit from there. As it turned out we  didn’t.

Fell ponies below us as we reach the col above Settlebeck Gill.

We followed the right hand path, up a steady incline, along the flank of Arant Haw until we came to this point, where the guidepost indicates the path back over to Arant Haw. Ahead of us is Calders on the left skyline so we decided to carry on up there and go over to Arant Haw on the way back. The narrow strip of land between us and Calders is known as Rowantree Grains.

The view back to Arant Haw as we carry on towards Calders.

Losing height as we follow the path down Rowantree Grains. The lost height will be tough to win back by the looks of those steep slopes on Calders.

The easy part was dropping down from the guidepost and over Rowantree Grains, we’re now starting the difficult bit, the steep climb up Calders alongside the fence. A couple of cyclists caught up with us, one had some battery power so was able to continue, the other one didn’t so he accompanied us as he pushed his bike up the steep slopes.

The view along Hobdale Gill from the summit of Calders. On the left of the gill is Middle Tongue, over to the right are Knotts, at the end, and Sickers Fell. A large group of motor cyclists and their bikes (of the lightweight motocross variety) had gathered on the summit so photography was curtailed.

From Calders the white trig pint on The Calf was clearly visible on the skyline in the very bright sunshine, although difficult to see in this shot, so this was another of those ‘might as well go over there while we’re here’ moments. Its not a long walk, about three quarters of a mile, with only a couple of ups and downs along the way. Bram Rigg Top is in the middle foreground over to the left. We decided to visit that on the way back.

Not that you’d know it from the photo but there were about a dozen walkers scattered around the summit of The Calf. I’ve never seen anyone hogging the summit here, everyone takes their photo and then moves away to sit on the grass and have a lunch break. That’s exactly what we did too. Walkers were continually arriving during our lunch stop.

After our lunch break we dropped down from The Calf, branched off the main path at the dip and headed on the faint path up to Bram Rigg Top. A gentle walk up on grass.

Looking back to The Calf from Bram Rigg Top.

The small pile of stones marking Bram Rigg Top and the view over to Calders

The motocross bikers have gone so a chance for a shot of the cairn on Calders. From left to right on the skyline are Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside, Ingleborough and Great Coum.

Now for the easy bit, dropping down from Calders and back over to the guidepost and the path over to Arant Haw. From Arant Haw our route will take us over its humps and bumps down to Nab and then down to Crosdale Beck.

Back at the guidepost so we leave the main track and head across to the top of Arant Haw.

On the skyline from left to right – The Calf, Bram Rigg Top and Calders from the summit cairn on Arant Haw.

Fell Head and White Fell from Arant Haw.

A look back at Arant Haw summit as we drop down towards Nab.

Descending to Nab …..

….. with a view of Winder across the Crosdale Beck valley on our left.

Descending steeply now towards Crosdale Wood and beck. There was no easing up on the brakes until we finally crossed Crosdale Beck.

Looking back to Arant Haw, third bump along from the left, after the crossing of Crosdale Beck.

From Crosdale Beck its just a case of following the intake wall southwards back to the gate above Lockbank Farm. The route has a few ups and downs along the way but nothing too severe. This is a look back towards Blease Fell, Linghaw and Fell Head on the right with the fells of the ‘other’ Borrowdale over on the left.

High above the intake wall now as Sedbergh comes back into view.

We reach the gate in the intake wall at Lockbank Farm. After passing through the gate and the farmyard we are back on Howgill Lane and starting the walk back down into town.

Rounding the bend at the bottom of Howgill Lane sees us back on Main Street where we turn left and walk the short distance back to the car park. As I walked along the narrow street, just ahead of J, I heard someone calling out from the opposite side of the road. It turned out to be the local man with whom we had already had the two lengthy conversations when we were on Winder. He was now out shopping with his wife. This time it was only a very brief chat as we passed each other by in the street but the waving and smiling seemed to indicate that he was pleased to see us again. Well, that’s us more or less done for the day and what a lovely day it has been. We always enjoy the Howgills so I expect we’ll be back there sometime during the summer. Finally and just to let you all know that I am aware that the Search function is not working at present, we have been trying to find out what the problem is but it looks as though we’re going to have to start from scratch to get it up and running again. Hope to have it working again soon when I have a minute to sort it all out.

Walk date – 16th April 2021

Distance – 5.1 miles

Weather – dry, sunny, light breeze

 

Another good weather day so we went over to Patterdale and had a walk over Hartsop above How, a long and rambling fell with plenty of ups and downs along its ridge. There are some fells which seem to go on forever, Hartsop above How is one of them. Our return route was virtually the same as the outward one, the only exception being that we didn’t cross the stile and return to Cow Bridge via the steep path through Low Wood. When the path and the wall parted company we kept to the wall, which eventually became a wire fence, and at a suitable point we crossed over and descended through Low Wood until we came to the footpath running parallel with the road a little further down. From there its a straightforward walk back to Cow Bridge.

Route

More or less an out and back route.

Cow Bridge car park – Low Wood – Bleaberry Knott – Gale Crag – Hoggill Brow – Hartsop above How summit – Blake Brow – and returning in reverse order.

The starting point for today’s walk is the path, immediately behind the gates, going up through Low Wood. Its easy to miss so don’t go charging off along the main path.

The path through Low Wood is very steep and this shot belies just how steep it really is. In places the wet weather has undercut some of the larger stones in the path so care was needed before stepping onto them. Today the path was very loose, the recent spell of fine weather has dried it out and getting a firm foothold was difficult in many places. On the way up there are two gates to negotiate, a little awkward to deal with because the fence lines are higher than the path up to it and the gates swing out towards you forcing walkers to step back down a couple of paces.

Once above the tree line the steepness eases and then there’s a slightly easier section rising along the fellside. This traverse section has some good viewpoints along the way and the shot above was taken from one of them. On the left is Brock Crags, on the right is Gray Crag .The little hamlet of Hartsop is tucked in amongst the trees in the valley bottom.

Looking south along Kirkstone Pass with Hartsop Dodd, Caudale Moor and St Raven’s Edge on the left and Red Screes and Middle Dodd on the right. The water levels have gone down considerably recently as the high water mark around Brothers Water clearly shows.

In the opposite direction is this view of Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes on the eastern side of Patterdale. A great place to stop and enjoy the views even if you don’t need an excuse to get your breath back.

The path eventually brings us out onto the ridge where we get this view of Arnison Crag still clad in its winter brown jacket, although with a bit of a squint you could almost persuade yourself that there are hints of green here and there. No green shoots to be seen so far here on the ridge. We continue along the path on this side of the wall until we come to a ladder stile a little further along. We crossed over the stile and turned left to join up with the main path coming up from Bridgend for an uneventful wander over the ups and downs of Bleaberry Knott.

The first real obstacle after crossing the stile is Gale Crag which affords the chance of a little scramble. We passed on the scramble and walked around the crag to enjoy the superb views at the head of Deepdale. On the skyline are Hart Crag, Link Hause, Fairfield, Cofa Pike and Deepdale Hause. Below Fairfield is Greenhow End, a huge, and deeply fissured, wall of cliffs.

Beyond the Gale Crag scramble we return to the main path, from where I took a look back to Deepdale Bridge and Bridgend, and where Deepdale joins Patterdale, more or less.

The two tops of Angletarn Pikes on the skyline as I take a look back along the undulating ridge above Gale Crag.

The ridge wall begins to part company with the path as it drops down into Dovedale as we walk along Hoggill Brow. Hartsop above How’s summit is in sight now although still some way off.

A look back along Hoggill Brow as we begin the approach to the summit.

Still a little more climbing to do before the summit is reached. Hartsop above How doesn’t let you off the hook easily.

On the summit and a superb view of Dove Crag at the head of Dovedale.

The retrospective view along Hoggill Brow from the summit and some of the eastern fells beyond it.

Looking down into Dovedale, Middle Dodd and Red Screes on the skyline.

To the west of us is Saint Sunday Crag …..

….. and directly ahead are Fairfield, Cofa Pike, just visible behind Greenhow End, and Deepdale Hause. Dollywaggon Pike puts in an appearance just above the Hause.

Dove Crag and Hart Crag. We’d had the fell to ourselves since leaving the car then out of nowhere appeared a solo runner with his dog coming towards us, two guys, deep in conversation and ignoring everything around them, walked past heading for Hart Crag, and then two female runners heading in the same direction. All in the space of a couple of minutes.

From the summit we carried on a little further along towards Blake Brow, more or less as far as that first outcrop of rocks, having decided that we would take a break. Once there we would have something to eat and decide whether we were going to go any further. We would normally have gone on to Hart Crag then Dove Crag, Little Hart Crag and descended via High Hartsop Dodd but, after talking it over, we decided to make this our turn around point. My back problems, which have never entirely gone away, have been playing up again recently and at this point in our walk they were becoming more than just an irritating niggle. By the time we got across there I was more than glad to get the rucksack of my back and sink down onto the warm grass.

A look back at the summit of Hartsop above How from our break stop where we decided that it was this far and no further. I still had to walk back but at least further steepish climbs could be avoided by skirting around any high points to avoid putting further pressure on my back, so that’s what we did.

Just before starting the walk back I took this shot of some the fells across Patterdale. First up are Hartsop Dodd and Caudale Moor, left and right respectively, rising from the valley floor. Behind Hartsop Dodd is Gray Crag and behind that High Street is just appearing. Over on the left skyline is Rampsgill Head and below it you might just be able to pick out The Knott. The grass is definitely greener on the other side of the valley and you don’t even have to squint to see it.

J leads the way back over the humps and bumps of the ridge.

Caudal Moor and St Raven’s Edge towering above Kirkstone Pass.

A skyline of fells – left to right are Rest Dodd, High Raise, Rampsgill Head, Gray Crag, High Street and Hartsop Dodd.

Back to the point where we crossed the wall earlier today. In the right hand corner of the shot is the ladder stile I mentioned and the path coming up from Low Wood. We didn’t cross back over when we reached it, the reasons being – a) to vary the route a little and b) I didn’t fancy risking further back problems on a loose and very steep path.

Saint Sunday Crag and Birks Fell from further down the path.

Saint Sunday Crag and the peak of Gavel Pike from the often boggy flat section further down.

Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes as we approach another stile.

Gavel Pike and Saint Sunday Crag again, the scenery doesn’t change much on the way down.

We’ve crossed the fence, dropped down through Low Wood and are about to join the path above the road to make our way back to Cow Bridge.

The car park is not much further along so this is the last photo for today. It was a bit disappointing not to be able to go on any further, because it goes against the grain, but carrying on and possibly making things worse wouldn’t be a sensible thing to do either. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and make the best of it. Better get the stretching exercises back out and dusted off, I suppose., ho hum.

Walk date – 12th April 2021

Distance – 9.1 miles

Weather – very sunny start, some cloud later, slight breeze

 

We’ve been having a settled spell of weather recently, dry and mostly sunny although it has still been quite cold with plenty of heavy overnight frosts. Today was forecast to be a little warmer with not quite so much of the north westerly breeze which has been bothersome lately. To take advantage of this we decided on a longer walk today, over the Dodds and returning via Hart Side and Birkett Fell, which makes it the longest walk we’ve done this year. The fells were largely deserted, we saw just six people and exchanged a few words with only two of them so to all intents and purposes we had the fells to ourselves. Here’s how the day went:

Route

High Row – Brats Moss – Randerside – Great Dodd – Watson’s Dodd – Stybarrow Dodd – Hart Side – Birkett Fell – Dowthwaite Head – High Row

The way ahead from the High Row parking area. Its a cold and frosty morning but the sun is shining and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. The track ahead has had some attention since we were last here, many of the sunken areas have been filled in so next time it rains there shouldn’t be quite so many huge puddles to deal with.

Not too far along the track is a bridge across Groove Beck. In the top right corner of the shot is a signpost indicating the route we will be following today. The sign reads ‘Public Bridleway, Great Dodd 2 1/2 miles.’

A look back at the bridge as we pick up the path to Great Dodd.

A little further along the path and Great Dodd comes into view. As we’d stopped for a photo we took our jackets off, it was becoming very warm as the sun rose higher.

A look back to where Gowbarrow Fell was just starting to appear above the tree plantation.

Further along still and Stybarrow Dodd joins Great Dodd on the skyline. A solitary cloud appears between the two.

Looking back to the Mell Fells from the crossing of Brants Moss. The bridleway route from the bridge comes in from the right hand side of the shot and meets up with the path leading over to the top of Wolf Crags. The path over to Wolf Crags is clearly visible in the shot. Good viewpoint if you have time to spare. Brants Moss can be a very wet and dreary place but after a week of dry weather it wasn’t too bad. The ground still had some ‘give’ in it but at least it wasn’t saturated and crossing it wasn’t as laborious as it has been on previous occasions.

Blencathra under a cloud and Clough Head appears on the left of the shot. Strange how the cloud appears out of nowhere and this has been the pattern for several days now. We start off with a clear sunny morning and gradually these ‘cotton wool’ ones begin to develop. Sometimes they have merged to form the dull grey blanket covering, other times they remain quite distinct and separate from each other as they did today. The cloud formations today were fascinating to watch. We don’t usually walk the fells at the weekend and on Saturday we had a drive over to Tan Hill. We left home in conditions similar to the photo above and arrived at Tan Hill in a blizzard of snow. No, we didn’t get out and go for a walk. Similarly on Sunday when we just had a walk over Moor Divock from the farm access road above Helton. By the time we reached the path junction to cross over to the stone circle the skies had darkened and along came a hailstorm. We  were pelted with hail all the way back to the car.

A look back at Brants Moss and Great Mell Fell from our coffee break stop on Randerside.

The path from Randerside up to Great Dodd. Hmm, there’ll be a few pit stops along the way then. A solitary patch of snow still lingers above Lurge Gill.

The path bends to the left for the last push up to the summit so before carrying on here’s the view from that point. Skiddaw group on the left, Clough Head in the centre, and Blencathra to the right.

A look back over to Randerside, on the right hand side just below Little Mell Fell.

On the final push to the summit now and behind us is a fabulous view of Skiddaw and it neighbours …..

….. and a view across Keswick towards Bass Lake and the Lord’s Seat group of fells. Just below us is the path coming over from Clough Head and just above that is Calfhow Pike.

After a two and a half mile upward trek the last few feet of the climb seemed never ending but we eventually reached the summit and its views of the Northern Fells beyond Clough Head. Slightly more breeze and a little nippier up here but not enough to put our jackets back on.

A short stroll over towards the Thirlmere side of Great Dodd gives us a wonderful panorama of the fells beyond. The battalion of lovely clouds drifting above them changed the views from minute to minute. There are too many to name but many of you will be able to identify most of them. There’s no sign of any emerging greenery across there just yet, the fells are keeping their winter brown coats on for the time being.

A similar scene looking towards the south west with a smidge of Thirlmere appearing below Watson’s Dodd.

Making our way over to Watson’s Dodd. As we began to descend we saw one solo walker suddenly appear on Great Dodd from the Clough Head direction. He didn’t follow us over to Watson’s Dodd though. He was the first person we’d seen today and as can be seen from the photo there’s no-one around ahead of us either.

A view down into Thirlmere from Watson’s Dodd …..

….. and a look back at Great Dodd from the cairn on Watson’s Dodd.

Looking south west with the Coniston fells on the left skyline, over to the right are Crinkle Crags and Bowfell.

Time to head over to Stybarrow Dodd and find somewhere to take a break and get the sandwiches out.

On the way over we see two more walkers making their way from Great Dodd over to Watson’s Dodd, with a zoom in you might just be able to pick them out.

Might as well take a shot of Great Dodd too now that its got some sunlight on it.

On Stybarrow Dodd now and looking towards the rocky top of Raise with the peak of Catstycam and the Helvellyn group just behind it. It was difficult to get a good picture of Raise today. Too many clouds kept drifting across the sun and plunging it into shadow for much of the time which resulted in Raise’s rocky top being indistinguishable from the Helvellyn range behind it.

The cairn on Stybarrow Dodd with Watson’s Dodd and Great Dodd, both in shadow, on the left and right respectively. Behind them the Skiddaw group and Blencathra. The tarn, out of shot on the right, was dried out today. We walked past the tarn and dropped down a little way to the small shelter on the eastern side of the fell and took a break for about ten minutes or so.

A few shots of the views from our lunch spot. The sunlit fell in the foreground is Raise, the greyish line along it is the collapsed flue leading up to the old chimney. Immediately behind is Birkhouse Moor followed by Hartsop Dodd and then Stony Cove Pike on Caudale Moor. I expect you’ll be able to identify all the others in the shot.

A little further to the left with High Raise, Rampsgill Head, The Knott and High Street on the skyline.

After our break we drop down Stybarrow Dodd to make our way over to Hart Side, the sunlit fell over on the left. Just behind Hart Side is Birkett Fell which will be our last fell of the day. Straight ahead of us and partly shaded is White Stones but we’re not heading over there today so a little further down we’ll branch off the main path and bypass it.

Our walk across to Hart Side was done under a very large cloud which knocked the temperature back quite a few notches. Fortunately we’d put our jackets back on when we had our lunch break but even so the sunshine and the warmth awaiting us on Hart Side was very welcome. Here’s a look back at Stybarrow Dodd from the prospecting trench on Hart Side.

The cairn on Hart Side plus a partial view of Skiddaw and Blencathra. A solo walker doing what looked like a ‘power walk’ arrived and departed while we were here. No kit, other than walking poles, was being carried and being dressed only in leggings and t-shirt it seemed as though she wasn’t intending to be out for any great length of time.

From here we head over to Birkett Fell, a zoom in will reveal the cairn on the top.

It doesn’t take long to get to Birkett Fell, here we met a two more people whose accents suggested that they were visitors from the south of the country. Also not going very far as they didn’t have any kit with them either, so probably just out for an afternoon stroll in the sun.

The view back to Stybarrow Dodd, Hart Side and Great Dodd from Birkett Fell. We’re under a large cloud again, they’ve slowly increased in size so we’re spending rather longer in the chilly shade now.

The tablet bearing the name of the fell, its set into the cairn facing the Ullswater side. Ullswater was saved from being turned into a reservoir thanks to an impassioned speech by Lord Birkett QC in the House of Lords on 8th February 1962 against Manchester Corporation’s proposal to create a weir on the River Eamont at Pooley Bridge which would effectively have created a reservoir and raised the level of Ullswater by about three feet. Opposition to the proposal was immediate and a petition of over 500,000 signatures was gathered. The petition was debated in the House of Lords and Lord Birkett’s ‘deeply felt and eloquent’ speech was powerful enough to win the day. Here’s a quote from it “Thus far and no farther. Go away. Come again another day, if you will. But in the meantime, do that which ought to have been done before. Produce the hydrological data on which the House can come to a proper decision. Until that is done, you have no right whatever to invade the sanctity of a National Park”.Sadly Lord Birkett died of a heart attack just a few days later. Would that we had such resolute and determined politicians today.

The High Street range is plunged into deep shade as the clouds drift across.

As usual we descended Birkett Fell alongside the wall and here at the stile we turned left onto the path leading down to Dowthwaite Head. Sheffield Pike and The Helvellyn group on the skyline behind.

Watermillock Common as we start out on the eternally wet and boggy path. It never seems to dry out so if you come along here be prepared for a squelchy walk down.

Approaching Dowthwaite Head Farm which had an air of desolation about it. When we arrived it was obvious that it was no longer occupied, the usual motley collection of vehicles and farm equipment was gone, the outbuildings emptied of their contents, and the fields which would normally be full of ewes and their lambs at this time of year were devoid of life. It made us both feel quite sad because in the past we have often seen the farmer busy around the place, and exchanged a few words with him, as we walked along the road and through the yards, and to see that it is not a working farm any longer was quite depressing. I cannot find anything about the farmer, Mr Mayson Weir, other than the farm had been in the same family for 60 years, or the reason for the sale. I did a bit of research later and here’s what I found –

https://www.farminguk.com/news/unknown-person-outbids-community-effort-to-restore-rare-farm_56823.html

and this –

https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/faqs/dowthwaite-head-farm

– so the farm was sold in October 2020 to an unknown bidder who was willing to continue to the bidding war to get what they wanted. It will be interesting to find out who the unknown bidder is, they obviously didn’t seem to have an upper bid limit so it must be somebody very wealthy indeed. For some reason I find the whole thing very dispiriting.

Of course as we walked back along the road up to High Row we were unaware of all of the above and we were still discussing the emptiness of the farm and the fields and the possible reasons behind it all. If I manage to find out the whys and wherefores I’ll let you know. Anyway this shot of Gowbarrow indicates that we are almost back at the High Row parking area and the end of today’s walk. Its been a good day and a very good walk but my back is telling me that it would really appreciate having a rest in a comfy chair accompanied by something hot and soothing served in a cup. Meanwhile, on other matters things are chugging along in the background –

If British TV and newspapers are your only source of information you will not have been told about any  of the following:

Judgement in Weimar, Germany re face coverings and children – http://enformtk.u-aizu.ac.jp/howard/weimar_court_ruling/

Hague International Criminal Court accepts complaint filed by People of the Truth group – https://nationalfile.com/israeli-jews-petition-international-criminal-court-say-israels-mandatory-covid-vaccines-violate-nuremberg-code/

and here –

https://www.newswars.com/israeli-jews-petition-international-criminal-court-say-israels-mandatory-covid-vaccines-violate-nuremberg-code/

and the group, Doctors for Covid Ethics, have sent an open letter to the European Medical Agency warning that administering inadequately tested and inadequately monitored gene-based Covid-19 vaccines represents dangerous medical experimentation, which is banned by the Nuremberg Code. Here’s the link to their letter –  https://doctors4covidethics.medium.com/rebuttal-letter-to-european-medicines-agency-from-doctors-for-covid-ethics-april-1-2021-7d867f0121e

The link to the list of signatories to that letter is here –   https://doctors4covidethics.medium.com/doctors-for-covid-ethics-signatories-15878f9ff76

Some of the letter is technical but the paragraphs which follow the word NOTICE at the end of the letter make it quite clear what their intentions are. I wish them every success.

 

Walk date – 2nd April 2021

Distance – 5.5 miles

Weather – dry and sunny, a nippy north-easterly breeze at height

 

A settled spell of sunny weather arrived, the garden dried out and was put back to rights, river and lake levels are dropping nicely, the spring flowers have burst into bloom and there are hints of green here and there as the first leaves on the trees begin to appear. There being no garden jobs left to do we went over to Patterdale and had a walk over Place Fell. More people were about today, as its Good Friday and a bank holiday, the car parks were not too busy when we arrived but when we drove back in the early afternoon everywhere was much busier. Good to see everyone out enjoying themselves in the good weather.

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Route

Patterdale – Side Farm – Hare Shaw – Place Fell – Round How – Steel Edge – Boredale Hause – Side Farm – Patterdale

We parked at the Patterdale Cricket Club ground, set off along the road towards the George Starkey hut and from there turned along the track beside it and headed over to Side Farm. Further along the farm access track I took this view of Arnison Crag and Birks Fell from the bridge over Goldrill Beck.

At Side Farm we turned left and after about 100 yards passed through a metal gate where we had a decision to make, straight on from the gate would keep us on the track which runs alongside the wall. Turning right up the steep grassy bank would lead us to a higher path which runs more or less parallel to the one beside the wall. We turn to the right, scramble up the banking to reach the upper path and flatter ground where we pause to get our breath back while admiring the long distance views along Patterdale …..

….. while taking a closer look at Arnison Crag …..

….. and Birks Fell.

From the same spot a view into Grisedale towards the Helvellyn range, framed on the left by Birks and on the right by Birkhouse Moor. The little hill below Birkhouse Moor is Keldas, from where there are some lovely views along Ullswater despite its lowly height.

Further along there’s another view along a valley. Here we’re looking towards the Glenridding Beck valley above Glenridding. Raise is on the centre skyline framed by Birkhouse Moor on the left and Glenridding Dodd and Sheffield Pike on the right. Below us the lower path alongside the wall has come into view. Nobody walking along there at the moment but it will probably get busy later, its a very pleasant, and popular, walk over to Silver Crag and Silver Point.

A closer look at the Helvellyn group where just a few very small patches of snow are still hanging around. Not for much longer though if this sunny weather keeps up. Keldas, in the centre of the shot, stands at the head of Ullswater and the views from there are well worth the short walk up to the top of it. Lots of canoes out on the water today but only one sail boat.

Well, we’ve had a leisurely stroll along the upper path but at this point we branch off onto the path on the right. Its not quite such a leisurely stroll from this point onwards as its a stiffish climb up to Hare Shaw. That said, nothing difficult or awkward to negotiate will be encountered along the way and, as the path weaves its way through bushes and boulders, there are plenty of opportunities to sit for a minute or two to admire the views below while you get your breath back …..

….. and here on Hare Shaw are the views that are the reward for all the effort you’ve put in. Saint Sunday Crag is now visible above Birks Fell over to the left, Helvellyn and Catstycam are just showing behind Birkhouse Moor, with White Side and Raise over on the right. It was sunny and warm up here today so we stopped and had a coffee break. I was intending to take some more views afterwards but didn’t do once we had packed everything away again. Well, you know how things go, you’ve had a break and a chat, you put your gear away and set off again, and what you intended doing beforehand gets forgotten about.

A look back at our route from Hare Shaw as we head towards The Knight. The boggy section back there in the flattish area wasn’t too bad today which was a pleasant surprise.

A lone walker in residence on The Knight so we didn’t bother going over there. The large and excitable dog accompanying him was a flaming nuisance.

Just below the summit of Place Fell where the northern end of Ullswater and some of the far eastern fells come into view. The large tarn across the middle of the shot doesn’t have an official name so we just refer to it as Place Fell Tarn.

No-one around at the summit but we did notice a group coming up behind us so a quick shot before they arrived a few minutes later. Although not very strong the north-easterly breeze was quite chilly up here so another layer went on while we looked for a sheltered spot to take a break,

A hazy view to the south from the sheltered spot we settled on. The shelter down there wasn’t worth bothering with today as it was facing directly into the breeze.

Looking across Glenridding and on the skyline from left to right are White Side, Raise, Stybarrow Dodd and Great Dodd.

To the south-east where Rampsgill Head, High Street, Thornthwaite Crag and Ill Bell dominate the skyline.

On the southern skyline are Caudale Moor, St Raven’s Edge, Red Screes and Little Hart Crag. Below the latter are the ups and downs of the long, and the sometimes seemingly never-ending, ridge of Hartsop above How.

On the way down now with a ‘three for the price of one’ view of Arnison Crag, Birks Fell and Saint Sunday Crag. These three fells are often combined in one walk which covers about seven miles depending on the route chosen.

Looking towards Redgate Head from Round How. Today we followed the path below Redgate Head which avoids the scramble over the rocky gully. Just as well we did because when we reached it there was a group of four beginning to climb up it. Its a simple scramble but the two female members of the group were reluctant to attempt it despite the shouts of encouragement from the two males accompanying them who had already climbed it. The two girls managed it eventually but it took a while.

Looking along Steel Edge from Round How.

A look back towards the summit.

Re-joining the path after skirting around the rock gully section.

The path turns towards Beda Fell as it passes below Redgate Head. We’ve just passed a family group making their way up with one of the children wearily flopping down onto one of the stones. Mum said that they were nearly there, by way of encouragement I suppose, but in reality there was still some way to go for the tired youngster. I hope they got up to the summit in the end though. At the bend in the path just below us was a pair of walkers, also feeling the strain probably, who were taking a break from the long slog up. That’s really what this path is, a long and not very interesting slog up to the summit. Its OK for a straightforward route down but the ascent route we used is more varied and entertaining.

Heading down towards Boredale Hause with a view of the north top of Angletarn PIkes directly opposite.

A zoom in on Angletarn PIkes north top, Caudale Moor on the right skyline.

Boredale Hause comes into view.

The view of Arnison Crag, Birks Fell and Saint Sunday Crag from Boredale Hause. A brief stop at the Hause to remove a layer now we have left the nippy breeze behind.

Dropping down the Rooking path and heading back to Side Farm on a very warm and sunny afternoon.

Place Fell in the sunshine as we drop down towards Rooking.

As we descended we came upon a group of lads, red-faced and sweating heavily, taking a break beside the path. They are hard to identify in the shot but a zoom in will help to locate them, sitting on either side of the path to the right of the trees. We had a chat when we reached them and learned that they were camping out overnight. They had enough gear to camp out for a week judging by the amount of bags they were carrying. In addition to their tents they were each hauling carrier bags of food, boxes of beer plus various odds and ends of clothing! No wonder sweat was pouring from their faces. When we asked where they were making for they replied ‘the first flat bit we get to’.  The ‘first flat bit’ would be at the Hause so they still had a fair way to go before they reached anything remotely  resembling flat. We were assured, even though neither of us mentioned it, that they had brought a roll of black plastic bags to take the rubbish away in.

There must have been about ten in the group altogether but they were spread out along the path in groups of two or three and each group we came to was taking a break and displaying various states of weariness. After we had left the tail end group behind we came across a large bag of wood, in a heavy duty plastic bag with carrying handles, lying beneath one of the nearby bushes, with what initially looked like a large grey football close beside it. From the printing on the side of it this turned out to be a sleeping bag and from its pristine appearance looked as if it had only just been bought. We wondered if these things belonged to the camping group to be picked up later but we’ll never know for sure. It was an interesting encounter with the lads but how they were going about things seemed to be a classic case of enthusiasm over experience. We left them struggling up the path and carried on down the path, made our way across the old quarry above Side Farm, down through the farm and back onto the farm access track.

From the farm track a look back across Rooking towards Angletarn Pikes before making our way back to the cricket ground and the car. All in all a most enjoyable day and it was good to see people back enjoying themselves even though everything is still shuttered and barred. We’re still bemused by the discarded bag of wood and the sleeping bag though.

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** If you have already viewed this post just scroll down towards the end of it for further news about ‘VACCINES’ and ‘VACCINE PASSPORTS**

Saturday 27th March 2021

Changeable weather for the last few days with strong and very cold winds so no walk reports to upload.

Consequently with time to spare the opportunity arises to ponder on things and draw some conclusions from the events unfolding around us. 

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On Thursday 25th March 2021 76 House of Commons MPs out of 560 voted against Hancock’s Emergency Powers Extension Bill.

Hardly an almighty act of outright rebellion but better than nothing perhaps.

Bravo and a Mention in Despatches to the 76 who ‘went over the top’ with bayonets at the ready, and a special mention for two MPs for each asking very pertinent questions about ‘vaccine’ deaths which took Hancock completely by surprise and left him floundering and looking distinctly uncomfortable. Lots of clips of this exchange are all over the Twittersphere and should be easy to find if you haven’t already seen them.

William Wragg’s question came first – “My right hon. Friend mentions data on occurrences within the NHS. Does the NHS have data to suggest how many people have, sadly, died from covid in NHS hospitals three weeks after receiving their first dose of a covid vaccine?”

As Hancock started to reply he had to give way again as

Sir Christopher Chope’s question followed on immediately after – “My right hon. Friend answered a question from me on this very subject by saying that the data was not available. I cannot understand why crucial data—such as the number of people who have been vaccinated for more than three weeks, who are then admitted to hospital and subsequently die is not collected. Why is that?”

Questions such as these are not being widely asked and they should be.  

On the other hand its White Feathers all round for the 87% who cravenly cowered down in the trenches and who blithely voted for those powers to be extended until the end of September.

An extension of powers for an ’emergency’ which consists of 42 deaths per one hundred thousand people, only a few of which were caused by a virus (in all probability caused by Influenzas A & B deliberately misattributed as Covid-19 but nobody checked so we’ll never really know), that is killing hardly any additional over 85’s, and almost nobody at all under 45, and 87% of MPs still think we’re in an ’emergency’?

All the official figures, whether they be from ONS, NHS, PHE or yougov indicate that no such ’emergency’ exists (and never has done either, but more of that later on).

So, are the 87% intellectually incapable of reading and understanding what graphs, tables and charts are showing them, or do they prefer to be led by the nose by deliberately not checking for themselves and leaving it in the not so capable, and often duplicitous, hands of others who are only too happy to do the leading. Whichever way it is they are unfit to be our elected representatives.

The failure of the politicians in the age of Covid is twofold. They have failed to represent those they apparently serve, whose reality is foreign to them, and they have failed to think critically with the degree of rigour, humility, and imagination that is required. 

They seek easy media wins through ‘sound bites’ and citing ‘experts’, they double-down on simple and specious narratives, and attack their opponents as individuals rather than engaging with their arguments, and don’t they just love being in the media spotlight as they spout it all out?

Their myopic perspective results in a political class which is either blind to the economic and societal costs of lockdown, or cares little for them.

They are, with a very few notable exceptions, a herd of pea-brained compliant dullards, and herds, by definition, do not lead. Each of these particular herds follows its own party line without realising, it seems, that no matter what the party line is, it and they, are so far out of sync with the views of the general population that they appear to exist in an alternative reality to the one which most of us inhabit.

For the last twelve months the majority of MPs from all parties have remained in their constituencies doing little more than taking part in an occasional remote televisual discussion whilst continuing to receive a full salary of £81,932 plus expenses and allowances, it is hardly surprising then that they are in no hurry to call a halt to the restrictions. At the very least they should have been on half pay and even that would have been too generous given how little work they have been doing. A large majority of them have given their respective Chief Whips their proxy vote thus avoiding travelling to London to vote in person.

Look up your MP on https://www.parliament.uk/ and have a look at their voting record and written and spoken contributions to give you some idea of what they’ve been doing all this time. If you don’t know your MP’s name entering your post code will do the finding for you.

They all need to be jolted out of their complacent torpor and the chance to do exactly that will soon be with us.

The local council elections are due to be held on 6th May 2021 so this is an opportunity to let those in power know how we feel about their selfish and spineless conduct during the last twelve months, which has left us all without meaningful representation and at the mercy of an authoritarian cabal of ministers, along with their questionable ‘experts’, who favour the enforcement of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom and responsibility. A cabal which has entirely reversed the democratic process, namely that historically we are governed only by consent.

Traditionally local elections have a low turnout since many voters often regard them as less important than a general election. However, they are a useful indicator to any government of the day as to the direction in which public sentiment is leaning and the results are examined closely by all the established parties, because the only thing which really matters to politicians is power and the potential loss of it.

Local council candidates representing the established parties will be seeking your vote.

Do not give it to them.

Give it instead to those who have ‘Independent’ next to their name, or give it to one of the newly created parties: The Reform Party, The Reclaim Party, The Heritage Party, or any of the other newly formed groupings.

A vote for any of them sends a very clear message.

What’s the point some might ask? They’re all the same and nothing changes, whoever is voted in. The point is that voting for non mainstream parties shows that we are prepared to consider alternatives, and that’s a worry for any government. Remember the pressure Cameron was under to agree to a referendum as the Brexit Party gained a groundswell of supporters? He had no choice but to finally yield to that pressure.

Let the government see that we are not wedded to the two party system, that we don’t have to vote for one or the other, that we can give our vote to candidates who seek to represent us, not just themselves and their cronies. They need reminding that it is our country just as much as it is theirs.

Your vote counts so if you have strong views and opinions about the events of the past twelve months let them know, loudly and clearly. 

You never know, by doing so you might just vote in a few more able and effective local councillors than you have at present. A few independent thinkers on many a local council would be a huge improvement in my opinion.

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Finally, just in case you’re wondering, the government cabal has no intention of ending the lockdown any time soon.

Think about a few things for a moment or two.

Why is such a fuss being made about these ‘vaccines’ when nobody has given a tinker’s cuss about whether or not anyone had the ‘flu vaccine in previous years?

‘Vaccine passports’ were never mentioned then so why now all of a sudden?

Why does anyone need these ‘vaccines’ when they neither prevent infection or transmission after being injected?

Why does anyone need these ‘vaccines’ when inexpensive, effective and established treatments are now available?

Why?

Because the hastily produced and barely trialled mRNA gene therapy treatment, erroneously known as a ‘vaccine’, has only been ‘approved’ by the MHRA for ’emergency’ use. They do not have full authorisation. Ending lockdown signals the end of ’emergency’ and therefore the ‘vaccine’ would no longer have approval and could not be administered. If it cannot be given then health certificates/passports, call them what you will, are rendered ineffective and therefore useless.

Without this introductory measure the whole edifice of the planned mass surveillance structure, which has been the end point of the entire Covid-19 fraud, cannot be implemented.

It is not, and never has been, about a virus. Everything that has happened in the past twelve months has been cynically exploited to push everyone towards the ultimate objective.

The ‘virus’ was the pretext.

The non-stop psychological fear propaganda and ‘vaccines’ were the method.

Health information and passports, digital records of all your activities created via your Smart phone use and any other Smart gadgets you have, mass surveillance and control of citizens are the objectives.

Complete control of citizens by the State is the anticipated, and desired, end result.

There are a few in Parliament who are beginning to recognise what is happening –

“The danger is that Government start to believe that these fundamental civil liberties belong to Ministers to grant to us or withhold. They do not—they belong, as of right, to British citizens. This habit of coercion and control has gone too far, and it has gone on for too long. It is time for this House to trust the British people and return their rights to them.”

Sir Graham Brady MP, House of Commons, 25th March 2021.

In conclusion …..

The latest MHRA Yellow Card Adverse Reactions Analyses were released yesterday, they reveal that 594 people have died shortly after being injected. I know personally of one death after the injection which should be added to that total, but the family is too devastated to do anything other than simply get through each day as it comes. It is my belief that they do not want to think the unthinkable. One of my family members knows of the deaths of two more which also have not been reported on the Yellow Card scheme. There are thousands of reports of serious adverse events including 53 people who could see when they took this injection who are now reported as being permanently blind. There are just too many ‘red flags’ now and in the past just one death would have been enough to have the mass injection programme stopped and the treatment withdrawn. But that is not happening and perhaps we should be told why, although I think I already know. Just out of interest you might like to check out the thoughts and writings of the father of our Prime Minister and the background of the father of that super rich bloke who couldn’t even prevent viruses getting into his Windows operating system. To both of their names add  ‘+ eugenics’ when you do your search.

**UPDATE**

More on these ‘vaccines’ can be found here –

https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/no-smoke-without-fire-part-3-vaccine-adverse-reactions

The Home page of UK Column has much more information, one particular item of interest is a thirty minute recording of a telephone conversation between one of the presenters and the wife of a man who has suffered a very serious adverse reaction. Look for ‘The Harsh Reaction of Vaccine Adverse Effects’ on the right hand side of the page.

**UPDATE**

Article from lockdownsceptics.org on 29th March 2021

The NHS Vaccine App is a Gift to Scammers, Blackmailers and Fraudsters
By Toby Young 

There follows a guest post by our in-house technology correspondent. He wrote a series of pieces for Lockdown Sceptics about the NHS Covid-tracking app last year and now he returns to the fray to cover the NHS vaccine app –

‘All that is missing from the dystopian movie that our lives have become is a Bond-style henchman, created through diabolical processes by the wicked super villain. Speaking of which, Michael Gove has a cunning plan to fill that gap. The runt of the NHS app litter, whose creators couldn’t even be bothered to give it a name beyond “The NHS App” has been selected for a set of maniacal modifications transforming it from a lacklustre dictionary of medical conditions into a cyber-bully fit to harass and torment a nation. As we shall see, this once unloved and overlooked app is set to become the accomplice and collaborator of scammers, blackmailers and fraudsters.

According to the Daily Mail ( https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9404085/Fury-plans-Covid-pub-passport-app-proof-jab-negative-test-immunity.html ) Gove envisages a world where you can’t just go somewhere freely: you have to be permitted by a state-operated app that displays your medical records to unwitting restaurant owners, bar staff, and presumably anyone with an authoritarian streak who sees themselves as an agent of our new bio-security state. It is morally and ethically bankrupt, but technically, could it work? What we know about its implementation is sketchy, but we can contemplate what would be involved.

To prove you have had a jab you must show the relevant entry on your medical record, which is held by your GP, assuming you are registered with one and you didn’t opt out of summary care records in the past. If you are a tourist or business traveller from abroad that rules you out. No Diet Coke for you. Those records are the most personal, private data possible and there is rightly a lot of security around who can access them. Indeed, this information is considered so private that in 2004 the NHS instructed BT to build an entirely separate national network just to handle it! Now for the app to work, any random member of the public needs access to that private data, by connecting to the correct medical record at the correct GP surgery. Get that wrong and you are exposing medical records on a massive scale.

The NHS was already working on a system to do this, called NHS Login. It has various levels of “proofing”, and access to medical records requires the highest, known as level nine. Proof level nine is simple: enter your email address and create a new password, accept the terms and conditions and wait for the validation email, return to the app and enter your full name, date of birth and the postcode that you gave your GP, accept the two check boxes for the terms and conditions, get your passport, UK drivers’ licence or EU ID card, and use your phone to take a photo of it and answer some questions about it then allow the app to take a picture of your face unless flashing lights and colours make you feel unwell in which case you can record a video of yourself reading out some numbers instead, submit and wait up to two hours for email saying that your picture is ok. Got that?

That’s your NHS Login account set-up, now to find your GP surgery. Let’s hope they have one of the seven recognised systems in which case you get an email from your GP confirming the connection. Or it might be from a scammer, it’s hard to tell. This is a big problem. The onboarding process puts you in a frame of mind where you are clicking anything, getting emails, taking photos of identity documents and you just want to get to the end of the process so you can go to the pub. If you get lost or distracted or have a question or just want to ask someone about it all, then the opportunities for scammers to insert themselves into the process are endless. At which point they have your most fundamental identity documents and access to your medical records to boot. Blackmail, extortion and fraud are sure to follow.

If they get this wrong, they will truly have created a monster for our technocratic age. An enabler of identity theft and medical data leakage on a national scale, exposing every embarrassing medical episode and blackmailable exploit imaginable. Scammers, crooks, and menaces around the world must be licking their lips.

Beyond the set-up process, how does Gove’s fever-dream play out? If you have a jab the app will not know until it makes its way onto your summary care record at your GP. How long will that take? What is your status in the meantime? What if it never appears? Who you do call to fix it, your GP? If it is on your record when does the app consider immunity to be effective, how many weeks after the jab? Is it the same for all vaccines? Does it consider you immune after just one jab or will you be forced to wait for a second jab? And how long does it consider immunity to last? Your app could be showing green for months, then just as you are going to your daughter’s wedding, oops red, the app thinks you need a booster shot. No wedding for you. And you can go to the wedding if you can show you’ve tested negative, who puts those tests on your medical record? Lateral flow tests are easy to do at home, but it would be too easy to fake a positive if you could write your own record. So, it will have to be carried out by an official at their convenience not yours, and the result will have to make its way onto your GP-held record. How long will that take? It had better be quick because the result is only valid for two days.

The doughty few that make it through the set-up process will be rewarded by an app that puts them at the whim of NHS data entry clerks and ever-changing rules from public health panjandrums. They will live in a constant state of anxiety, fearful that it will turn from showing green to red and all their plans will be on hold for an arbitrary time with no reliable way to fix it.

I can only appeal to any developer building this app to realise what they are doing and make a stand. Refuse to work on it. Consider it as bad as any spyware, ransomware, virus, or weapon system. It is going to make a lot of people’s lives miserable and that is not why you went into software.’

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**UPDATE**

None of the above was in the public domain when this page was uploaded on Saturday but this is confirmation of what is going on behind the scenes. What kind of world will our children and grandchildren be living in if we don’t put a stop to all of this immediately? Is it the kind of world you want for them?  The British public should be up in arms about this gross invasion of privacy instead of supinely wearing useless face coverings and avoiding each other. In the Netherlands military veterans have been out protecting civilians when they gather to protest, making the police slink away and leave everyone alone. Where are our military veterans, they all have ex-service associations, why are they not organising something similar? Where are the men of courage in this country and why aren’t they doing something about this? Have they all become so emasculated that they are unable to stand up for themselves and their families. Some have, but not nearly enough, and all of what is being planned would be a huge price to pay just to get a couple of pints down the pub and maybe the chance to watch a football match now and again.

For all our sakes I hope that many, many will organise themselves and rise up against this evil and morally bankrupt government cabal because none of this will end until they are rooted out and held to account for all that they have done to this country and its citizens. I cannot adequately describe the depth of my anger, but here’s just one reason for it.  My father was too old to be called up but nevertheless volunteered for military service. He was blown to smithereens when a V1 landed directly on his base. I never knew him. He was a photograph which my mother kissed every night before she went to bed. He and thousands of others gave their lives for this country’s freedom, a freedom that we have all enjoyed ever since, and the thought that all of that sacrifice, and that of their families who were simply left behind to pick up the pieces of their lives, being cast aside and that hard won freedom taken away so cynically and so callously absolutely makes my blood boil.

I can’t help but wonder why the hell they bothered.

Walk date – 22nd March 2021

Weather – sunny spells, light breeze

Distance – 3.6 miles

 

We had a short walk over Swindale Common this afternoon. The Common can be very wet in places but after a week of dry weather we thought the ground would be a lot less squelchy than it has been lately. That turned out to be the case and we spent a pleasant couple of hours walking the Common, visiting Harper Hills and Powley’s Hill on the way.

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Route

Swindale – Harper Hills – Long Rigg – Powley’s Hill – Long Rigg – Bewbarrow Crag – Swindale

The view back along Swindale from the parking area. There is no parking along the access road beyond this point so there’s a long walk up the valley for anyone wanting to visit Forces Falls or climb Selside Pike from Swindale Head.

A footpath begins directly from the parking area and joins this one which traverses the fellside below Bewbarrow Crag. Its a good grassy path and not too steep a climb. Here’s a look back at the view along Swindale when we reached the path junction.

From the traverse path the view down into Swindale showing Swindale Beck and the access road with the filter house alongside it. It looked as though some work was taking place on the filter house so perhaps it is being turned into a residential property.

Another look back into Swindale and the parking area from the traverse path. When we reached the flatter area at the top, and before the path began dropping down into Mardale, we turned off to the left and made our way over to Harper Hills.

Harper Hills ahead and plenty of choice regarding paths and routes.

The area known as Naddle Forest is over on our right as we make our way over to Harper Hills. The only patch of forest still remaining is covering the slopes of Hugh’s Laithes Pike over on the right.

The view back along the common as we climb Harper Hills.

The cairn on Harper Hills and distant views of High Street, Kidsty Pike and High Raise to the south west of us.

Looking across Mardale Banks for this view of Kidsty Pike, High Raise and Long Grain. A few patches of snow still lingering on Whelter Crags.

The southern end of Naddle Forest, known as High Forest, presumably trees were more abundant in the past than they are now.

Man and cairn on Harper Hills.

Looking north across Naddle Forest from the cairn.

From Harper Hills we carry on towards Long Rigg and Powley’s Hill via one of the many quad bike tracks.

Gouther Crag, Outlaw Crag and High Wether Howe on the eastern side of Swindale as we cross over Long Rigg.

The view back to Naddle Forest from Long Rigg.

The view south east across Swindale from Long Rigg. High Wether Howe on the left and Nabs Crag, above Dodd Bottom, to the right.

A look back across Swindale as we climb Powley’s Hill.

From Powley’s Hill a view of Gouther Crag, Outlaw Crag and High Wether Howe. No stone or cairn marks the top of Powley’s Hill. Shots of the fells around Mardale to the south west would have been nice but the sun got in the way so I didn’t bother.

After a short break on Powley’s Hill we began making our way back to Swindale avoiding a large boggy patch by skirting around this outcrop …..

….. and following a quad bike trail until we came to the wall with deer fence encircling Swindale Foot Crag and Bewbarrow Crag, both of which are best avoided by quadrupeds and bipeds, especially these two bipeds.

The wall eventually turns off down the steep craggy slope so we keep straight ahead and make for the path we used on the outward leg. Here’s the view into Swindale from Bewbarrow Crag.

We eventually meet up with our outward path and make our way back down to the Swindale parking area. Whenever we walk over Swindale Common we always end up taking an entirely different route to previous visits. It isn’t planned that way either, it just seems to happen. Whichever way you go Swindale Common makes for a very pleasant ramble on a sunny afternoon. And finally … I’m sure you will be very interested in this interview –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-0iPusIy7c

Its not a video, just sound only, and the person being interviewed is bringing a legal action for fraud against Hancock, Whitty, Vallance and Ferguson. The legal papers, together with 1200 pages of evidence, were submitted to court on Friday 19th March 2021. I wish this man every success because it is well past the time this attack on us and our country was brought to an end. It must be blindingly obvious to everyone now that we have been strung along and lied to for the past twelve months and that there is no intention of allowing normal life to return any time soon. You can also read the Public Notice of Intended Prosecution which has been posted on the interviewee’s site here –

https://www.thebernician.net/r-pub-v-hancock-others-2021-public-notice-of-intended-prosecution/

I hope you will share these links with everyone you know.

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